AT&T Launches Child Locator Service with Virtual Earth

AT&T just launched a great new service to keep an eye on your little ones when they’re not with you. The new application dubbed “FamilyMap” allows parents to track their child’s whereabouts anytime via AT&T’s location framework. Parents will give their children an AT&T device, then login to the FamilyMap web site for viewing where their children are on a Microsoft Virtual Earth map. The portal has a number of features such as schedules, history and places considered safe for the children. All of this information can be slapped onto a Virtual Earth map chalked full of map data, aerial image and photography, but perhaps most crucially in this circumstance our high resolution Bird’s Eye photography which really illustrates an area of interest by providing an angled view of a location for additional context. 

About FamilyMap
The service enables users to see details such as location on a map and surrounding landmarks like schools and parks. Users can also toggle between satellite and interactive street maps. Families can customize their mapping experience by assigning a name and photo to each device within their account, and can also label places they visit frequently, like “Home” or “Soccer Field.”

Through the tool’s schedule checks option, parents can receive alerts at specified times via text or e-mail. For example, parents could request a schedule check every weekday at 4 p.m. to check on their child’s location.

The service is compatible with many AT&T postpaid mobile phones with A-GPS. Compared to Sprint and Verizon’s child locator services the pricing is a bit different. In one hand Verizon Chaperone is the most expensive, costing $9.99 per month and per child. In the other hand, Sprint cut its Family Locator price by half in November 2008 ( read more here ), allowing the location of up to 4 phones for only $5 per month ( reference ).

The application was built by WaveMarket and is a great showcase of geospatial mobile technology leveraged across multiple mediums. Very nice. Now, go protect your kids.

CP