E-Media Tidbits

Barbara Iverson's Seero.com page Seero lets you integrate many kinds of geotagged content and info, including live video broadcasts.

On Mar. 19 a small San Francisco startup called Seero.com, debuted its video broadcasting application. According to Seero founder and CEO Justin Cutillo, the system features GPS mapping that "integrates location by allowing its content to be shared, promoted, and indexed through keyhole markup language (KML) the scripting language of Google Earth and Maps."

I've been beta testing Seero for several months, and it seems like most of the problems with audio and video levels and such have been ironed out.

"Livecast" streaming video appears in a page that includes geotagged information and a map showing the location of the livecaster. Seero automatically tracks users' GPS readings -- but if you don't have GPS, at the opening of your broadcast you can enter an address that gets translated into GPS coordinates.

Next to the streaming video is an information stream of geotagged URLs and "geo-bits" that updates with any change in GPS location. In addition, you can send URLs and facts for "geo-bits" (kind of like microblogging) to Seero to be pushed when your videos are on the screen. Here's a sample view from my Seero.com broadcaster page.

Cutillo explained the GPS function from a commercial perspective: A car salesperson could walk through the lot -- and as she discussed a car, information about that car would appear on the screen of a hand-held device or laptop. "We serve advertising based on where a broadcaster is on-location, or where a video takes place," says a company press release.

As I worked with this application, my reporter sense tingled. And I noticed something else.

It happens like this: My students and I are walking an area of Chicago's Loop between Congress and Randolph, State and Lake Michigan on the east. They're taking photos and videos, and locating interesting geographic places (buildings as well as intersections or what sociologists call "third places"). We're collecting material to create a Seero info-map focusing on the architectural, historical, political, and public geography of that small slice of territory. Seero then publishes our information and sites, along with whatever their software finds. So when my reporters do livecasts, they'll have multimedia spatial context available to supplement their video reporting.

Take this further: Imagine linking construction permits, building code reports and violations, lists of tenants, floor plans, and other information with important buildings. Then, when a crime, accident, political scandal, or other breaking news happens in that area, you can quickly produce an info-map or site, enhancing your coverage in real time, and including live broadcasts.

Seero.com is new. So is my vision of live news linked to geotagged information about the places in stories. So far, the quality of my livecasts, is not up to my vision. However, if this sounds intriguing you can check Seero out for yourself.

I do see an interesting future for this kind of mashup of maps and live video. It should be of interest to content providers and advertisers.