Update: Tragically, one of the skiers, Rob Williams, was not able to be saved. Our thoughts go out to his family.
Yesterday, a group of technology entrepreneurs from the UK on a skiing vacation in the Swiss Alps (Verbier) lost two of their party around 4 PM CET. Other members of the group put out a request on Twitter in order to learn the numbers of their mobile phones, so they could use the signals to track them down.
According to follow-up tweets, one person (Jason) was rescued using a combination of GPS, Google Maps to determine longitude and latitude, and the signals returned from his iPhone, but another one (Rob) was still missing as the two had apparently been split up. It’s been 7 to 10 hours since the last Twitter messages at this point, so unfortunately we can only hope and not confirm if Rob has been found by now.
Below are a number of screenshots with Twitter messages from some of the group, including Alex Hoye (CEO of digital marketing agency Latitude, Michael Acton Smith from Mind Candy, Joshua Marsh and Hermione Way (TechFluff.tv) Michelle Dewbs (winner of The Apprentice).
Let’s hope everything is alright. We’re frantically tracking Twitter to learn more, and we’re not the only ones.
(Hat tip to Google Maps Mania)
Wow! This is absolutely fantastic. Heartwarming, real and I swear to god I’m gonna flip out if someone says, “OMG another twitter post!”
Maybe I’m wrong but these stories make me feel great about how Twitter has changed the way we live.
twitter & google maps…seem the next big thing on internet….we r yet to see a lot happening on google maps !!
cheers, pray you guys find the other one too!!
Marvin,
http://www.latticepurple.com
Wow, Twitter + Google maps – Life Savers !
I like seeing positive news.
This is great use of technology indeed.
Bravo !
It`s a wonderful thread, how wonderful is social blogging like this really useful to save live,God speed twitter and all technology behind plus gmaps,I will update the search twitter from now to find out what is going on.and if Rob could possibly found safe after this.I hope I can hear his twit message reborn at his twit space
Page Not Found:(
hopefully this and the 3 football player tragedies will enact legislation for mandatory locator devices.
The title doesn’t match the article content. Twitter was not used to track down the two missing skiers, GPS and Google maps were. Twitter was used to tweet about status. There’s a difference.
Read it again, the party used Twitter to get to know the phone number needed to track the signals.
You might think I’m an ass but….don’t go off the piste – period.
Every year people die in the mountains, and 99% of the time it’s because they left the piste to go ski in an unsafe zone.
MattS, they didn’t ‘go off the piste’ – they became lost heading home after very serious fog and bad weather came down on the mountain. The visibility meant it was impossible to tell what was on and off piste.
This is a pretty sensationalist article isn’t it? They used Twitter to find someones cell phone? So what? They could have used anything to find the guys cell number. Actually I’m pretty sure calling a few friends and/or family members for finding his cell number would have been quicker.
Hard to show enthusiasm for emerging technology during the midst of human tragedy. Our condolences to the families and friends.
rip
Really sad story. My thoughts are with Rob’s family and friends. I am a customer of his shop, a skier and a Twitter user so I feel connected in more ways than one.
I saw a report on twitter this morning! Oh thank god for twitter and Google maps, they are quickly becoming something that we cannot live without, and this was the perfect example.
Good Work Twitter & Google!!
Sending my condolences to Rob’s friends and family. And sharing my “Life is Beautiful” blog post: http://chrisco....e-is-beautiful/. I didn’t know Rob, but I think he had a beautiful life.
Twitteridiots are sensational….maybe they should have some new reality TV program…..
them and the clowns expecting everyone to start carrying locators:
“hopefully this and the 3 football player tragedies will enact legislation for mandatory locator devices.”
Get a CLUE PINHEADS–LIVING IS DANGEROUS-and more so if you’re a LibFool expecting the gov to rescue you….
Wow, Go Google.
RT
http://www.priv...y-center.pro.tc
hey thats awsome use of net they got
ncie to hear those 2 ppl got saved,
btw u know Googls says: Twiter is a Poor mans emails”
LOL
Great coverage of this.
http://www.pkgu...series-of-many/
Wow, Go Google.
You don’t go off pistes in white out conditions unless you know the area really well. Seems like a question of taking too many risks, easily preventable.
@Richard Clearly you’ve never been on top of a mountain. Or in a white-out. Sometimes the risk comes to you.
I knew Gmaps/latitude/etc. would come in handy in a situation like this eventually. I wonder if it was a non tech savvy group/individual if they would have ever been found without utilizing these resources? You can check out the security risks at This digital security site anyways.
I always thought Twitter is nice. But, after this it ROCKS!