Voyent Alert: Emergency Notification System

FAQs

• What is Voyent Alert?

  • Voyent Alert is a notification system that uses advanced geospatial technology to send personalized alerts about emergencies and day-to-day activities.
  • Rather than receive a generic message about an event taking place in your town, Voyent Alert will provide detailed information that is relevant to you. Alerts can provide necessary details including an event’s distance from you, maps of the impacted areas, and your next steps.
  • The result is that the message you receive provides the most important information, allowing you to make better, more informed decisions.
• Am I going to be bombarded with useless messages?

  No. You will only ever receive a notification if it is relevant to a location or a specific topic you have selected. At this point, the City of Pitt Meadows is only using Voyent Alert for emergency alerts and critical incident notifications, such as major road closures. If this changes in the future, you will be notified and given the option to opt out.

• Do I have to pay to use the Voyent Alert service?

  No. You will not be charged to download the Voyent Alert app or use this service.

• Does Voyent Alert collect personal information?

  No. The only information required to register is a postal code or address and a phone number or email address. No other personal information such as your name, address or date of birth is required. Please see the Voyent Alert Privacy Policy at voyent-alert.com for more details.

• I am concerned about privacy issues. Where is the service operated from?

  Voyent Alert is a cloud-based service utilizing Canadian-based resources for operations and storage.

  ICEsoft undertakes measures to ensure that Voyent Alert is compliant with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act of Canada (PIPEDA).

• How is Voyent Alert different from other regional alert systems?

  • Federal and provincial services advise users about issues at a broader provincial or district level. These alerts provide general warnings to effectively notify the variety of users in their regions. How the issue might impact you, specifically, might not always be immediately clear.
  • Voyent Alert works on a more detailed level. It provides you with customized information including where the alert is relative to your location and your immediate next steps.
  • Additionally, as Voyent Alert is administered at the community level, it can be used for general day-to-day communications and local services. Note: Currently the City only uses the system for emergency alerts and critical incident notifications, such as road closures.
• Is training required to use this service?

  No. Voyent Alert is very simple to use.

  When you first register, helpful hints are included to guide you in setting up your account. If you ever get stuck, click on the “?” on the side of the screen for assistance. Additional support can be found on the Voyent Alert Frequently Asked Questions page at voyent-alert.com/community where you can also submit a question directly.

• Can I register my children or parents?

  Yes. Provided they have access to email or a phone, you can assist them with registering for Voyent Alert. Simply install the app from the App Store or Google Play Store or use the web registration to receive email, voice calls or text alerts.

• Do I have to be in town to receive an alert?

  No. Provided you are connected to a mobile service or can access your email, the alerts will get to you wherever you are, even if you are outside of Pitt Meadows.

• I keep getting asked about location tracking. Why is this?

  Recently, phone companies have taken extra measures to ensure your privacy. This includes sending frequent requests to confirm your approval for apps to use your location. As the Voyent Alert mobile app can use your location, you may see this warning appear for Voyent Alert.

  Voyent Alert uses your location to provide the most accurate information in an emergency. If you are using the mobile app, sharing your location allows the system to identify if you enter an area with an active alert and send you the associated notification.

• What if I decide I want to stop receiving alerts?

  Both mobile applications and web-based accounts provide access to an unsubscribe feature accessed via the menu icon on the top right of the screen/page. If the service is not working out simply click on the “Unsubscribe” button and you will not hear from Voyent Alert again.

  For more information you can check out the FAQ and the Voyent Alert Privacy Policy.