Realtime Collaboration

Realtime Collaboration

Realtime Collaboration in Global Watch lets your team work together on the map simultaneously. See who is online, communicate through chat, draw annotations, track activity, and follow each other's cursors — all in real time.

Overview

The collaboration system includes four modules:

• Chat — Send and receive messages with your team while viewing the map
• Annotations — Draw points, lines, polygons, and text directly on the map
• Activity Feed — See what your teammates are doing in real time
• Cursor Sharing — Follow other users' mouse positions on the map

All modules work through the collaboration panel on the right side of the map interface.

Getting Started

1. Open a project in the map view
2. The collaboration panel appears on the right side
3. Use the tabs to switch between Chat, Annotations, Activity, and Cursors
4. Your presence is automatically shared with other online users

Chat

Sending Messages

1. Open the Chat tab in the collaboration panel
2. Type your message in the input field
3. Press Enter or click the send button

Messages are delivered to all connected users in the same project within milliseconds.

Features

Mentions

Mention a teammate by typing @ in the message input. An autocomplete list appears with online users. Select a user to insert the mention. Mentioned users see the message highlighted.

Annotations

Annotations let you draw directly on the map to highlight areas, mark points of interest, or add notes visible to your team.

Annotation Types

Creating Annotations

1. Open the Annotations tab
2. Select an annotation tool from the toolbar
3. Click on the map to place or draw the annotation
4. Configure style options (color, width, fill) as needed

Temporary vs. Persistent Annotations

• Temporary annotations disappear when the session ends. Use them for quick discussions.
• Persistent annotations are saved and loaded every time the project is opened. Use them for lasting references.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Conflict Resolution

If two users edit the same annotation at the same time, the last change received wins (last-write-wins). Each annotation is visually identified by the author's cursor color.

Activity Feed

The activity feed gives you situational awareness of what is happening in the project.

Activity Types

Features

• Activities appear in reverse chronological order (newest first)
• The last 50 activities are kept during the session
• Timestamps show relative time (e.g., "2 minutes ago")
• Repeated activities from the same user are grouped automatically

Filtering

Filter the feed by:

• Activity type — Show only joins/leaves, annotations, chat, or navigation
• User — Show activities from a specific team member

Navigation Links

Click on a navigation activity to fly the map to that location.

Cursor Sharing

See exactly where your teammates are pointing on the map in real time.

How It Works

1. When cursor sharing is enabled, your mouse position is broadcast to other users
2. Other users' cursors appear on the map with their name and a unique color
3. Cursors that are idle for more than 5 seconds fade out automatically

Edge Indicators

When a teammate's cursor is outside your current map view, an indicator appears at the edge of the screen pointing in their direction. This helps you find where others are working.

Performance

• Cursor positions are throttled to avoid network overhead
• Up to 20 simultaneous cursors are supported without performance degradation
• High-latency connections use smooth interpolation to prevent jumpy movement

Toggling Cursor Sharing

To stop sharing your cursor position:

1. Open the collaboration panel settings
2. Toggle Cursor Sharing off

Other users' cursors will still be visible to you, but your position will no longer be broadcast.

Settings

Supported Languages

All collaboration interfaces are fully translated in:

When Arabic is selected, the collaboration panel and all its contents automatically switch to right-to-left layout.

Accessibility

• The chat panel is fully navigable via keyboard
• New messages and activities are announced to screen readers via aria-live regions
• Annotation tools have keyboard shortcuts for all actions
• Cursor indicators include text descriptions for assistive technologies

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Messages not appearing

• Check your internet connection
• Verify you are connected to the project (look for the online status indicator)
• Try refreshing the page

Annotations not visible

• Ensure Show Annotations is enabled in settings
• Check that you are viewing the correct map area
• Persistent annotations load when the project opens — refresh if needed

Cannot see other cursors

• Verify the other user has cursor sharing enabled
• Cursors fade after 5 seconds of inactivity
• Check that you are both in the same project

Related Features

• Projects — Manage project boundaries and members
• Members — Control who can access collaboration features
• Assets — Track items within your projects