A group of innovators and marine ecosystem custodians working out of Alaska as part of the Skipper Science Partnership have unveiled an innovative new smartphone app that is designed to tap into the real-time observations of fishermen and others who spend considerable time engaging with the ocean.
The 'Skipper Science' app allows people who live and work along the Alaskan coastline to register their observations within the app so that it can be organized and leveraged as hard data that can then influence marine resource management policies and practices.
Whether it's the sighting of a rarely-seen fish species or the experience of unusual currents, users of the app can upload their observations onto the app. While Internet access is often not available out on the ocean, that's not a problem because the 'Skipper Science' app holds on to data before uploading it once it has access to the Internet.
By combining the power of crowdsourcing with the real-time observations of people who live and work on the coastline, this app makes for a novel and science-based way to influence marine policies.
Crowdsourced Ocean-Tracking Apps
The 'Skipper Science' App Taps Into Fishermen's Observations
Trend Themes
1. Crowdsourced Ocean-tracking - The Skipper Science app taps into fishermen's observations creating an innovative way to influence marine policies by collecting data crowdsourced from people who live and work on the coastline.
2. Real-time Data Collection - The Skipper Science app allows real-time data collection by holding on to data before uploading it once it has access to the internet, creating an opportunity for disruptive innovation and creating a way to influence marine resource management policies and practices.
3. Marine Resource Management - The Skipper Science app provides hard data that can be organized and leveraged as insights for marine resource management policies and practices, providing an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the industry and influencing policies.
Industry Implications
1. Fisheries - The fisheries industry can benefit from the Skipper Science app by gaining real-time data on fish sightings and behaviors that can help shape marine resource management policies and practices.
2. Marine Conservation - The marine conservation industry can use the hard data collected by the Skipper Science app to influence policies and practices that support marine ecosystem conservation and provide opportunities for disruptive innovation in the industry.
3. Technology - The technology industry can play a crucial role in the development and enhancement of similar apps that allow for crowdsourced data collection to influence policies and practices in other sectors and industries, creating new disruptive innovation opportunities.