IWDG delighted to launch their new Reporting App

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) is delighted to announce our new Reporting App for mobile devices. After a year of design, implementation and exhaustive testing, this powerful new biological recording tool will be launched on May 22nd to coincide with National Biodiversity Week. The new IWDG Reporting App, developed by Compass Informatics and funded by LEADER through the Clare Local Development Company (CLDC) will be available to download for free on the App store for iPhones and the Google Play store for Android.

 

The App is designed to be used by a wide audience of citizen scientists, researchers, boat operators, wildlife enthusiasts and of course whale watchers. It will elevate reporting of whales, dolphins and porpoises in Irish waters to a new level, by taking the observer logically through the steps necessary for the reporting of both sightings (casual and effort) and strandings (live and dead).

“Observations of wildlife from the general public can make a valuable contribution to better understanding Ireland’s biodiversity, particularly for the marine environment where there is yet so much to learn about species and their distribution. Where this information is collected to a standard format and validated to ensure its accuracy it can be a powerful tool for citizen engagement and contributing to tracking change in marine biodiversity” Dr Liam Lysaght, Director of the National Biodiversity Data Centre

Vivienne Kelly of Compass Informatics highlighted that “the design and development of the IWDG mobile app, demonstrates a reliable way to provide amateur and expert recorders with the tools to capture and share important data on whales, dolphins, porpoises, and basking sharks in Irish waters”.

This IWDG Reporting App is aimed specifically for the recording of whales, dolphins and porpoises, and can also be used for basking shark sightings. Information collected on the IWDG Reporting App ensures robust validation of the data, essential if these records are to contribute significantly to the conservation value of every reported record. By using the IWDG Reporting App you are also contributing to Ireland’s longest continuous whale and dolphin dataset, which has been to the fore of whale and dolphin conservation and research on the Island of Ireland for over 30 years.

Dr Simon Berrow, CEO of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group says “Reliable sighting and stranding records are essential to develop conservation actions and policies, support marine tourism and enables the citizens of Ireland to experience some of the most amazing animals living in our waters”

The Reporting App also links to the iwdg.ie website which offers seamless browsing of the IWDG’s sightings and stranding datasets with online mapping. The associated website showcases the work of the IWDG and points to how you can become actively involved by contributing to our recording schemes, supporting our charity’s work and becoming an IWDG member. Enjoy and report!
From all the team at the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group