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Nature Trail location based discovery application
Similar to popular Pokemon-Go game, an app that takes structured data having biodiversity spots, lat-long location, photo/video/sound and info and converts it into a Nature Trail app that the user can run on smartphone to follow a digital guided nature trail.
User reaches first location following a map with GPS on, sees the information for that location, and then the app gives them the next location on map.
This app idea was proposed by Sanskriti Menon of Centre for Environment Education, Pune, for use in their Pashan Lake nature trail project. Link: https://stuffido.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/nature-trail-at-pashan-lake/ .
- Similar app idea has been proposed by Swach wastepickers collective for a project of their own. And there can be more applications like Sinhgad tour etc. So we can make a generic app that loads a data file created by the agency.
- Similar app made in USA : https://www.visitlakecharles.org/creole-nature-trail/maps-apps/
Sharing some basic ideas regarding this project
This may need a dedicated mobile app, OR I believe it could work straight out of a standard webpage running some javascript.
I'm well versed with leaflet.js : a javascript library for creating web maps running on open source background layers from OpenStreetMap (whereas Google maps is proprietary and restrictive).
There is a standardized data table / CSV file loaded which carries details of each location. Columns could be: Lat, long, sequence number, title, description, image link, audio link, video link, proximity limit
Each row in this data file is a location. Every location is loaded in sequence, not all together.
Initially the screen shows a fullscreen map with the user's location, the destination location and an arrow pointing the direction to go.
When the user's location comes within proximity distance of the first location, a function is triggered and the screen updates with text and multimedia about the location. Example: A certain tree species, with text details like species info and history and ecological benefit. A photo slideshow of the tree's general appearance, leaf, flower, bark etc that user can see and use to identify the tree around them.
There is a button on screen for going to the next location. There can also be one for going back. On clicking the next button, the information on the screen goes away and it is again a full screen map as explained above, and the cycle repeats.
There would be separate starting screen to explain to the user about the trail, and finish screens to congratulate upon finishing etc. On finish screen we could keep an option of re-starting the trail in reverse direction, particularly if this is an outdoor location and we want the users to retrace the trail back and not get stuck elsewhere.