Digitalisation: Data acquisition via app

In the past months we have made a huge step forward in the digitalisation of our data recording in cooperation with the company Pegenau (Erfurt): Software developer Stefan Werfling has developed an app specifically for M.E.E.R. e.V. that digitally records sightings of whales and dolphins.

Sighting data (coordinates of the sighting, species, displayed behaviour, group size and composition, etc.) can now be digitally collected on each tour and fed directly into the database. In addition to this, photos can also be taken with a tablet, assigned to the respective sighting and uploaded to the database. The tour’s location data is even logged in the background, enabling the correct location at the end of a sighting to be automatically set when the time at the end of a sighting is entered later.

The app was tested and adapted for the first time under real operational conditions during our behavioural biology course. From now on, it will be used as the standard on board the boats of our cooperation partner OCEANO, run on a waterproof outdoor tablet.

By using the app, OCEANO’s guides save valuable working time, the automatic uploads reduce the chance of errors when processing data and paper consumption is decreased. The data can then later be accessed and analysed via a dedicated web portal.

Currently, there are still a few adjustments being made to the app and the associated web portal together with OCEANO. We are very proud of having made a big leap towards digitalisation with the app!