Your panoramic shots of the mangroves and pretty pictures of flamingos can now be used for more than getting likes on Instagram, as the launch of a new smartphone application invites you to submit your snaps for the benefit of the emirate’s biodiversity.
The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is encouraging you to download the app, Collector for ArcGIS. This allows you and fellow Abu Dhabians to document the local flora and fauna to help with the agency’s biodiversity plans.
The use of technology by the public is a major development for EAD. When you download the free app your photos are then geographically mapped thanks to GIS (Geographic Information System) and the data is then centralised on a database, which is updated instantly.
Khansa Al Blouki, who oversees environmentally sustainable communities at EAD, said: “With this initiative we aim to increase public participation and engagement in preserving our natural heritage. Besides being a mapping exercise, this app will provide a platform for the public to showcase their passion for the rich biodiversity that we are privileged to have in our emirate.”
Al Blouki told us the EAD team successfully “tested the app with several of the schools that are part of our Sustainable Schools Initiative. They found it extremely user-friendly and as we’re wanting to tap into the younger market, this was a positive sign for us”.
The app can be downloaded on Google play and the App Store.
