Wild Game Ranger’s “Where Wildlife Wander” mobile app is designed to help users find when and where wildlife wander. The app allows users to capture and post photos of wildlife and have the location of the photos appear on an interactive and filterable map and feed. Users can filter both the map and the feed by the date photos were taken, by the species on the photos, and by the location of the photos. Filtering can also be done by individual users and by groups of users.
Designed primarily for two types of users, the app can enhance the wildlife viewing experience of the tourist and the wildlife enthusiast. For the tourist, this app solves a problem of not knowing when and where to find wildlife in an area they plan to visit. Using the app, they can filter by the location they plan to visit, by species, and by dates (from recent to historical sightings).
For the Tourist
For example, imagine you, as a tourist, are from Chicago and are planning to visit Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Being from out of town, you arent sure about where, when, and how to find the famous North American wildlife that frequent the Teton area. Instead of driving or hiking aimlessly with no luck spotting what you are looking for, you download the “Where Wildlife Wander” app to your mobile device. This app shows you on an interactive map where recent sightings of all forms of wildlife have been made in proximity to your current location. You decide you want to know about a specific species, a bull elk, for example. Instead of seeing all sightings of wildlife on the map you filter the results to show you only recent sightings of elk. The app also informs you of the best times of day and locations that elk are frequently spotted. Now you are equipped with all you need to find an elk. Once you spot a bull elk and snap a photo, you upload the photo to the “Where Wildlife Wander” app. It is then posted to the map and the feed for other users to see, like, and comment. By posting your photos, you become part of the thousands of wildlife enthusiasts that help so many other users find where wildlife wander.
For the Wildlife Enthusiast
There are many kinds of wildlife enthusiasts who will find the “Where Wildlife Wander” mobile app to be functional and fun to use. For instance, many enthusiasts spend countless hours each year running and hiking in the mountains. They may have encountered rattlesnakes, bears, and other potentially dangerous animals. They often see other people on the trails who don’t realize the dangers that could be awaiting them as they make their way further down the trail. As a user of the “Where Wildlife Wander” mobile app, you could snap and post photos of potentially dangerous wildlife that you’ve seen to warn other app users. Those users of the app will be able to filter by potentially dangerous animals that have been sighted in close proximity to their location.
Creating Private Groups
There are some wildlife enthusiasts who prefer to share their photos only with family and close friends. The “Where Wildlife Wander” mobile app is designed to allow users to create private groups so they can share select photos only with their group’s members. Members of private groups will still have access to the public feed and also be able to post to a private group and view a private feed and map. Private groups will be available as an in-app purchase for a small fee.
The Uncertainty of Viewing Wildlife
There is an inherent amount of unpredictability in seeing wildlife due to migratory patterns, times of year, weather, predators, traffic, etc. It is common to see road signs that warn of “frequent wildlife crossings” or invite tourists to a wildlife view or refuge area. The “Where Wildlife Wander” mobile app is intended to increase the probability that tourists and wildlife enthusiasts visiting the great outdoors will be able to find where wildlife wander, even amid the unpredictable patterns that wildlife demonstrate.