Boating App Innovative Use of Public Data

29 November 2013

Boating App Innovative Use of Public Data

A new smartphone app utilising data from the New Zealand Hydrographic Authority (NZHA) within Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) will make nationwide boating information more widely and easily available to recreational boaties just in time for summer.

Available to download free of charge, MarineMate provides a wide range of vital boating information – including tide times, boat ramp locations and boating bylaws – that matches its user’s location.

“Development of MarineMate was led by the Waikato Regional Council, with LINZ contributing expertise and providing its free tide data and Notices to Mariners to create it,” says LINZ Manager Hydrography Andrea McDonald.

“This app will be a real asset to all water users this summer – and into the future – and is an example of how we are working to make non-private government-held data more widely available for reuse, innovation and enterprise.”

Other agencies involved in MarineMate’s development included Maritime NZ, ACC, Water Safety NZ, and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

“MarineMate is one of a number of smartphone apps that LINZ has been involved in developing – the most recent being the Hydrographic Notes, or ‘HNotes’, that streamlines the reporting process for hazards at sea.

“Smartphones are increasingly commonplace these days, and it just makes sense to take advantage of this – to ensure that the public can access non-private data and the information they need in the simplest and most convenient way.”

MarineMate is available for download free of charge for Android from Google Play and the iTunes store.

ENDS

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