2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards Gold Winner – Fruitful Technologies
Company: Fruitful Technologies, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Award for innovation in General Information Apps
Entry Title: Dorsal Shark Reports
Dorsal Shark Reports is the world’s first 360 degree shark sighting and reporting solution.
Dorsal conceptually came to life when there was a wave of shark attacks around Northern NSW in 2014/15, but it was the death of a Tasmanian diver in front of his daughter by a 4.5m White Shark in July last year that sparked things into action.
In many of these cases, people had seen a shark in the area the day prior but had no way to alert anyone. On the flip side, there was no central portal for anyone to access the latest sightings from around their area before entering the water and thus the Dorsal system was born.
In Dorsal, Australia now has a large, scalable shark reporting system that allows both official sources (Surf Lifesavers, DPI, Police) and the public to submit shark sightings as well as the beach going public to receive immediate notifications of shark sightings in their area.
Dorsal sources its sightings data from over 80 sources online as well as from the public, ensuring it is the widest ranging shark notification in the country. Each report is independently verified and includes whether it is an Official or Public report, the time, location and type of sighting, any photos or video as well as general details of the incident and basic shark information such as species and size.
Since launching in November 2015, Dorsal has provided over of 1,000 shark sightings from around Australia to its user base of over 200,000 across to its Android and iPhone Apps as well as dorsalwatch.com and the various Dorsal social media accounts. Its apps have a 5 star rating and have been credited by its users as potentially saving lives through its early warning system.
In 2016, Dorsal will continue to expand its horizons across all facets of the business.
Based on is Australian success, Dorsal will be soon launching in Hawaii and the US as part of our Dorsal 2.0 upgrade.
Technology wise, Dorsal is about to release a new GPS Alert app for pilots and aerial surveillance operators to provide immediate sightings at the click of a button. It is also working with private sonar providers as well as a commercial drone operator to provide unmanned sightings direct to the public.
For those who don’t have a smartphone or web access, a new 1800 phone and SMS alert service will be available and finally, Dorsal is currently working on a world-first in water wearable that will keep those in the water informed of sightings near them.
While not the silver bullet to preventing shark attacks, Dorsal plays a highly valued role in keeping the public informed of sightings around them, to ensure they can enter the water with as much information as possible and ultimately reduce their risk.
Supporting Materials:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1045887929?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.fruitful.dorsal