Practical use of our Apps
It’s June 20, 2024, and that means it’s the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere. It’s not just the longest day, but it also highlights the upcoming summer activities we all may want to do.
Hiking in the Pyrenees, with a Phone
One personal pleasure of mine is hiking. And in one particular case, a personal pleasure became a professional pleasure. In the French Pyrenees, the ibex (bouquetin in French) was re-introduced in 2014. At the time, WS Interactive launched a website to highlight the occasion. In essence, back in 2014, the web site was about educating the public on the need and importance of ibex running around the French Pyrénées. The site was fun for kids, and filled with beautiful pictures of the animal.
Fast forward 10 years to 2024, and it became apparent that the ibex was here to stay. The re-introduction has been a success overall. The website no longer needed to fulfill a role in educating the public. Something else was needed. More still needs to be done.
App Development at the Heart of New Projects
Tracking the ibex is a daily task managed in part by the Parc National des Pyrenees, and notably by the Ariege branch (Parc naturel régional des Pyrénées ariégeoises, or PNR). It is critical for the survival of the ibex that humans can monitor their progress. The Pyrenees being a very large and important mountain range, it’s impossible for the PNR team to monitor the ibex alone. Enter, the App, built as a PWA (Progressive Web App).
WS was called on again to innovate and develop an App that allowed any user to inform the PNR if they spot an ibex. Thanks to the App, with even limited connection to internet you can immediately provide images and the whereabouts of the place you spotted an ibex. Simply designed to prioritize speed and easy to use, the App is a great way to participate in the natural wonders of the Pyrenees.
So, if you are planning to hike in the Pyrénées, enjoy, get the App and have fun spotting the ibex. I did.
Below a few shots from 2015 and 2016 by the author.
Blurry, but you can clearly see the two ibex were not too far away.
We ❤️ the Pyrenees and the ibex!