Species Explorer Mobile App

Project Name: Species Explorer Mobile App
Client: Max Media, Inc.
Year: 2008
Timeline: 1-2 months
Role: Technical Solution Architect/Mobile App Developer
Project Type: Mobile Device Application

Description:
In 2008, I worked with Max Media, Inc. to help design and develop a unique scientific mobile application called "Species Explorer".

This mobile application was an addition to the already existing Species Explorer community website where users posted sightings of various wildlife around the globe.

The mobile app allowed users to take photos, and GPS tag plants and animals, and then to upload them to the Species Explorer website to share their discoveries around the globe.

The app consisted of two primary functions: Reporting and Browsing. All the relevant features can be found in this features guide.

Users were able to quickly enter sightings into a phone and later elaborate on the website on their sightings. Users were also able to get sighting information based on their GPS location determined by the device.

This application was first written for Symbian based phones at the time, and was a popular download among users of the Nokia mobile ecosystem.

The mobile app was also a feature case study by Adobe's Mobile Team for their Open Screen Project initiative. It was selected among hundreds of applications to be part of the Open Screen Fund Project.

At this time of writing, it can still be downloaded on Nokia's OVI store.

Screenshots:

The login and authentication screen for the app. This tied into a custom API for the website running Drupal.

The UI was custom built with the help of one designer and myself.

A lot of the UI was cutting edge for the time. This ran on the Nokia 5800 and was touch enabled.

The point of the UI was to reduce the amount of interaction and allow the user to easily take recordings of wildlife.

More Screenshots:

Sample user submitted sighting data pulled from the website and its database

Listings found for a particular area the user has selected

User is invited to take a photo of their sighting first

Login Screen allowed users to save their details to allow for faster recording when out in the wild.

Top level menu in the app

Splash Screen

Video:

For more information about this project, please contact me.