NP Spotter Etosha

About NP Spotter Etosha Android App

This version "NP Spotter Etosha" is free but offers only a time-limited period of use and shows advertising banners.
The unlimited version "NP Spotter Etosha Pro" is also available at the Google Play Store.

The application National Park Spotter offers access to a central database containing geographic data of animal observations. Observation data consist of information about latitude and longitude, animal species and a time stamp. Observations are clearly represented in a graphical way via icons on a map. Additional a filter can be applied in order to keep the results well arranged. This allows to sort out recent observations, which are most valuable for your search for wild animals. All map data are built-in and can be accessed even offline. Also observation data can be downloaded and therefore accessed later in the park even there is no internet connection.
To provide observational data as accurate as possible, your contributions are very valuable as well. Tell us about your observations and add your spots to our central database. In future these can be the base for documentation of movements of individual animals or groups and herds even over a longer period of time.

Background
Water resources and support services in the national park must be calculated depending on the animal population. Only a few animals can be monitored using radio collars in their habitat. Therefore, observations by rangers are the simplest way to get a picture of location and movements of animals. Each additional monitoring information can be helpful here. We therefore also like to share our observation data with scientific projects.

Prerequisite for Searching for Spots:
You need at least once an internet access to download the current observational data.

Prerequisite for Contributing Spots:
You need an internet connection. If you don't have a connection to the internet, you can enter the observed animals within the last seven days.


Data Access
If you have an internet connection, you have access to the current database. Under certain circumstances, an internet connection is not present in all places in the national park. In this case historical data can be accessed, which have been stored automatically at your last valid internet connection. The switch between offline and online data is accomplished automatically in the background.
Geographic information and maps are already part of the application and therefore always available even without any internet connection.

Example 1:
Internet is available in the national park:
The current observational data are displayed in real time. Your posted spots are stored in real time on a central database server.

Example 2:
Internet is not available in the national park: Start the National Park Spotter Etosha before visiting the park, e.g. in you camp where you might have a Wi-Fi connection. The data will get automatically retrieved from the central server and saved locally, so they can be accessed in offline mode during the park visit at any time.


Geo-Position
Thus, the National Park Spotter Etosha detects your geographic location, you must give your smartphone or tablet permission for it. If this is given your location is displayed on the map (red jeep), and you are able to add your observations with just 3 clicks.
The location is determined either by triangulation of the mobile broadcast stations or through the built-in smartphone or tablet GPS system that gives the best accuracy.