Company gets $595,000 from Ottawa to build app
App developed in Kelowna will allow boaters to share trip plan, notify coast guard if search is required
Boating will soon become safer across Canada, thanks to a new app being developed in Kelowna.
The federal government has awarded LRC Consulting Solutions $595,000 through the Search and Rescue New Innovation Fund to develop the Sailing Plan app.
“Too often, search and rescue teams are called in to respond to marine accidents without the benefit of any sailing plan at all to support their efforts,” Ralph Goodale, minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, said Thursday in Kelowna. “The government of Canada wants to do all that it can to reduce the number of these situations for the benefit of boaters and emergency responders.”
The app will be ready for a beta test next month, with developers hoping to fully roll it out next year.
It will be designed to work on inland and coastal waters.
“For the first time, Canadian boaters will have an intuitive, dedicated mobile app to support their safety,” said Goodale.
Boaters will create a profile on the app, filling in information about their boat and how many people and pets are on board.
They then will enter their departure and destination locations and intended route, which will be sent to three people of their choice.
The app does not track boats, but if a boater does not arrive at his or her destination at the planned time, the app will notify the three contacts and the coast guard, where applicable.
Emergency responders will wait an hour before starting a search, but in the meantime they will make calls to try to locate the boater, said Nelson Jatel, CEO of LRC Consulting Solutions.
“In addition to the app, which you and I would see as boaters, there’s a back end that’s being developed for the coast guard and emergency responders so they know at any moment how many people have filed a sailing plan and ultimately will have a number of information pieces that will support them in the event that someone is overdue,” said Jatel.
Boaters are able to change their sailing plan partway through their trip, as long as they have cell service.
The federal government is also funding a similar app for land activities, called Adventure Smart, with which people can create a trip plan to let others know where they are going and when they expect to return.
“Then if you’re late or other information comes to light that indicates there’s a problem, the search and rescue people are not starting blind; they’ve got a place to begin and they’ve got a lot of data that makes it much more likely that they’re going to be able to find you,” said Goodale. “We’re trying to cover all kinds of outdoor adventures, whether it’s on the water or in the backcountry.”
For more information, go online to publicsafety.gc.ca.