Developer using technology to connect with nature
Interactive BiosphereGPS app to help iPhone users explore southern Ontario’s ecosystems
A Peterborough tech startup has launched a new mobile app aimed at helping people get out of the urban grind and explore the ecosystems of southern Ontario.
Jordan Ahee started working on BiosphereGPS in 2018. He worked for years in the environmental sector, graduating from Trent University’s Environmental and Life Sciences program before working at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as a spatial ecologist, Otonabee Conservation as an environmental technician and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters as an invasive species specialist.
The interactive BiosphereGPS app, available for the iPhone, maps 10 different environment types across southern Ontario, including agriculture, broadleaf, coniferous, mixed-wood, shrubland, grassland, barren, urban, wetland and water, with a complete view of the landscapes to help people find new places to explore.
It can be found in the Apple App Store. The goal, says its creator, is to help people reduce stress and increase energy by getting closer to nature.
“We spend hours every day staring at our smartphones, swiping through feeds designed to keep us hooked — BiosphereGPS is headed in the opposite direction,” states Ahee in a press release from the Innovation Cluster. “I think smartphones can have a huge positive influence on people’s lives.”
Ahee joined the Innovation Cluster last year, working out of the organization’s downtown incubator at the Venture North building to develop the app. The app is currently in the beta-testing stage, he said, inviting people to try it as he fine-tunes its development. “We are seeking seed stage investment, which will help to develop a pipeline of new features and expand into new markets across North America,” he stated.
“Peterborough and the Kawarthas is the perfect place for the BiosphereGPS app to be launched,” stated John Gillis, president and CEO of the Innovation Cluster. “With countless trails, rivers and forests in the area, the community will be able to take advantage of the outdoors while supporting a local digital startup.”