Would you buy this app idea & if so, for how much?

[ryemck]

Hi all

I'm always thinking of decent app ideas and think I may have thought of a good one. Lets call it OutdoorMate, it's an encyclopedia of everything outdoors that can identify anything. Here's an example:

You're walking through a forest when you see a very strange fungi on the ground that you have never seen before, you pull out your phone, load up the OutdoorMate app which uses your camera. You move the camera over the fungi and the app quickly pops up some messages with identification, it's uses, if it's edible/palatable, if it's harmful etc. It will also collect data so over time it will have built up a map of what grows in what areas. This will work for fungi, tree bark, tree leaves, insects, plants, berries etc!

Also have user-based reviews for if certain resources are good tinder, kindling or firewood etc.

I'm thinking a one-time payment of £3, could you use this? If so, what price do you think is fair?

 

[Chiseller]

sounds a good idea....youve probably put some thought into the dangers of such an app and come up with a disclaimer.

id probably buy an app like that. i usually install a trial or free lite version before i buy a full version though.
good luck with it. as they say.....from small acorns do mighty oaks grow.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[John Fenna]

No use at all to me - I do not have a Smart phone...

 

[Stevie777]

I wouldn't buy it for the simple reason i got involved in bushcraft to learn the ways of the ancients. No app can replace knowledge learned as far as i'm concerned.


I can see the Headlines now...His last words were...The app said it would be ok to eeeeeea......

 

[bopdude]

It already exists in a way, Google goggle does that ? but an outdoor specific app, yeah, I would be in for it

 

[Chiseller]

Knowledge comes to us in many forms....It's how and what we do with that knowledge. You use the forum ....which is a modern form of ancestral gatherings where knowledge could be shared....an app could be interpreted as a modern version of a cave drawing etc.
It's what we do with the knowledge that's important IMHO

Sent from my SM-T705 using Tapatalk

 

[Macaroon]

Knowledge comes to us in many forms....It's how and what we do with that knowledge. You use the forum ....which is a modern form of ancestral gatherings where knowledge could be shared....an app could be interpreted as a modern version of a cave drawing etc.
It's what we do with the knowledge that's important IMHO

Sent from my SM-T705 using Tapatalk

Exactly what he said^

 

[Stevie777]

Here's an idea if you want to make a fortune and i'll give you this one for free...

Dead person alarm.

How many times have the council or whoever had to shovel up a decomposed corpse that has welded itself to the floorboards? What is the cost both financial and human per annum?....Well, dead decomposed person no more.

I propose you invent an alarm that detects when a person dies. (dead people give off chemicals and stink...alot) The alarm sends a signal to a data base or a simple alarm goes off notifying neigbours and or council of ones demise.

Every house has/requires (by law) a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm to be fitted...so why not a dead person alarm?....think of the possibilities. There's your first million my friend.

I also have a Idea for suspension loaded inline skates and rocket propelled legs that i wont go into at the moment.

 

[Shewie]

I think there's too many variables in nature to make the ID side of the app reliable, especially with fungi. It's always a good idea to cross reference your findings with at least 3 sources, spore samples etc. I think it would be fine for obvious things like tree or plant ID tracking, knowledge reference etc

There's some mileage in it but you need to be careful with what you include

 

[Ed the Ted]

I got a collins fungi guide for 2.99 and simply apply my brain and memory to identify a mushy and remember where it grows. What does this app give me that I can't already do?

 

[Ed the Ted]

database society database society database society

 

[ryemck]

The advantages are that's it's a LOT quicker and easier to spent 10 seconds identifying something with an app than googling it or even going through whatever guide you have It would be aimed at people new to bushcraft but I'm sure if I offered some kind of lite, free trial or even made it free (with ads) it would reach a more experienced audience!

The problem is, would people trust an app that tells them what is edible or not? Can the app correctly determine a fungi each time? Would probably need to get a really high-ranking mycologist in

 

[Goatboy]

My initial thoughts when I saw the OP have been mirrored by other in the saftey aspect and how good your Public Liability would be for fungi related depths.
My other point and it's a bit like taking an electric fire to the North Pole (where will you plug it in?), is that never mind where I head to in the woods but even in the village I've to sit in a funny way by the window to.get a signal. The database will work by connection to the network I assume? By nature a lot of the time you'd need it you'll be out of range. Sorry if it sounds negative.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Chiseller]

A lot of negativity in the air today......

It's a good job books went naysayed to the point of not being created.....or ebooks.....again it's knowledge.....once aquired , verified , familiarised , practised, perfected.....then we wouldn't need to carry either.....

just like maps , compasses and GPS. ...until we have learnt from knowledge either self taught through experienced trial and error. Then we carry them on our journeys......once familiar with our surroundings , do we need them....??? Some would say yes, some may say no.






Sent from my SM-T705 using Tapatalk

 

[Grotzilla]

I would definitely trial the app and decide after a few days usage.

In theory it sounds like a great idea, I'm just unsure how precise a program could identify a specimen (mushrooms for example) from just one photo.

Also the camera on my phone isn't the sharpest (anyone on here following my Instagram will know!) even though it being a new phone so I'm not sure how it will detect fine detail.

Enough negative feedback from me lol, honestly I love the idea. I would also like the option to save GPS points of where I found the successfully identified specimen for further usage.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[mrcharly]

It sounds like a great idea but I think it would be extremely difficult to do in practice. Where would you get your data from?

 

[ryemck]

Negative feedback is what determines if the idea is viable or not All the info would be stored on the device, any new info would also be stored until the device has a network connection, then it would be uploaded to the central database.

I don't think it would go off one photo, it would go like this (assuming its a gill fungi for example): Require image of cap, image of stipe, image of gills.

I think the accuracy is really holding it back, I could think to add an "Accuracy" score but then who will use (let alone pay for) an app that can't be 100% accurate? Especially with low pixel cameras.

 

[Stew]

Sounds like leafsnap but for fungi. I have used leafsnap a few times, even though I have many tree id books.

 

[Andy BB]

I think it sounds an excellent idea. Sure you'll need qualifications etc, but the concept sounds fine. An expanded SAS Survival Handbook with flora ID and uses built-in.

And you'd sell millions in the US alone if you tagged "survival/survivalist" in the title somewhere!

 

[dewi]

It sounds like a great app and I'd buy it simply to help me learn... but I'm not sure I'd trust it to tell if something was edible if that makes sense?

Be interested to know how it distinguishes between two similar looking fungi though.