Wildlife Trust - Canal Safari App
Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust
Interactive map based tourism app with GPS tracking, quizzes and iRecord
Project TypeAn interactive app experience for Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust
Canal Safari App was developed for Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust as an interactive tourism and education app, designed to help visitors explore the canal in a more engaging and informative way.
The app combines GPS tracking, illustrated mapping, wildlife information, quizzes, social sharing and iRecord integration to create a digital experience that supports leisure, learning and conservation.
Protecting wildlife, wild places and local habitats
Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust has worked for over 40 years to protect wildlife and wild places, while educating, influencing and empowering people to care for the natural world around them.
The Trust directly manages 18 important wildlife sites across Montgomeryshire and works with other landowners to help protect habitats and species that might otherwise be at risk of being lost.
For this project, the team wanted an interactive app that would give visitors a digital way to explore, learn, record sightings and continue engaging with the canal beyond their visit.
Creating a digital safari for canal visitors
The brief was to create an interactive app that would help visitors explore the Montgomeryshire Canal through a more engaging, educational and location-aware experience.
The app needed to be easy to use, visually appealing and suitable for a wide range of visitors, including families, schools, nature lovers, tourists and Trust members.
Guide visitors through the canal
Create an interactive map-based experience that uses GPS tracking to guide visitors along the canal and highlight nearby points of interest.
Make wildlife learning engaging
Deliver nature-themed facts, photography and educational content in a way that feels accessible, enjoyable and suitable for families, children and visitors.
Support conservation recording
Allow users to photograph and record wildlife sightings, helping Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust gather valuable species information through iRecord integration.
Create a bilingual experience
Develop the app with bilingual functionality, allowing visitors to explore the Canal Safari experience in both English and Welsh.
A GPS-led tourism app with conservation at its heart
We developed an iOS and Android app that uses GPS tracking to plot each visitor’s journey on a beautifully illustrated map of the canal.
As users walk along the route, the app alerts them to nearby species, points of interest, reserves, access points and parking locations, creating a practical and educational visitor experience.
Interactive illustrated map
Built a GPS-enabled illustrated map that plots the visitor journey and helps users explore the canal through a more visual experience.
Wildlife species information
Added facts, photography and detailed information for over 60 plants and animals associated with the canal and surrounding habitats.
iRecord sighting uploads
Integrated iRecord functionality, allowing visitors to photograph wildlife, record sightings and contribute useful conservation data directly from the app.
Quizzes and progress tracking
Developed interactive quizzes and progress tracking, recording quiz results, miles walked and sightings as users advance through achievement levels.
App functionality shaped around discovery and learning
The Canal Safari App was developed for both iOS and Android, making the experience accessible to visitors across the major mobile platforms. The app was designed to be intuitive, visual and easy to use while walking along the canal.
GPS functionality allows the app to plot each visitor’s journey on an illustrated canal map and trigger relevant nature-themed information based on their location. This creates a more responsive experience that changes as users move through the environment.
The app includes bilingual functionality in English and Welsh, supporting wider accessibility for local visitors, families, schools and tourists. Content can be delivered clearly across both languages while keeping the user journey simple and consistent.
Wildlife features include information on more than 60 species, location-based alerts, photography, conservation messaging and iRecord integration. Users can record sightings directly through the app, helping contribute to national species data.
Additional functionality includes interactive quizzes, social sharing to Facebook and Instagram, progress tracking, nature reserve signposting, access points and parking locations linked with Google Maps to help visitors plan their trip more easily.
System Features
Responsive Design
CMS
Clear User Journey
SEO Foundations
Analytics & Reporting
Fast Load SpeedApp Features
Interactive Map
GPS Tracking & Statistics
Wildlife Alerts
Educational Quizes
Bilingual Interface
Invite Friends
i-Record Integration
Camera & Gallery AccessA look at the Canal Safari App in action
A richer visitor experience beyond the canal path
The finished app gives Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust a more engaging way to connect visitors with the canal, its wildlife and the conservation work happening across the region.
By combining exploration, education, recording and social sharing, the app helps turn a canal visit into a more interactive experience for families, schools, tourists and nature enthusiasts.
More engaging visitor journeys
The app helps visitors explore the canal through GPS mapping, location-based content and wildlife information, creating a more active experience that encourages people to notice, learn and connect with their surroundings.
Useful conservation data
Through iRecord integration, visitors can photograph and submit wildlife sightings directly from the app, helping build valuable species records that support conservation knowledge across Montgomeryshire and the wider UK.
Education beyond the visit
Quizzes, progress tracking and social sharing give families, schools and visitors more ways to continue learning after their walk, helping the Canal Safari experience feel memorable, rewarding and easy to revisit.
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