Stanley Park iPhone App Review
byI discovered a new iPhone app today called Mo Discovers: Stanley Park and as I spend much time trekking through Stanley Park’s trails, slipping in its mud, photographing its natural beauty and have blogged about it for the last five years so, I figured this application was worth a download.
The Mo Discovers: Stanley Park was produced by the folks at CellMap Inc., whom I’ve heard of thanks to various tech events around town. It features a very basic map of Stanley Park along with video highlights of several areas of interest: Beaver Lake, Storm Damage, Salmon Stream, Lost Lagoon, Nature Centre and Seawall.
When you click on any of these destinations you get a great-looking video with information provided by hosts Peter Graham-Gaudreau and Jennifer-Juniper Angeli. The 1-2 minute clips show some of the park’s captivating scenery while providing history notes and other facts researched by Margo Langford and the Stanley Park Ecology Society.
I can see this being useful for children (since there are some cute icons like Mo) for locals who want a refresher about the city’s crown jewel, and for tourists.
However personally, I was really hoping for a full trail map and maybe even other highlighted points of interest like Siwash Rock, or the Seven Sisters. Something like the trail map would make the app continuously useful (for each trip we take in the park) instead of just a one-time viewing experience.
If you’d like to check it out for yourself, it’s available in the iTunes App Store for $2.99.
Disclosure: I purchased the app for review
2 Comments — Comments Are Closed
Thanks so much for the informative review. It is definitely in the plans to create trail maps, and location-based services (find the washrooms, ATMS, Coffee etc.) in future upgrades of this and all our Apps which will be GPS-enabled. We shot video for some more stories that will also be included in the future. I agree that the geology of Siwash Rock makes it a fascinating feature to include and we plan to expand the series to things to do with your kids (and maybe dogs) in this Park and others. Parks Board has seen this App and we think the future looks bright – sales and sponsorship will help!
What an interesting idea for an app! I wonder if there are other apps for parks in your local areas with all the tips and maps that are in this application. As someone who is always looking for new outdoor adventures, I would eagerly purchase such an app for the city of Watertown, which is where I live.