Tag: smartphone apps

This application makes it possible for people who are headed out of town to place a hold on their mail.

At this time of year, there is so much going on in terms of gift buying and wrapping, making travel arrangements, and ensuring that everything is packed for the intended destination, it can be easy to forget to take certain steps such as holding the mail, but USPS has created a mobile app to help travelers to overcome this struggle.

The USPS app allows a request for a hold on mail to be submitted over a smartphone or tablet.

When traveling away from home for more than a day or two, placing a hold on mail is a good idea, for several reasons, including security. That said, while many people do intend to do it, it is among the easiest details to forget, particularly when traveling during the holidays, when everything in life is busier and more complicated. It is among the preparations that are most frequently forgotten. However, by using the mobile app, an alternative method can be used to complete this task, whenever it is remembered. Even if it means that the individual is already a day or two into the vacation.

The USPS mobile app is currently available for travelers with both Android and iOS based smartphones.

The mobile application is available for free, and it offers a simple to use “Hold Mail” button that gives customers the opportunity to have their mail held for as few as 3 days or for as long as a month. Arrangements can also be made for the way that the held mail will be collected. For example, a user can request that all of it be delivered in a single large stack, or the customer can indicate that they would rather pick it up from their local post office.

Once the request has been submitted, the user will receive a confirmation email that provides all of the details about the request, such as the applicable dates and the collection information. Once the hold has expired, another email is sent on that day in order to confirm that the mail will no longer be held after that point.

The mobile app also provides the user with helpful information such as the location of the nearest branch, the ability to use tracking codes to trace their delivery of their mail, scheduling a pickup, ordering free shipping supplies, and obtaining price quotes.

Crowdsourced policing apps allow mobile users to report illegal fishing.

Although reporting illegal fishing using smartphone apps will not eliminate the problem of overfishing entirely, certain mobile technology, such as reporting apps like ShipWatch, make it easier for users to quickly and conveniently report suspicious fishing activity they might witness, which could help improve local enforcement in the area.

Countries do not lack fishing rules but they have a hard time enforcing laws.

Globally, it is estimated that three quarters of fishing grounds are overfished. What this means is that fish are being removed from waters at a quicker rate than the population is being replenished. One of the main reasons this problem exists is people engage in unlawful fishing practices.

Strict laws do exist around the world for fishing grounds, but it is not always easy to enforce them. For instance, in Ghana, there are certain fishing bans, but the country does not have the necessary resources that would enable it to adequately police its coastline. Approximately a third of all fishing that takes place across this West African region is done so illegally.

Mobile technology may be key in helping this problem.

According to Nature Conservancy Senior Technologist Matt Merrifield, “There are laws in place to say [the fishing] is illegal. The problem is they lack any kind of reporting mechanism. Our idea is to build out a little citizen science tool for any fisherman who’s out there on water. They can take a photo and report these guys.”

Merrifield recently worked on ShipWatch, a reporting app, for a Fishakathon event that was organized by the US State Department. He said that once everyone owns a location-aware phone and they have the ability to document illegal fishing activities and what is being caught, innovation will result. He added that the infrastructure did not exist in the past but once people have the ability to submit data and centralize it, this will help to solve the issue.

The ShipWatch mobile technology app is simple software that is based around the online mobile media sharing and social networking service, Instagram. Whenever a user witnesses what they believe is questionable fishing activities, they can snap a photo, create a tag, and upload what they have captured to a central map.