The Fisheries Department of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu has unveiled Thoondil, a fisher-friendly Android application, in the district, which accounts for 20% of the fish production in the State.
The app has a dozen features, including live view, which help officials and owners ascertain the live position of the boat at sea. Fishermen could use the app to get realtime data on weather forecasts, potential fishing zones, high tide and cyclone alerts. Besides, it would help address shore-to-shore needs of the fishermen, he said.
The app was developed by the Department in partnership with the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) and Ministry of Earth Sciences, E. Kathavarayan, Deputy Director of Fisheries, said.
We are organising special camps and helping fishermen install the app in their phones, he said.
The user-friendly app in Tamil would help fishermen to send distress signal and help officials work out rescue plans, he said.
Network coverage would not be a problem as the fishermen in the region ventured into the sea for a maximum of 30-odd nautical miles, he said.
The Department roped in the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services to identify potential fishing zones and the Meteorological Department for realtime weather alerts.
2019 The Hindu