When
Wednesday 5th Feb, 12:00 pm

Where
Room B1

Hashtag
#W12

Category
Impact

Presenter
Claire Harris

Abstract

There are now 40 billion ‘apps’ downloaded to portable devices worldwide. Almost half (8.7 million) of adult Australians own a smart device, such as a tablet or mobile phone, and during June 2012, 4.45 million adult smartphone users downloaded a mobile app.

The opportunities apps provide for greater, easier access and interaction with information and other people is undeniable. Many research and government agencies realise this and are supporting the development of apps for internal and external audiences. There are many factors that government agencies, like CSIRO, need to explore to develop and distribute apps.

This case study outlines the experience of the CSIRO team involved in the final development, release and promotion of SoilMapp, CSIRO’s first official app. SoilMapp for iPad provides access to the best nationally consistent soil databases available in Australia.

This paper will provide an overview of:

1. the processes and inputs required for releasing SoilMapp (including from information technology, legal, business development and communication specialists)
2. the communication objectives, activities, and resources required
3. challenges and learnings and what could or should have been done differently
4. the impacts — both expected and unexpected — from the app, including for communication, research and project collaboration.