After a long day on the road driving from Johannesburg to Mozambique, Peace Parks Foundation’s
GIS Technicians, Nico Gründlingh & Laika Visser, finally arrive at the Futi entrance gate to Maputo National Park. Their trip to this flagship national park promises to be an adventurous and productive
one as they are here to introduce a new communication tool called Sensa, which will soon be a big
advantage for visitors and park staff alike.
Their drive towards the park’s headquarters is nothing short of spectacular as they spot a tower of giraffe, herds of impala and buffalo, as well as a pair of hippos happily grazing on some grass. After eventually
navigating their way through the park’s sandy roads, they are soon joined by Park Warden Miguel Gonçalves and the rest of the Maputo National Park team.
Sensa: A New Communication Tool
Developed by Farid Meinkohn Sensa is a communication tool designed for areas that have little to no signal. It allows visitors and park staff to communicate with each other through a downloadable app, should anything go wrong. For now, guests will receive a satellite device and will have to download the app onto their own smartphone at the park’s reception area. Once the pilot programme is complete and all bugs have been fixed ,the app can be downloaded at home prior to their trip.
The guest can also load their trip and select the specific areas that they will be visiting. There will also be an offline map to download in the app, which can be used at any time while in the park, regardless of signal.
The app will allow the park to send visitors alerts should any dangerous situations, such as flooding or fires, arise. It will also enable visitors to alert the staff to any problems they encounter, such as getting stuck in the park’s notoriously sandy roads.
A Catch-22
The beauty of many remote, protected areas lies in the fact that there is no phone signal, allowing visitors to completely switch off and unwind. On the other hand, by using systems such as these, visitors can feel safe knowing that they can call for help when travelling to remote places.
Stay tuned to Peace Parks TV to see some other exciting adventures from Nico and Laika’s trip to Maputo National Park.
