Sea farers navigating in the proximity of the Maltese Islands and southern Sicily now have a new aid for planning their journeys and safer trips. Just a few clicks on a phone app leads users to a myriad of sea and weather data in the form of interactive maps providing instantaneous user friendly and user defined access to prevailing conditions at sea, as well as short term past and forecast information.
This is KAPTAN, the equivalent Maltese word for 'Captain', a smartphone application developed within the CALYPSO project led by Prof. Aldo Drago from the University of Malta’s Physical Oceanography Research Group within the Dept. of Geosciences.
The data for this integrated service to mariners is mainly derived from the Calypso HF radar observing system, consisting of HF radar CODAR SaaSonde installations on the northern Maltese and southern Sicilian shores at four selected sites. Satellite observations added to high resolution weather and marine numerical models, run at the University of Malta specifically for the Malta-Sicily Channel, provide a full suite of very local reporting, and complement other weather forecasts derived from GFS/WRF models and local weather stations.
The phone app can be downloaded for free for both Android and iOS devices (Google Play and App Store on iTunes respectively).
The same services are also available online.
Finally, a phone app created to serve local mariners, divers, windsurfers, environmentalists….
Download now!
Besides the Physical Oceanography Research Group from the University of Malta, the CALYPSO project comprises four Sicilian partners: University of Palermo (Polo Territoriale Universitario della Provincia di Trapani) as Sicilian Focal Point, L'Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IAMC-CNR), University of Catania (CUTGANA) and ARPA SICILIA (Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell’Ambiente), and three other Maltese partners: Transport Malta, Armed Forces of Malta and Civil Protection Department.
The project is partially funded by the ERDF Italia – Malta Programme, Cohesion Policy 2007-2013.
For further information please email Prof. Aldo Drago.