VOLO Cases: Mobile App for the Armenian Red List Species

The Challenge

As part of the Caucasus Initiative by the German Government, GiZ Armenia, in a partnership with the Ministry of Nature Protection, set out to create an app of the Armenian Red List Species. The app was part of an awareness campaign by the aforementioned organizations to educate the public on the flora and fauna of their particular regions as well as inform them on the problems of deforestation and the ensuing loss of biodiversity.

The Solution

When creating the app, the first major task for our team was to come up with a classification system for the data content, as it was given in no particular order. In this regard, our team essentially took on the task of a Product Owner in analyzing the data in order to come up with a structured database. The result was a flexible and dynamic data structure that enables the display of species in a list, on a map, or as a search result.

With the help of location-based services, the app allows users to view species within their particular region and even gives them the opportunity to contact app admins with their own suggestions by filling out a contact form along with their message and attaching any pertinent images.

As a comprehensive source of information of the Armenian Red List Species, the app features detailed profiles of plants and animals, which include images, taxonomy, geographical location, conservation status, etc.

The flexible admin tool allows to easily add new listings or edit existing ones, thereby considerably simplifying data management.

Why Volo

Volo was chosen to deliver the app (in iOS and Android) in a tender-based selection process organized by GiZ. The organizers selected a tech partner based on a long list of criteria which included but was not limited to the company portfolio, process-driven approach, and a vast experience in delivering projects using agile methodology.