KAPTAN – A smartphone application for mariners

Abstract

As the CALYPSO Follow On project (www.capemalta.net/calypso) came to completion in December 2015 with the addition of a fourth HF radar station in Ragusa Harbour, another major milestone was being accomplished with the launching of KAPTAN, an integrated service of met-ocean information delivered online and on smartphone to aid sea farers navigating in the proximity of the Maltese Islands and south of Sicily for planning their journeys and ensuring safer trips. The initiative follows the trail of efforts by the Physical Oceanography Research Group (ex PO-Unit) of the Dept. of Geosciences within the University of Malta to deliver services deriving from operational oceanography and meteorology to users, not only at the level of national stakeholders that require data and information for their routine operations, but also to the general public by making use of popular media and affordable smart technologies