Launched in Mediterranean Sea, the new smartphone / tablet App Donia allows yachtmen to choose the appropriate location for their anchorage in order to limit their impact on the seabed. This sustainable solution enables to use moorings without damaging the fragile and valuable seagrass meadows.

Faced with the difficulty of finding an ecological and accessible anchoring system, Andromède Océanologie has developed a free Smartphone / Tablet Application to help yachtsmen and yacht captains to check the nature of the seabed to find a suitable location for anchoring.
Free and easy to use, Donia offers a relevant solution to avoid anchoring in the underwater meadows of the Mediterranean as a start.
The company Andromède Océanologie, publisher of Donia, was at the heart of a mapping of the seabed by making the most of these cards with advanced instruments such as sidescan sonar and multibeam sounders but also passing thousands of hours diving to identify fauna and flora and to assess their health status.
“Started in 2009, the project remained dormant until a the explosion of smartphones and tablets, which today enables Donia to take its full measure” expique Pierre Descamp co-founder of Andromède Oceanologie.
Officially launched at the 2013 Paris Boat Show, Donia was developed by Andromède Oceanologie which has supported the development of 50% of the 100.000 € Total funding, in partnership with the Agence de l’Eau Rhône Méditerranée Corse and Interregional Directorate of the Mediterranean Sea which managed the feasibility study.
Andromède Oceanologie received the blue boat Boat Show 2013, an award that recognizes companies for their commitment to the protection of the marine environment.

Endless opportunities of development
Launched initially on French Mediterranean coast, including Corsica, this innovative tool is caused to extend Britain and to export, first in Mediterranean countries such as Italy or Spain, and in all parts of the world where the impact of recreational boating on the marine environment is a major challenge for the conservation of marine biodiversity. Endless opportunities for app development are nevertheless related to the recovery of seabed mapping can be carried out and funded by numerous organizations such as managers of marine protected areas.

Improve safety when anchoring
Donia also provides a prepaid panel of anti-skid and anti-collision anchoring alarms which increase safety onboard, even detecting the crossing of chains and preventing any risk of entanglement …

Reduce the impact of moorings on Posidonia meadows
Launched in Mediterranean Sea, the new smartphone / tablet App Donia allows yachtmen to choose the appropriate location for their anchorage in order to limit their impact on the seabed. This sustainable solution enables to use moorings without damaging the fragile and valuable seagrass meadows.

An easy to download app for smartphones and i.pads
Donia is a free downlable app available from the Play Store for Android devices and from the Apple Store for iOS devices. Downloading includes a simplified map listing sandy or rocky bottoms, seagrass beds or mats dead.
Donia also offers several paid options that allow the company to update the maps and continue coverage of further areas of navigation in France or abroad.
The option alarms available for only 5 is dedicated to recreational boaters who look for an alarm in case of anchor slippage. This will avoid the risk of collision with neighboring boats or to discover when back from a walking trip the boat on shore.
If the electronic equipment provides additional safety fittings for sailormen, it is necessary to remember that seamanship skills and vigilance always prevail at sea.

Access to high precision bathymetry
Donia app also offers users the ability to acquire high precision bathymetry 3D maps to accurately visualize the underwater topography of only any sites at this launching time. A handy tool that promises to be also popular with divers. Sites are indicated by icons on the dedicated page “Card Management”, new areas are continualy mapped and regularly updated.
Interactive Donia finally allows users to communicate and receive information from Natura 2000 , marine reserves or national parks managing. An accessible, efficient and well thought out tool, developed by professional divers, which offers a real novelty to the protection of the marine environment and makes anchoring safer and more sustainable.

An alarm in case of anchor
Once the alarm is activated, the position of your boat appears in the center of the surveillance zone screen. You can adjust it. As soon as the boat leaves her area (slippage of the anchor or change of direction of the wind), the alarm sounds on the tablet or the smartphone and the screen flashes.
A SMS option is available under network coverage with either a SIM card equipped pad or a smartphone. In these cases the user is notified via SMS. The SMS alarm signal is sent via the Andromeda Oceanology server to a pre registered number activated at resgistration time.

An alarm in case of collision or entangling of chains and ropes
Under network coverage, Donia’s app recognizes between two users the position of the two boats through the server. If a pre registered distance selected by the user for seafety reasons is reached, the alarm will trigger.
Similarly, the positions of the anchor and the boat are recognized, so if the application detects a risk of entanglement between two Donia ‘s channels users the alarms occur.

HD Morpho-Bathymetric maps
Donia also proposes to acquire high-resolution bathymetry maps to visualize the underwater topography with a 5 times higher accuracy than with usual cards. This option available at 15 € helps boaters detect any seabed anomaly for a more precised and safer anchoring.