Key Points
- There were almost 500 shark attacks in Australian waters between 2000 and 2022, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
- SharkSmart app is designed for the New South Wales government.
- New South Wales has tagged around 3,000 sharks so far. And while Australian waters are home to around 180 shark species.
Vasavada explained that developing the SharkSmart app for the New South Wales government aimed to help people avoid encounters with sharks.
Source: SBS / Spencer Austad
"We've got 300,000 users of apps at the moment, and we've sent close to 2.5 billion push notifications to users." said Vasavada
After migrating from India as a student in 1999, he developed several apps to enhance people's marine experiences, including a fishing and whale-watching app.
Currently, he serves clients worldwide and runs 40 programs, including a whale-watching app.
"We have around 10,000 users reporting their whale sightings from their tours. The app shows the exact location where the whale was last spotted, which enhances your whale-watching experience," he said.
Source: Supplied / Mrudul Vasavada
