Junior Rory Brown loves to fish. Growing up in Florida, he has logged thousands of hours on the water in search of the best fishing holes.
Two years ago, in Mr. Zaubi's Intro to App Design, Rory began work on an app that would save the coordinates of your favorite fishing holes. As with all app design, he faced multiple stumbling blocks, functionality issues, and multiple versions. He even traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula for a week-long internship with an app development firm.
And then last summer, he started over.
"That's the beauty of failure in computer science. You learn from it and you build confidence. Plus, Rory is the kind of kid that you give free range to and he runs with it," says Doug Bergman, head of our computer science department. "I am really excited for him to share this app with Charleston's fishing community."
The app called Fish!t is for all fisherman - saltwater to freshwater - and uses Google Maps' satellite imagery to help you locate different fishing flats. You place a pin of that flat, save the coordinates, and find your way on your next trip. While on the boat, if you catch a fish, you can log the tide, the type of fish, and a rating for the spot. Your fishing spots show up like contacts within the app, making it easier to get back to your "honey hole" next time.
"Many times you go fishing on other people's boats and you don't have your fishing spots with you. With the Fish!t app, now you can log and save your coordinates on your phone," says Rory.
Last week, Fish!t launched in the Apple App Store. To date, it has secured more than 60 downloads.
