Combining the ancient skills of foragers with the newest mobile media.

A mobile phone guide to edible urban wild-food sources. Created in first instance for Amsterdam urban_edibles as an Ushahidi based app for Android phones. First test version available here: Boskoi
We have chosen Boskoi as a name for the mobile app because it translates as 'grazer' or 'browser' from the Greek 'βοσκοί'.

Functionalities (being implemented):

• Showing edible or useful wildfood sources in your area.
• Displaying direction and distance to plant.
• Providing info on edible parts of the plant.
• Enabling anyone (with gps on mobile) to upload new entries to the database.
• Providing links to expert knowledge (botanical, herbal, culinary, ecological)
• Report 'bad link'; if plant/source is no longer there.

Possible extras:

• Offering harvesting alerts.
• Report waste dumping (separate waste-map?)
• Mushroom determination.
• Join local foragers.
• Apply to become an editor.
• Add protected or endangered species without revealing exact location.
• Adopt a stressed wild plant (using companion planting?)
• Join local adoption group (game with points awarded?)

Some screenshots of the first demo.

We hope this pilot can perhaps sprout other ecosytem-apps.

• Are new entries checked by an editor?
• Are new entries first on a preliminary map?
• Can we simply copy-paste content? For instance: is there a standard dataset for hazelnuts that does not have to be updated later? So if a new recipe is found for hazelnuts, we don't have to add it to all entries individually? > A standard link should probably go to a page of recipes. And on this page you can add recipes at any time.
• Can bio-students do plant-determination as editors?
• If the user identifies the plant and names the new entry, can the dataset for that plant be added automatically?

Example of dataset:

E:Wild apple tree.
N: Wilde appelboom.
L: Malus sylvestris
Wikipedia Link
Small picture.
Description: 2 bomen met kleine pezikleurige appeltjes, rijp in september
Recipe: appelcider….

• http://www.foodspotting.com/
• pollution maps > http://www.appcraver.com/pollution/
• Dutch butterfly guide > http://vlindergids.natuurlijkwild.nl/
• more green apps

a part of project groworld and category gardens