Fisher Friend Mobile Application (FFMA) is a unique, single window solution for the holistic shore-to-shore needs of the fishing community, providing immediate access to critical, near real-time knowledge and information services on weather, potential fishing zones, ocean state forecasts and market related information to the vulnerable fishermen. The application is an efficient and effective decision support system for the fisher community to make informed decisions about their own personal safety and the safety of their assets, as well as make smart choices for fishing and marketing their catch.

FFMA is an Android based Application for the fisher folk to get dynamic information on the Ocean State Forecasts and Weather Forecasts to take decisions for venturing into the Sea. The Application is designed to have easy access to all relevant information related to fishing and fishing family benefits. The Application has been developed over a period of time starting from BREW version in 2007-2009 to the Android one in 2013-14 supported by Qualcomm under its Wireless Reach Programme. The technology support to develop the application has been provided by Astitutes, Indore for the BREW version and Tata Consulting Services, Mumbai for the Android one. The content on the scientific data of the forecasts are provided by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and similarly of other data by various stakeholders including the State Fisheries Department.

The Android version has been developed in Tamil and Telugu Indian languages apart from the common English version one. The Application has the following features for the fisher folk to use it in the livelihoods:

• Potential Fishing Zone and Tuna Species Potential fishing Zone
• Ocean State Forecasting – Wave height, Wind speed and direction
• Weather Forecasting - Rainfall, cyclone warning,
• Global Positioning System - Navigation, point and navigation marking
• Government Schemes suiting to the fisher families
• Emergency Phone numbers
• Disaster alerts
• Important News
• Market Price for landing centre wise species

Geographic Outreach

FFMA impacts marginalized fishing communities in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry States. It is available in English, Tamil, and Telugu languages. It is envisaged to upscale to cover the entire coastline of India.