APP Pinneggiando: technology at the service of marine biology

Pinneggiando, a free application for smartphone and tablet, has been developed as a tool for science outreach addressing the interest of both experts and general public. The app concerns the knowledge of biodiversity and distribution of 652 marine organisms in the Italian seas. Based on continuously updated scientific information, Pinneggiando is available at Play Store since January 2014, now reaching more than 1900 downloads with a feedback of 4.59/5. Thanks to this new tool, knowledge on the geographical distribution of many organisms has been expanded by a citizen science approach. Given the rapid success of the initiative, the app will be improved by connecting it to an online database, acting as a “shared repository” of information for an unceasing census of marine flora and fauna.