Blacktracker: GPS-based Smartphone app for Indigenous Heritage
Have you ever wondered about the traditional owners of the land you’re on? And not known where to find out about their cultures and traditions? As the ‘Indigenous Heritage and Education’ working group at the Heywire Regional Youth Summit, our aim was to create a new way to educate Australians about the ancient and diverse culture and history of our country.
We came up with Blacktracker.
Blacktracker is a GPS software and a smartphone app that notifies the user of information about the traditional owners of the land they are on.
Blacktracker provides information on tribal names, languages, traditions and customs, some Indigenous history including links to stories, other relevant websites and landmarks and points of interest in the region the traveller is in.
Used in a car the GPS software could provide commentary on the country you are driving through and its significance to traditional owners. We believe this road trip with a difference would appeal to international and local travellers, from backpackers to ‘grey nomads’.
The template for this software is based on the Indigenous Language Map and software used in GPS navigation devices. Information for this software could be gathered in collaboration with local governments, Aboriginal Land Councils, other local authorities and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).
