DNR's New Mobile App for Outdoor Enthusiasts!

Pale Ryder · Mar 20, 2014

DNR supervisor " Hey, Officer BillyBob, there are 10 hunters in your sector. Go check them out."
Officer BillyBob " Will do chief, I can catch em as they come out for lunch". "I'll bet one of them forget to unload their rifle". :innocent0

axshon · Mar 20, 2014

I write apps. It's my day job. In fact I've got a book out right now and one of the chapters is on geolocation.

I agree with the poster who said we should see what data is going out from the app. This can be done with iOS by setting up a local proxy. Any web developer worth his paycheck can do this. I have a cellular WiFi hot spot I use to connect when in the field to allow me to set up the proxy anywhere. I only do this for testing since it's a PITA.

It is very easy to code around the need for geolocation. An app normally will show you a map and then pinpoint your location using the onboard GPS. If the GPS is not available you should be able to find your position manually and touch the map to say 'here I am'. Note that if this is a feature there is nothing preventing the app from sending that data out with your manual location. Of course when I do this in an app I never use my real location. I use a known location reference point. The app in question does not do this so I suspect it's either intentional or was just not specified properly. I tend to think its the later. Non-programmers don't necessarily know what to ask for 90% of the time.

I appreciate the outreach by the DNR but their lack of responses to questions here leads me to trust less. Does anyone know if this posting was made in other forums and other locations or was it just MD Shooters? If just MDS then that's a pretty big red flag in my book.

A few of my personal rules for apps:
- Don't login with any social accounts to apps that do not own that account. So don't login to facebook from a game etc.
- Turn off GPS for all apps. If you need GPS turn it on for that app when you need it and turn it off when you're done.
- Never connect to unsecured WiFi. Ever.
- Turn off WiFi when you leave the normal coverage areas where you use it.
- Use In-Private browsing whenever possible in the web browser

TxAggie · Mar 20, 2014

axshon said:
I write apps. It's my day job. In fact I've got a book out right now and one of the chapters is on geolocation.

I agree with the poster who said we should see what data is going out from the app. This can be done with iOS by setting up a local proxy. Any web developer worth his paycheck can do this. I have a cellular WiFi hot spot I use to connect when in the field to allow me to set up the proxy anywhere. I only do this for testing since it's a PITA.

It is very easy to code around the need for geolocation. An app normally will show you a map and then pinpoint your location using the onboard GPS. If the GPS is not available you should be able to find your position manually and touch the map to say 'here I am'. Note that if this is a feature there is nothing preventing the app from sending that data out with your manual location. Of course when I do this in an app I never use my real location. I use a known location reference point. The app in question does not do this so I suspect it's either intentional or was just not specified properly. I tend to think its the later. Non-programmers don't necessarily know what to ask for 90% of the time.

I appreciate the outreach by the DNR but their lack of responses to questions here leads me to trust less. Does anyone know if this posting was made in other forums and other locations or was it just MD Shooters? If just MDS then that's a pretty big red flag in my book.

A few of my personal rules for apps:
- Don't login with any social accounts to apps that do not own that account. So don't login to facebook from a game etc.
- Turn off GPS for all apps. If you need GPS turn it on for that app when you need it and turn it off when you're done.
- Never connect to unsecured WiFi. Ever.
- Turn off WiFi when you leave the normal coverage areas where you use it.
- Use In-Private browsing whenever possible in the web browser

I heard about it at my range club meeting Friday night, but I'm not certain how the member found out about the app itself, and no one mentioned the geolocation bug.

IndispensableDestiny · Mar 20, 2014

Location issue or not, I'm happy to have a mobile app that allows me to check in deer and turkey. The online check in web site does not work well with Safari or Chrome on the iPhone. This is where they could use the location service; to pick the zone where the animal was taken. That feature should be added.

AccessDNR · Mar 21, 2014

Follow-Up

To address concerns:

The mobile app does in fact require your location services to be on. However, DNR does not use this information to obtain any personal information other than to assist our users in finding local or specific state parks from where you are currently located, fish and game in your area (as indicated from the location service being on), etc.

As for sunrise and sunset, despite the time differences varying throughout Maryland being minutes, if that, still has an influence on the user's purpose; be it hunting or fishing to catch certain fish and/or game or just to make sure to be somewhere at a certain time to be able to see the sunrise and/or sunset. The location service allows for more precise and accurate information making AccessDNR a more efficient and productive mobile app.

At DNR, we want to spread the word about the app in order to make Maryland's outdoors more enjoyable by supplying the said information based on user needs. We have posted in other forums to get the word out and I hope I have answered the concerns in this thread.

Inigoes · Mar 21, 2014

Why not make location services optional?

Especially, if it is not going to be used by DNR.

robobob · Mar 21, 2014

If your idevice is jailbroken..why not goto Cydia & install location faker or something similar? ..From me in Monkey county, or is it the eastern shore??

Fishguy · Mar 21, 2014

I love this place. Post number 2 of the thread and it was off to the races.

dlmarion · Mar 21, 2014

I think it's great that DNR is reaching out trying to make something that's useful for the taxpayers. I'm wary of all apps that I load onto my phone, there are a lot of apps that require access to things that don't make sense. Why does a game need access to my contacts? Why does the DNR app need GPS to even function. Some will install it and not think twice. Others will be more careful. If DNR wants more people to install the app, they will listen to our concerns and change the app.

I recently started using the Lightbeam app with Firefox to shut off access to third party sites. You won't believe the number of advertising sites that you communicate with by going to mainstream web sites.

axshon · Mar 22, 2014

dlmarion said:
You won't believe the number of advertising sites that you communicate with by going to mainstream web sites.

Or the amount of information they get about you when you get there. No tinfoil this time. I know it because I've used some of the APIs in commercial projects.

axshon · Mar 22, 2014

App written by these guys: http://www.egov.com/Pages/default.aspx

Can someone capture and post the privacy policy for this app?

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