Marketplace
Chimani, LLC announced today that all iPhone national park apps will be free during National Park Week, which runs from April 16-24. The Android versions of each national park app will be available for only $.99 cents. The Chimani national park apps normally sell for between $4.99-$9.99 each.
The Chimani suite of national park apps include Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and Yosemite National Park.
"Entrance to the national parks is free, and so too should our apps", says Chimani President, Kerry Gallivan. "Chimani develops apps for national parks because they are special – and we want to encourage as many people as possible to get out and enjoy them.”
Each of the five national park apps are an indispensable resource for anyone exploring some of the most visited national parks. Each delivers constantly updated content, including ranger led activities, free shuttle bus schedules and news alerts. Users can view sunset and sunrise times for the most memorable scenic overlooks, access tide schedules along the coast, review lodging options, plan hikes, and much, much more.
Each of the apps boasts a rich and impressive map interface that is custom-made, GPS enabled, and includes all hiking trails in the parks. Designed from the ground-up using the National Park Service geographic information system data, the maps are all pre-installed in the app and work without any cell or WiFi connection.
“When Google Maps stops working, Chimani maps begin.” says, Kerry Gallivan. “Most smartphone users who visit the national parks find their traditional navigation tools are useless because they depend on a cell or WiFi connection. The Chimani national park apps are designed to work completely offline.”
Kerry Gallivan, Chimani’s President, knows a thing or two about connectivity challenges. In the early nineties he worked in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia setting up remote computer networks for health workers. “When designing the Chimani national park apps, I applied many of the same lessons I learned by living overseas in places such as Zimbabwe and Nepal.”
The national park apps also include an audio tour designed to work while visitors are driving, walking or taking the shuttle buses around the parks. All content is written by professional travel writers and include the most essential information, such as the location of every restroom. “The #1 most asked question in every national park is the location of the closest restroom”, says Kerry Gallivan. “Chimani apps give you just-in-time information, just in time!”
Each of the Chimani iPhone apps can be downloaded from Apple's iTunes App Store and the Android versions from the Android Marketplace (keyword: "chimani"). The iPhone apps will be free, and Android version only $.99 cents, for the entire National Park Week which runs from April 16-26. After that, the apps will return to the regular price of $4.99-$9.99.
Links to iOS apps:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/chimani-yosemite-national/id3898…
http://itunes.apple.com/app/chimani-acadia-national-park/id3…
http://itunes.apple.com/app/chimani-cape-cod-national/id3816…
http://itunes.apple.com/app/chimani-cuyahoga-valley-national…
http://itunes.apple.com/app/chimani-grand-canyon-national/id…
This is only a small group of US national parks, not sure this is relevant here?