A local Software Company and Entrepreneur have teamed up together to develop a mobile app for paddlers and wild swimmers.

Shoothill, based in Shrewsbury are working on the Wild Otter mobile app to help keep the public safe on the waterways.

This expands the work of the entrepreneur Kieran Johnson, who runs the highly successful business Hire a Canoe. Here customers can hire canoes and kayaks from various points along the River Severn, including the Shrewsbury Quarry, Montford Bridge and Bewdley.

Wild Otter Aims

The app is designed to show paddlers and wild swimmers what information they need to know to be safe on the British waterways.

Wild Otter aims to build a strong community of waterway users. The features of the app will also make paddling and swimming more accessible than ever before.

It will use a map as its main page. From here, users can interact with places of interest, create and find new routes as well as mark hazards. The app will offer both free and premium features, the latter of which include clubs.

As development continues with Wild Otter, more information will be available. Wild Otter will launch before the end of 2023.

Local Expertise

Chief Operating Officer, Simon Jeavons said:

“Kieran came to Shoothill after finding our work with GaugeMap. A system that allows the public to monitor river levels, both near them and nationwide.”

“Shoothill are accomplished in the field of map-based applications. With projects like FloodAlerts, the UN Refugee Crisis campaign and the London Olympic Games torch tracker carving the way for future innovation. Shoothill are the perfect match for this project.”

“The team at Shoothill jumped at the opportunity to work on this project. The perfect showcase of Shoothill’s talents, the app pools the team’s expertise with map-based applications, and mobile app design as well as our innovative mindset.

“With over 2 centuries of professional software experience across Shoothill, we’re confident that Wild Otter is in safe hands.”