In Canada there are digital maps to avoid geese

To prevent possible goose attacks, the University of Waterloo has developed a digital map that locates their nests around the campus.

In an effort to protect students, Canada's university has developed a digital and interactive mapping that locates and catalogs geese nesting areas. Indeed, the area around the campus is populated by numerous colonies of geese, and attacks on humans are not uncommon.

The application, called Goose Watch, was launched in spring 2013 so that all students could report the presence of geese around the campus. In addition to accurately mapping the places to avoid if you do not want to come face to face with one of these birds, Goose Watch also provides directions and the route to follow depending on the degree of comfort desired by the user Who can tell whether he is "comfortable" with the palmipeds or whether he "prefers to keep his distance".

The main developer of the interactive map, James McCarthy explains that Goose Watch is activated only a few months a year, during the nesting season of the geese in the spring. The data of the card of a completed year remain nevertheless on line as archives, until its update for the next season.

In an interview, McCarthy tells how the idea of ​​creating Goose Watch came to him: "As long as you respect their space, Canada Geese will not attack you. As a result, when you walk around the campus, knowing where the nests are is very helpful in avoiding disturbing goose mothers. "


At the origin of the application, a game launched by the Student Success Office on Twitter, asking for the contribution of all students to locate the geese nests. The information was then marked on a static map. Later, they were added to the University's Open Data library, and the Mapping, Analysis and Design department was responsible for making the map more interactive.