**UPDATE, 31 Aug 2018: Both SYSTORY and SESAMME are available via the Apple App Store on your iPhone or iPad. SYSTORY is also available via the Google Play store for your Android device. Please visit the relevant store on your device to search and download the apps.**
App versions of the CCRES tools SYSTORY and SESAMME are undergoing beta testing to iron out any final ‘bugs’ - and will soon be publicly available.
Both SYSTORY and SESAMME are practical resources for governments and NGOs involved in community engagement, and educational institutions teaching courses in systems thinking.
SYSTORY assists in understanding and visualising the dynamics of coastal systems, and assessing the influence of alternative scenarios on ecosystems over time. For example, what would happen if the number of fishing boats in an area were capped? Would this mean more fish available? Answers can inform policy choices or community engagement around particular issues.
SESAMME captures information about resources, activities, pressures and decisions from local communities and helps them visualise how these different components interact. It was developed to provide insight into specific socio-ecological problems such as fish catch decline, mangrove loss, water pollution and food insecurity in the East Asia–Pacific region.
CCRES researcher Dr Carl Smith, a Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland and one of the tools’ lead creators, said SYSTORY and SESAMME were developed using co-design principles and evaluated thoroughly in extensive field testing.
SYSTORY and SESAMME have already been used by CCRES and its stakeholders in Indonesia and the Philippines in their original computer-based forms.
“Finalising the apps is an exciting next step in making these tools widely accessible,” Dr Smith said.
“No specific skills or technical training or support are required, and both apps are free to download and use.”
SESAMME will be available for use on Apple devices and will soon be able to be downloaded from the Apple App Store. The team is now working on a new version of SESAMME that will run on Apple and Android devices, as well as PCs and Mac computers.
SYSTORY will be available for Apple and Android devices and will soon be able to be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The team is now working on a new version of SYSTORY that will run on Apple and Android devices, as well as PCs and Mac computers.
“We’re in the process of developing platform-independent versions of SESAMME and SYSTORY that will be released at the end of this year,” Dr Smith said.
For a sneak peek at SYSTORY, watch this video
Both tools are currently accessible through the Apple and Google Play beta testing channels. If anyone is interested in reviewing the apps, please contact Dr Carl Smith or Dr Russell Richards.
