Blekinge archipelago is located in the Baltic Sea, in the south of Sweden. It covers some 210.000 km2 including water. The archipelago is dominated by a few larger islands: Aspö, Hasslö, Tärnö and Sturkö, with smaller islands and skerries interspersed. Some 4,000 islanders live here.

During last spring, brainstorming meetings and interviews have shown the need for better maps, applications for smart phones, floating docks, networking, information signs, translation, footbridges, marketing and training. Of course they also made a Six Thinking Hats exercise resulting in a fishbone mindmap:

One result will be a map app with:
– Maps in 1:50 000 (+ ranger maps in 1:10 000);
– Presentations: The biosphere reserve, the archipelago in general, history, services, nature and culture;
– Suggestions for different routes: various modes and combined modes for different experiences with estimated walking/biking time;
– Links to iSkvalp, Gästhamnsguiden and Visit Blekinge;
– Search functions: Nature reserve, cultural relics from the Naval period, stonemasonry and the Danish time, World Heritage, boatyards, fishing camps, campsites and other overnight accommodation and service, rooms for ornithologists, dive sites;
– Recorded stories and dramatizations;
The map app also points out sensitive and forbidden places (military, bird protection, fragile cultural-historical monuments, etc).

Heleen Podsedkowska and Mattias Holmquist at Blekinge Biosphere Reserve knows more.