An app created to help promote social distancing on busy beaches has been rolled out nationally.

Beach Check UK, which was launched by BCP Council last July, is now funded by the Local Digital Collaboration Unit at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The app, developed by Xpertnest, is believed to be the first of its kind in Europe.

The company helps to provide the video analytics to process the footage coming from cameras deployed across the seafront as well as the consumer-facing and operative-facing apps.

The app uses nearly 20 footfall sensors provided by Daizy to gather the data displaying the number of people present in the areas on the seafront, these are used to decide whether an area is red, amber or green. The business has a platform that collects the data from the sensors and presents it in a format that can be checked by the rangers on the ground.

“Our Beach App, chosen by the Government to be rolled out nationally, is a great example of how we are using our Smart Place programme to make sure we’re on the forefront of how future digital solutions can be used to improve how we live, work, and connect,” said councillor Philip Broadhead, deputy leader for BCP Council. “We want to go beyond those services traditionally provided by councils, and we can do this by putting the local place at the centre of our plans and providing a broader and richer set of new, innovative services for our residents.”

Broadhead added: “Whether making it easier for people to go about their daily lives, improving the prospects of our local businesses or enabling communities to function more effectively - information, data and digital technologies will play an ever-increasing and important role.”

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