In what is one of the more creative and practical uses of Twitter, scientists have teamed with Surf Life Saving in Western Australia, to track and alert the public when there are sharks near shore.¹ Surf Life Saving in Western Australia, “is a volunteer based not-for-profit community service association and is the key agency for beach safety in WA.”² The campaign is pretty unique.

According to the Sky News report, “Scientists have attached transmitters to more than 320 sharks, including great whites, which monitor their movements up and down the coast.”³ Whenever one of these tagged sharks come within about 1 kilometer of any Western Australia beach, an alert is sent to Surf Life Saving Western Australia’s Twitter feed – @SLSWA. The Tweets give the shark’s size and breed as well as its approximate location. Here is an example:

Fisheries advise: tagged Bronze whaler shark detected at Garden Island (north end) receiver at 08:07:00 AM on 30-Dec-2013

— Surf Life Saving WA (@SLSWA) December 30, 2013

As Western Australia is among the World’s most deadly locations, in terms of shark attacks, this could be a major step towards lessening the danger. Chris Peck, of Surf Life Saving Western Australia, explained the utility of the new notification method:

You might not have got some of that information until the following day in which case the hazard has long gone and the information might not be relevant…Now it’s instant information and really people don’t have an excuse to say we’re not getting the information, it’s about whether you are searching for it and finding it.[note]”Australia: Sharks Use Twitter To Warn Swimmers“[/note]

This is certainly one of the most creative ways that Twitter is being used for public good. Anyone have any other examples?