Welcome to 2024! Might it be too late to extend a Happy New Year greeting? 😊
We do realise we had a short radio silence—our team has been fully engaged in rolling out new updates, leaving us with little time for a summer break. Our client base is expanding, and we’re in the process of onboarding new clients. This presents an opportunity for us to refine our manuals and training videos, some of which will be available on our website this week for those interested.
We’ve noticed a significant increase in freemium user registrations. We understand the challenge of navigating an empty app without any data, so we are developing a freemium video coupled with sample data to demonstrate the app’s functionality. If you’re a freemium user eager to discover how the app operates, we can provide you with demo account logins to experience the fully set-up Mussel App. Just respond to this email and we’ll send you demo logins.
Big Updates
In the past three months, we’ve implemented two substantial updates along with numerous minor ones. When you join Mussel App, you become part of a rapidly evolving startup that introduces new features bi-weekly. Our support team regularly engages with our client base beyond just newsletters, seeking feedback and suggestions for new functionalities. It’s worth noting that the Mussel App evolves primarily through the contributions of our existing clients, who shape the app with their ideas and our execution.
Predictability – you read this right!
This is what everyone was waiting for really, I can literally see your eyes wide opening. While we still don’t have enough data history for full machine learning, we do have enough for statistical predictions and that is already working on any account that is 3+ months old:
- Assessments: Simplifying your routine, if you have a scheduled assessment cycle (e.g., bi-monthly), our system will flag lines that require assessments, allowing you to easily create a task and assign it to a vessel.
- Harvests: If a line is marked as ready for harvest, it will be listed accordingly. If not, and no lines are ready, we’ll suggest the oldest seeded line for inspection.
- Seeding: This is where our predictive tools shine. By analysing past harvest performance, growth rates from assessments, and inter-stage performance metrics, we can recommend optimal transfers of mussels between farms based on historical data. For instance, if farm A is for initial growth and farm B yields 10% more than farm C, we’ll advise transferring from A to C for the final growth phase.
- Floating: This feature is where your data collections is so important. We assess historical harvest weights against the number of floats used, then apply this data across all your lines to estimate the carrying capacity of a single float. Incorporating growth rates from your latest assessments, we can estimate the current weight and, with the elapsed time and float count considered, suggest whether additional floating is necessary, preventing lines from sinking or dragging on the seabed. It also detects partial harvest and suggests if you should take your floats back to the shore.
These updates are in their early stages of predictive capability and are tailored to individual account data. Our long-term goal is to refine these predictions using machine learning and to establish industry-wide performance benchmarks. This will enable you to gauge the efficiency of your operations on a regional and global scale.
Paper to Data
A common piece of feedback has been the reluctance of boat crews to use digital devices. In response, we’ve developed a paper scanner, complete with four templates for assessments, floating, seeding, and harvests. Crew members can fill out a paper form, photograph it, and the image will convert into Mussel App data. This process includes a verification step to ensure accuracy by both our AI reader and your operations team. We’ll be showcasing some demo videos on our website soon.
Our newly revamped website is now live, featuring frequent updates. Visit us at musselfarm.co.nz. We’ve also been in talks with oyster farmers who expressed interest in an app similar to Mussel App. We’re commencing work on an Oyster App, starting with one farming method (cages) and expanding from there.
As always, if you’re not yet a customer but are interested in a demo, or if you have suggestions for additional functionalities, please reach out to us at join@musselfarm.co.nz. We’re here to guide you through our existing and upcoming features.