# BearSpot

> Community-powered grizzly bear sighting tracker for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

BearSpot is a mobile app (iOS) that lets wildlife watchers report and view real-time grizzly bear sightings across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). It serves wildlife photographers, tourists, hikers, and anyone exploring bear country.

## What BearSpot Does

- **Interactive Sighting Map**: Real-time map of grizzly bear sightings across Greater Yellowstone. Sightings are color-coded by recency (red = last 2 hours, orange = 2-12 hours, yellow = 12-24 hours). Users can filter by area, bear identity, and time range.
- **Report Sightings**: Authenticated users submit bear sightings with GPS coordinates, bear count, photos, and activity details. Reports work offline and auto-sync when connectivity returns.
- **Bear Profiles**: Dedicated profiles for well-known GYE grizzlies (Grizzly 399, Raspberry, Obsidian, etc.) with sighting history, photos, family relationships, and identifying features.
- **Push Notifications**: Alerts when bears are spotted near your location or in areas you follow. Configurable proximity radius (5-50 miles).
- **Photo Sharing**: Community photo submissions tied to sightings, building a visual record of individual bears.
- **Offline Support**: Downloadable map tiles for the GYE region. GPS and cached sighting data work without cell service.

## Coverage Area

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including:
- Yellowstone National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Shoshone National Forest
- Bridger-Teton National Forest
- Custer Gallatin National Forest
- Caribou-Targhee National Forest
- Gateway communities: Gardiner, Cooke City, West Yellowstone, Jackson, Cody

## Who It's For

- Wildlife photographers looking to find and photograph grizzly bears
- Yellowstone tourists wanting to see bears during their visit
- Hikers and backcountry users seeking bear-awareness for safety
- Wildlife enthusiasts who follow individual bears

## Status

BearSpot is currently in public beta testing. The app is available via Apple TestFlight for iOS (requires iOS 18+).

- TestFlight beta: https://testflight.apple.com/join/ZgVxnj5J

## Built By

Big Sky Wildlife — a small team based in the Northern Rockies.

## Contact

- Website: https://bearspot.app
- Email: hello@bearspot.app
- Instagram: @bearspotapp

## Technical Details

- Platform: iOS (React Native)
- Backend: Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging)
- Maps: Mapbox with offline tile support
- Data: Community-sourced sightings + curated bear database of ~20-30 known GYE grizzlies