Students and young researchers who are attending the training programme on ‘Geomatics for Coastal Zone Management’ at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) on Thursday had hands-on experience of use of smart-phones for various aspects of coastal management. The training programme is being organised jointly by the Kufos and the Nansen Environmental Research Centre-India (NERCI), with support of the Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. As part of the programme, ICMAM scientists imparted practical training to participants on use of the latest mobile App of the Geographic Information System (GIS) and its usage in morphological study of coastal areas. During the field trip, participants learned technical aspects of the App for collecting data to analyse modifications of shorelines and to assess and measure coastal areas. ICMAM scientist G Gopinath said that ‘Smart Phone GIS’ is an inexpensive and very user-friendly tool that could be used for all kinds of geographical research. “The technology should be promoted among young researchers. GIS-enabled smart-phones have the ‘geotagged photography’ facility, which allows users to capture important geographical details along with images of the object. Fishermen also can make use of GIS- enabled smart-phones for recording areas for locating them easily in future,” he pointed out. The participants include researchers and students from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Yogi Vemana University in Andhra Pradesh, Centre for Earth Research Environment, Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Cochin University of Science and Technology, KUFOS, NERCI, Rajagiri College and Sacred Heart College.