Lahore Zoo, Nestle and LUMS have entered into a contract, based on which Nestle will support the complete overhauling of the Lahore Zoo. At the centre of this transformative change is the official 'Lahore Zoo Mobile App' developed by the Computer Human Interaction and Social Experience Lab (CHISEL) at LUMS. This project was lead by Dr. Suleman Shahid, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, who said that the purpose of the project is to transform the zoo into a “digital learning space.”
The Lahore Zoo App will contain a map of the zoo, interactive games for children and a reader for QR codes on the information boards, which will provide extensive information on the animals housed at the zoo. Another problem that the App aims to tackle is low adoption rates at the zoo; the App will contain information on the animals up for adoption and the finances needed to feed and take care of them. This will help encourage adoption both locally and internationally and also help sustain the zoo. Moreover, information on the App will be available in both English and Urdu.
A press conference with regards to this project was held at the Lahore Zoo on February 26. The details and motivations for the collaboration were shared by Mr. Naeem Bhatti, Deputy Director (HQ), Punjab Wildlife Department; Hassan Sukhera Ali, Director, Lahore Zoo; Dr. Suleman Shahid, Assistant Professor, LUMS; Mian Hafeez, Project Director, Green Pakistan Programmes and Mr. Jason Avancena, Head and Business Executive Officer of Nestle Nutrition in Pakistan. With the App up and running, the zoo is scheduled to be digitally modified within 90 days.
This collaboration is just one of the examples of how the LUMS community strives to contribute to the development of society and public spaces.
