A mapping company is developing an app to connect rural property owners with would-be land users in Saskatchewan.

The main idea is to create a land management portal much like Uber or Airbnb, according to project manager Aldo Scribante.

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“What we’re envisioning is pretty much a map-based app that you can go down to the quarter section, select areas you want to access and request permissions you want, that will automatically get sent to the owners,” he said.

“The owners can then either confirm or decline the request and we think that will be a good way of facilitating communication between them to get the required permissions.”

Saskatoon-based company Western Heritage was recently selected as the winner of a challenge led by the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), with support from Innovation Saskatchewan.

The challenge was launched in March to address changes to the province’s Trespass to Property Act; specifically, looking to find a solution that would allow recreationists — such as hunters, snowmobilers and bird watchers — to more easily ask property owners for permission to use their land.

Western Heritage will receive up to $10,000 for its winning proposal.

“It’s a good starting point. It’s enough to get the initial 16 weeks off the ground, for us to take it to the first stage,” Scribante said.

“Then, at that point, we’ll make the decision on whether or not to go ahead and look for other funding … to make sure we can actually take it to market and to full development.”

The mobile application aims to maintain user anonymity and enable a two-way rating system.

“We also want to put in a direct communication function in the app, so something like a chat or something so you can communicate directly to them, so we hope that’s going to build relationships and help facilitate communication on that front,” Scribante said.

“[We’re] very focused on making sure the privacy of the users is respected … that the owners have as much control as possible over what permissions they are willing to provide.”

Work on the initial development phase began on Monday with a prototype expected this fall.

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