Smartphones, which have already revolutionized world communications, are now on track to save the whales. Marine biologists are testing a new smartphone application that can pinpoint the location of the creatures and help vessels avoid them. The free app, called Whale Spotter, could be used by anyone with an iPhone who goes out to sea. It would map pods or individual cetaceans and plot them on a digital map. An Android app is being developed.

San Francisco Chronicle