PORTLAND, Maine — As the National Park System marks 100 years, Maine-based app developer Chimani has hit 100 percent coverage of the park system through its smartphone-based guides that users can download for use along coastlines, in canyons and mountains, without an Internet connection.
The company launched apps for 33 new parks Wednesday as part of a marketing partnership with Subaru, which advertises on the company’s app.
The announcement upon the centennial for the National Park System boosts Chimani’s coverage from 26 national parks to all 59.
Founder and CEO Kerry Gallivan said that’s just the start.
“Now it’s about building out each one of these parks to really elevate it to a higher level,” Gallivan said in a telephone interview. “It’s really just the beginning.”
The new additions come as Gallivan said the user base for his Portland-based company each month is about 400 percent higher than the same month one year ago. Last month, the seven-person company surpassed 1 million downloads across all its apps.
Gallivan calls those statistics the company’s “vanity metrics,” as it places most of its focus on retaining users who download the app and gaining new users from word-of-mouth referrals.
The company produces one app that provides an overview of all 411 national parks, national monuments and other national historical sites. Separately, it has put out 59 individual apps for each park, on Apple, Google and Amazon app stores.
The new additions include Yosemite, Denali and Grand Teton national parks.
With another 12 part-time employees, Gallivan said Chimani produces all of the content for its park guides, which he hopes will become a staple for the smartphone set, in areas where cell reception is out of reach but where a phone’s GPS systems still function.
“We want people to think that if you’re going to a national park, you’ve got to get the national park app,” Gallivan said.
With all of the national park apps done, Gallivan said the company’s starting to expand its view to smaller national or state parks, such as the Boston Harbor Islands.
“There you have a recreational area that is right on the doorstep of a larger urban area and would get value from having one of our apps,” Gallivan said.
Gallivan said he’s not sure what kind of boost to expect from more than doubling the company’s park coverage Tuesday, but he sees growth for the company in the near future.
“I can’t say anything just yet, but it’s in the works,” he said.