Visitors to Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches are getting more frequent and more detailed updates on water and weather conditions, thanks to scientists at the Mote Marine Laboratory. The Mote’s Beach Conditions Reporting System, or BCRS, gets updates twice daily from trained volunteers such as lifeguards and park rangers. The website first launched in 2006 and received a major upgrade last month. Local businesses and other agencies provided the funding for the new site, though Mote is seeking sponsorship opportunities from tourism, government, and commercial entities to keep the site running and to fund development of a BCRS smartphone app for release early next year.
