New app connects Islanders to events

A new app was recently released to connect Vineyarders and visitors to the various events that occur across the Island. 

Aldwynne “Pete” Dyer, a software engineer and summer visitor to the Island, launched a Vineyard event calendar app called MV Compass last weekend.

MV Compass is a mobile app that allows Island residents and visitors to upload and share public and private events with each other. Users can also bookmark events to their personal itineraries and see what programming their friends are attending.

Dyer, who lives in Upper Marlboro, Md., said that his friends’ challenges with finding events on the Island inspired him to create MV Compass. 

“They stay on top of things by staying in five or six different [community] groups,” he said. “It’s a pretty intense thing that they do to keep up with everything on the Island.”

Dyer began developing MV Compass in December after hearing many people mention the idea of an app. Although he seeded the app with large events, such as the Edgartown Fourth of July Parade, Dyer emphasized that MV Compass is mostly user-driven to platform smaller gatherings as well.

“The whole onus is community-driven. Anybody can create an event,” he said. “The best part is that the app is better the more people use it, see events, and start coming. It just grows with the community interest.”

Although this is his first major foray into mobile app development, Dyer said that this project wasn’t that different from his past work.   

“Software development is basically problem solving,” he said. “The problem was getting information out and letting folks collaborate. I just approached [event promotion] as a problem that I needed to solve. The biggest onus was making sure that it was not just something I could use but something an individual community member could use.”

After its launch, Dyer has promoted MV Compass on several Island Facebook groups and appreciates the reception he has gotten.

“It’s been amazing feedback and response from folks,” he said. “People have been saying they like it and they can’t wait to use it.” 

The app doesn’t display advertisements and is free to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Dyer, who calls MV Compass a “passion project,” said he isn’t profiting from the app and estimates that he has spent $2,000 of his personal savings on its development.    

“I want people to have something they can use. It’s built at my own cost and it’s free to everybody else,” he said. “I wanted to see if I could contribute a little bit to solving the problem and helping the enjoyment of the Island.”

Dyer, who considers the Island his “happy place,” hopes that his app helps people to better navigate and enjoy the Vineyard. 

“If I can help someone else get around a little easier, discover something, and make their happy place even happier, I’m good with that,” he said. “Something I keep imagining is seeing somebody pull up the app and me anonymously looking and knowing that’s my app and seeing them being happy with it.”