About

Hi, I'm Mat.

Who I am

I'm a dad of four and a grandad. I don't see the grandchildren as often as I'd like, so I know how much it matters to make the most of the time you do get.

A lot of my life has been outdoors: walking, golf, the dog, the family campervan, and the odd triathlon.

I'm cheerfully average at swimming, cycling and running, and my transitions are awful. I'll also talk to anyone: I can talk my way round a whole marathon. I'm interested in people, and listening is how I find problems worth fixing.

Why SmartOutdoors.ai exists

Every idea so far started with a conversation: a friend who wanted the wind on his back for the ride home, a golf pro fighting a spreadsheet.

I've had a long career in IT as a network engineer, designing secure networks. Now I use AI to help me turn small problems like these into simple apps and tools that help people plan their time outdoors, rain or shine.

See my apps

What you can expect from me

  • Simple. One clear answer, not a pile of data.
  • Careful with your information. Secure networks were my job, and the privacy page sets out what I keep and why.
  • Small tools, always free. What they remember stays on your own device, and I'll only ask you to log in for a good reason, like saving your information so you can use it on another device.
  • Slow and proper where it matters. Small tools may turn up quickly, as tests. Anything you pay for, I'll build slowly and properly.

Got a small problem a bit of technology could fix? Tell me on the Contact page. It might be the next one.

How I use AI

It's in the name, so here's the straight answer.

  • Real data first. A temperature is the actual forecast or the measured value, never an AI guess.
  • Then plain maths. Working out the driest window for a walk or a ride is usually sums, not AI.
  • AI only when those can't do the job. For example, making sense of lots of data at once and explaining it simply.
  • It helps me build and run things. AI helps me write the apps and the content, and helps me draft some email replies. Some email replies may come from AI, and each one says so. I don't check every word it writes for the apps and the site, so if something looks wrong, tell me.
  • Your data stays yours. The AI only gets what it needs to answer, never your name or contact details. I only use providers that don't train on your data.
  • You can always ask for a person. Email me.

More detail in the privacy policy.