DigiDiary - Smart Voice Diary for Railway Protection Officers

Everything You Need for Professional Documentation

Built specifically for the demanding needs of railway safety professionals

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Smart Voice Recording

Record entries hands-free with automatic transcription. Simply say the time (e.g., "at 1430" or "at quarter past three") and your entry is automatically timestamped. Choose between Apple's built-in dictation or OpenAI's advanced Whisper technology.

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Railway Terminology

Pre-loaded with Sydney Trains and ARTC terminology. Understands signals (HY17, HY23), kilometres (34.313), and railway-specific vocabulary. Automatically corrects station names and technical terms for accurate documentation.

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Smart Time Recognition

Intelligently parses times from your speech. Say "quarter past three" and it records "15:15". Handles 24-hour railway time automatically. Just speak naturally - the app understands various time formats and converts them correctly.

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Protection Officer Diaries

Generate detailed PDF diaries with one tap. Export your entries with proper formatting, timestamps, and all the information needed for official protection officer documentation.

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Secure iCloud Sync

Enable iCloud sync to access your diary across all your Apple devices. Your entries automatically sync between iPhone and iPad when connected to the internet. End-to-end encrypted and completely private - only you can access your data.

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Privacy First

No servers, no tracking, no ads. Your diary stays on your device and in your iCloud account. We can't read it, sell it, or share it - because we never see it. You have complete control over your data.

Choose Your Transcription Method

Compare the two transcription options to find what works best for you

Feature

Apple Dictation

OpenAI Whisper

Cost

Free

~$1 per 500 entries

Setup Required

None

API Key needed

Max Recording Length

60 seconds

25 minutes

Accuracy

Very Good

Excellent

Privacy

Processed by Apple

Processed by OpenAI

Best For

Quick entries, privacy-conscious users

Long recordings, maximum accuracy

Cost Breakdown for OpenAI

OpenAI Whisper charges $0.006 per minute of audio. For typical railway protection officer use:

15 entries/day × 10-15 seconds each = ~3 minutes = $0.018/day
Monthly cost: ~$0.54 (about $0.80 AUD)
Yearly cost: ~$6.57 (about $10 AUD)

Most users find Apple Dictation perfectly adequate for daily use, with OpenAI as a backup for longer recordings.

Setting Up OpenAI Transcription

Follow this simple guide to enable OpenAI's Whisper transcription

Getting Your OpenAI API Key

Create an OpenAI Account

Visit platform.openai.com/signup and create a free account using your email or Google/Microsoft account.

Add Payment Method

Go to Billing → Payment Methods. Add a credit card. OpenAI requires a payment method but offers $5 free credit to start.

Generate API Key

Navigate to API Keys → Create New Secret Key. Give it a name like "DigiDiary" and copy the key immediately.

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Add to DigiDiary

In DigiDiary, go to Settings → Set OpenAI API Key. Paste your key and save. Select "OpenAI - Whisper" as your transcription model.

⚠️ Important Security Note

Keep your API key secret. DigiDiary stores it securely in your device's encrypted keychain. Never share it or post it online.

Which Transcription Method Should You Use?

Use Apple Dictation If:

You want completely free transcription
Your entries are typically under 1 minute
You prefer Apple handling your data
You don't want to manage API keys
You need immediate setup

Use OpenAI Whisper If:

You record detailed, longer entries
You need the highest accuracy
You work in noisy environments
You're okay with small costs (~$1/month)
You want advanced features

Pro Tip: Start with Apple Dictation. You can always switch to OpenAI later if needed.