The "Mobile Citizen Science - Gathering Urban Forestry Data via the OpenTreeMap Apps" webinar was presented on August 12, 2014.

1. Mobile Citizen Science – Gathering Urban Forestry Data
August 12, 2014

2. About Us
Deborah Boyer
OpenTreeMap Project Manager
dboyer@azavea.com
215.701.7506
Amelia Longo
Business Development Associate
alongo@azavea.com
215.701.7715
Danny Carmichael
Forestry Projects Senior Manager at
TreePeople

3. Agenda
• Overview of OpenTreeMap Mobile
– Why we created mobile apps
– Benefits of mobile apps for citizen science
– How it works with the OTM system
• TreeMapLA and Mobile Citizen Science
• Future updates to the mobile apps
• Questions

4. A collaborative platform for crowdsourced tree inventory,
ecosystem services calculations, urban forestry analysis, and
community engagement

5. OpenTreeMap History
• Urban Forest Map
• USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant Phase 1
• PhillyTreeMap, GreenprintMaps, Treezilla, and more
• Released as open source project
• USDA Phase 2 Grant
• Launch of OpenTreeMap Cloud
• Launch of TreeMapLA, yegTreeMap, and others

6. About Azavea
• Founded in 2000
• 30+ people
• Based in Philadelphia
• B Corporation
• Geospatial + web + mobile
– Software development
– Spatial analysis services
– User experience

7. Partners and Funders

8. Key Features of OpenTreeMap
• Map and explore tree data
• Add and edit trees online
• Track stewardship activities
• Add photos and leave
comments
• View eco benefits calculated
using i-Tree Streets
• Mobile apps for iPhone and
Android devices
• Export data as csv
• Customize data fields and
other options

9. Why Mobile?

10. Why Go Mobile?
• Uses devices people
often already own
• Promotes data gathering
in the field
• Supports capturing key
info quickly and
efficiently
• Encourages group
activities and community
outreach

11. Goals
• Keep the key features of OpenTreeMap
• Remove extra features not essential to mobile use
• Support registration from the mobile app
• Take advantage of most useful features of native apps
(camera, software development, etc)
• Make tree mapping fun and efficient

12. OTM Mobile Access
• Native apps for iPhones
and Android devices
• Add info in the field via
mobile data connection
• Data syncs automatically
with your tree map
• Uses your OTM login - no
other info required

13. Changes for Mobile Apps
• Option to use phone’s GPS to show current location
• Smaller number of search filters
• Focus on key fields during add tree and edit tree
processes
• Include nearby and recently updated lists of trees
• Easy switch between tree maps
• Cannot view eco benefits for a search or the entire map

14. Key Features

15. Key Features

16. Key Features

17. Key Features

18. How does it work?
• Access to mobile app included
with OTM subscription (except
smaller Aspen level maps)
• Maps accessed via the
OpenTreeMap app in the
iTunes App Store and Google
Play
• Users can see my tree maps,
nearby tree maps, and all
public tree maps
• One login to access everything

19. Tablet Access

20. Custom App
• Custom apps available
• Includes branding for
your organization and
custom search filters and
data fields
• Available through the
organization’s App Store
and Google Play
accounts
• Separate fees

21. Mobile Apps and Citizen Science
• People like attending events and getting outside
• People like using technology
• Mobile apps can assist with exploration of the urban
forest or data collection
• Mobile apps support casual data collection and more
focused, time sensitive data collection
• Can be integrated into other initiatives and classes

22. TreeMapLA

23. Goals for
TreeMapLA

24. Goals for TreeMapLA
• Map all of the trees in Los Angeles

25. Goals for TreeMapLA
• Map all of the trees in Los Angeles
• Curb (or cure!) “tree blindness”

26. Goals for TreeMapLA
• Map all of the trees in Los Angeles
• Curb (or cure!) “tree blindness”
• Use to provide context/corroboration for
urban forestry policy and advocacy

27. Goals for TreeMapLA
• Map all of the trees in Los Angeles
• Curb (or cure!) “tree blindness”
• Use to provide context/corroboration for
urban forestry policy and advocacy
• Use to prioritize tree planting and tree care
efforts

28. Goals for TreeMapLA
• Map all of the trees in Los Angeles
• Curb (or cure!) “tree blindness”
• Use to provide context/corroboration for
urban forestry policy and advocacy
• Use to prioritize tree planting and tree care
efforts
• Central hub for municipalities, agencies,
non-profits, individuals to add and access
information on LA’s trees, hopefully
leading to more communication and
collaboration

29. TreeMapLA
Launch

30. Launch
• TreeMapLA launched “naked”

32. Launch
• TreeMapLA launched “naked”
• If people map trees, they are more likely to
start caring about those trees (and
hopefully, start caring FOR those trees)

33. Launch
• TreeMapLA launched “naked”
• If people map trees, they are more likely to
start caring about those trees (and
hopefully, start caring FOR those trees)
• Initial push was to 12,000 TreePeople
volunteers, donors and members

34. Launch
• TreeMapLA launched “naked”
• If people map trees, they are more likely to
start caring about those trees (and
hopefully, start caring FOR those trees)
• Initial push was to 12,000 TreePeople
volunteers, donors and members
• Initial campaign was to map 1,000 trees
within the first month

36. TreePeople

37. TreePeople’s Mission
• TreePeople’s mission is to inspire,
engage and support people to take
personal responsibility for the urban
environment, making it safe, healthy,
fun and sustainable and to share the
process as a model for the world.

41. Volunteer Based

42. Volunteer Based
Action-Oriented

43. TreeMapLA
Event Process

44. Social Media Outreach

45. Social Media Outreach

46. Maps of Site

47. Tree ID “Cheat Sheet”

48. Demonstration of Process

49. Twitter – Before/During/After
• Outreach to
businesses,
community groups,
etc.

50. Twitter – Before/During/After
• Tree ID help,
“customer
service”
during events

52. Twitter – Before/During/After
• Easy to
collect and
share
pictures of
event

53. Challenges

54. Challenges
•Technology
• Crashes
• Knowledge (of trees and technology)
• Equipment
• Battery life

55. Challenges
•Communication
• Geographically spread out
• How do we keep people on the same
page
• How do we troubleshoot
• How do we know where people are

56. Challenges
•Leadership
• Re-training our volunteer leaders
• Re-training our staff

57. The Future…

58. The Future…

59. The Future…

60. The Future…

61. The Future…

62. The Future…
!!!

63. !!!
Danny Carmichael
dcarmichael@treepeople.org
818.623.4851

64. Upcoming Features

65. Stewardship Tracking
• Add info on completed
stewardship activities
• Stewardship activities
can be customized in
certain subscriptions
• View past stewardship
activities on tree detail
pages

66. Alert Tracking
• Add new alerts (i.e. tree
requires an action)
• Change status of
existing alerts (mark as
resolved or unresolved)
• Search by open alerts
• Assists OTM users and
organizations in caring
for trees

67. Future Features
• Customize search filters
• Customize fields on edit page
• Support adding multiple trunks
• Show more than one photo
• Add comments to a tree detail page

68. Summary
• Mobile apps can use devices people already have
• But groups also need to provide access to data for
people without smartphones
• Mobile apps can support fun new outreach events and
mapping parties
• Those parties require time and resources to succeed
• Mobile apps promote exploring the urban forest out in
the field
• May need to be connected to other initiatives

69. Questions?

70. Contact Us
Deborah Boyer
OpenTreeMap Project Manager
dboyer@azavea.com
215.701.7506
Amelia Longo
Business Development Associate
alongo@azavea.com
215.701.7715

71. Exploring Collaborative Tree Inventory with OpenTreeMap
Mobile Citizen Science – Gathering Urban Forestry Data
August 12, 2014