1. Crowd Sourced Data as a Civic Hack:
Using OpenTreeMap for Citizen Forestry
340 N 12th St, Suite 402
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.925.2600
info@azavea.com
www.azavea.com/opentreemap

2. An open source tree data management system
for collaborative, geography enabled urban tree inventory

3. Main Features
• Search and Explore Tree
Data
• View Ecosystem Benefits
• Add New Trees
• Edit and Update Trees
• Upload Tree Photos
• Track Stewardship Activities

4. Partners and Funders

5. About Azavea
• Founded in 2000
• B Corporation
• Esri Business Partner
• 35+ people
• Based in Philadelphia
• Geospatial + web + mobile
– Software development
– Spatial analysis services
– User experience

6. OpenTreeMap History
• Urban Forest Map
• USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant Phase 1
• PhillyTreeMap and
Greenprint Maps
• Released as open
source project
• USDA Phase 2 Grant
• More maps!!!

7. Open Source? What does that mean?
• No license fee
• Anyone can download and contribute to the code
• Maintained by a community of users
• New features are added back into the code for
everyone to use
• Accessible at www.opentreemap.org

8. Why Open Source?
• Original Urban Forest Map grant required the code
be released as open source
• Many forestry groups have limited resources for
ongoing licensing costs
• Enables a collaborative effort from people with
multiple skill sets (GIS, forestry, community
engagement)
• Because it’s fun

9. Search and Display

11. Searching for Trees
• Location
• Species
• Advanced Filters
– Diameter
– Dates
– Missing Data
– Species Characteristics
– Other Options

12. Quick Detail View

13. Tree Detail Page
• Tree Info
• Tree Images
• Satellite Imagery
• Google Street
View Integration
• Eco Benefits
• Recent Contributors
• Editing Option

14. Calculate Eco Benefits

15. Viewing Ecosystem Benefits
• Available for search results or
individual trees
• Calculated using iTree
• Can be customized with local
energy values
• Requires species and diameter
data

17. Adding and Editing Data

21. Adding and Editing Data

22. Data Quality

23. Pending Updates System

25. Data Quality Checks
• Remove duplicate
trees during data
upload
• Tree watch list
• Drop down lists
• User groups
• Reputation points

26. Administrative Management
• Bulk data upload
• Review comments and
uploaded images
• View recent activity
and edits
• Manage user groups
• Manage tree watch list

27. Public Engagement

28. Customizable by City
• Data fields
• Base map
• Species list
• Tree key
• Optional modules
– Pending edits
– Stewardship
activities
– Comments
– And more…

29. Stewardship Search
• Add ability to search by public
actions, not just tree attributes
• Use settings that let the public
explore stewardship actions
• Display results with design that
emphasizes action or inaction

30. Add Activity

31. Visible and Searchable Online

32. Tablet Accessible

33. Smartphone Apps

34. How do you get people involved?
• Tree mapping parties in
Grand Rapids
• The Great Tree Count in
California
• Tree surveys in
Philadelphia
• Partner with colleges
• Integration with citizen
forester classes

35. OpenTreeMap In Action

36. Deborah Boyer opentreemap
dboyer@azavea.com
215.701.7506
www.opentreemap.org azavea
Slides at www.slideshare.net/azavea/opentreemap-ncgis
More resources at www.opentreemap.org
Questions?

37. Crowd Sourced Data as a Civic Hack:
Using OpenTreeMap for Citizen Forestry
340 N 12th St, Suite 402
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.925.2600
info@azavea.com
www.azavea.com/opentreemap