Abstract
This study examined the potential use of low-cost consumer-grade smartphone technology to perform and improve field data collection in support of small-scale forest management. This proof-of-concept exercise for day-to-day forester operations focused on the effectiveness of the smartphone platform (form factor and functionality) rather than any particular smartphone software. An electronic data acquisition system for a smartphone was developed that combined a simple custom timber cruise application and mobile commercial mapping software to record and process forest stand and geospatial information, and transfer these to a small-scale operator’s existing desktop geographic information system. Workflow efficiency and system performance of the smartphone system was then measured and compared with paper-based methods presently being used in the managed forest. The smartphone greatly increased workflow efficiency by reducing data transfer and processing times, and eliminated the need to carry separate global positioning system (GPS) device, map, paper forms and digital camera. The GPS accuracy of the smartphone was more than adequate to meet operational requirements, and provided a capacity to map forest features on an ad hoc basis that is not easily done through the paper-based process. However, initial data entry using the smartphone takes longer than using paper-based notes, there is a greater chance of data entry error through inadvertent keypad touches on the small screen, and there is the potential for a device malfunction. Overall, it is concluded that smartphones offer an opportunity for small-scale operators to create electronic field data management systems that are affordable, operationally robust, compatible with existing management systems, capable of increasing data management efficiency and, in particular, expanding the types of data that can be collected during silvicultural operations.
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Notes
Check-in/Check-out is a component of ‘versioning’ in database terminology. It allows a person to place a local copy of a data layer (for example, the locations of rare trees) onto the smartphone device, go into the field and edit those points, and return to the server computer and upload the newly collected data. Data cannot be changed on the desktop GIS until smartphone-collected modifications are uploaded. Some systems allow for simultaneous changes on the desktop while the data are checked-out, with the two sets of data being later compared with one another for consistency and any changes flagged for manual inspection.
A geotagged photograph is a digital photograph with the GPS coordinates stored internally within the metadata or header section of the digital photo, allowing the photo to be placed on a digital map within a GIS at the location where it was taken.
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/collector/ for Android and iOS devices. Note that these require an active internet connection to work, they cannot as of April 2013 be used for data collection in an off-line mode. Future versions should allow off-line data collection.
GIS Kit Pro for iOS is a full featured geospatial data collection app that works off-line and data interchangeable with common GIS software formats, see http://garafa.com/wordpress/all-apps/gis-pro.
The smartphone’s accuracy, transaction speed, and user satisfaction were not compared against proprietary personal data assistant devices that are commercially available and tailored for professionals who collect field data out of doors. It is likely the latter would be of greater accuracy, while their data transfer and processing speeds would depend on their compatibility with the user’s server-based system. However, the principal research objective was to compare the smartphone a forestry worker might already be carrying with an existing system that was already in use in the study area.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support for this research was provided by a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant for environmental research and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program. Jean-Luc Martin programmed and developed the Forest Stand and Marco software applications. Participants in several online communities shared suggestions and experiences in developing mobile technology for data collection. This article benefitted considerably from the comments of the editor and two anonymous reviewers.
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Kennedy, R., McLeman, R., Sawada, M. et al. Use of Smartphone Technology for Small-Scale Silviculture: A Test of Low-Cost Technology in Eastern Ontario. Small-scale Forestry 13, 101–115 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-013-9243-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-013-9243-5