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How Green is Our City? The Urban Forest Map Project. OSCON 2009 Kelaine Vargas. The secret of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. --Nelson Henderson. The Urban Forest Map Project. Open source. Web-based. GIS-based. kcolwell flickr. Why bother?.
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How Green is Our City? The Urban Forest Map Project OSCON 2009 Kelaine Vargas The secret of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. --Nelson Henderson
The Urban Forest Map Project Open source Web-based GIS-based kcolwell flickr
Sustainability: "We can't drive our SUVs … and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times.” "I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting." Conservation
Ecosystem services Energy conservation Air pollution reduction Stormwater management Carbon dioxide reduction
Why bother? Flickr: Tchotchke Flickr: TheNickster Flickr: brunkfordbraun
Alright, you’ve convinced me it’s important, why isn’t it done?
City and County of San Francisco • Bureau of Urban Forestry • Dept of Public Works • Dept of Parks and Recreation • SF Housing Authority • SF Public Utilities Commission • Port of San Francisco • SF MUNI • SFO • State agencies • UCSF • SF State University • SF Redevelopment Agency • SF Unified School District • Federal agencies • National Park Service • The Presidio Trust Tree agencies
Architecture Linux
Architecture PostGIS Linux
Architecture GeoDjango PostGIS Linux
Architecture OpenLayers GeoDjango PostGIS Linux
Architecture OpenLayers GeoDjango PostGIS Linux
Design features • Client-independent • Data publicly owned and accessible • SQL-based and web-based data access
The Plan Begin by pulling data on the large scale
Data sources kcolwell flickr
Attributes • Species • Diameter • Address • Lat/long coordinates • Planting date • Landmark/protected/special status • Size of the growing space • Condition • Gray infrastructure conflicts • Recent maintenance • Sponsors
The Plan Begin by pulling data on the large scale Enable data entry on the small scale
Crowd sourced data kcolwell flickr • Attributes • Photo • Identify caretaker • Maintenance needed • Maintenance completed • Notes, stories, poems
User profile • Name or userid • Photo • Neighborhood • Tree expertise • Running score
The Plan Begin by pulling data on the large scale Enable data entry on the small scale Track changes and notify up the chain
The Plan Begin by pulling data on the large scale Enable data entry on the small scale Track changes and notify up the chain Queries and reporting
Tree model • Species • Fruiting/flowering • Native vs nonnative • Invasive • Habitat
Ecosystem services model • Species and diameter • Energy conserved • Air pollutants reduced • Stormwater managed • Carbon dioxide reduced • Property values increased
The Plan Begin by pulling data on the large scale Enable data entry on the small scale Track changes and notify up the chain Allow searches and reporting Assess data quality
The Plan Begin by pulling data on the large scale Enable data entry on the small scale Engage the community Track changes and notify up the chain Allow searches and reporting Assess data quality
Community involvement Tree huggers • Testing/bug reports • Data collection • Tree planting and caretaking Developers • Testing/bug reports • Server-side plug-ins • Client apps
Statistical analysis Server-side plug-ins
Spatial analysis Server-side plug-ins
Potential conflicts with solar panels Flickr: Brylyn Server-side plug-ins
Leaf recognition software = ≠ Server-side plug-ins
iPhone Add-a-tree Client apps
Urban grazing Client apps
Create a Tree-Walk Client apps
Find a tree-hugger Client apps
The Future • Beyond computers • Beyond trees • Beyond San Francisco • Beyond data collection
The Urban Forest Map Project www.urbanforestmap.org kelaine@urbanforestmap.org The best friend on Earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources of the Earth. --Frank Lloyd Wright
One tree in a Sacramento front yard: ~600 kWh/year = $65 Energy conservation
One tree in a Sacramento front yard: ~600 kWh/year = $65 5.5 lbs/year = $40 Improving air quality
One tree in a Sacramento front yard: ~600 kWh/year = $655.5 lbs/year = $40 2,500 gals/yr = $20 Improving stormwater
One tree in a Sacramento front yard: ~600 kWh/year = $65 5.5 lbs/year = $40 2,500 gals/yr = $20 280 lbs/year = $5Total stored 4–10 tons~$110–280 Reducing carbon dioxide