Software for forestry use

[Cruiser_79]

For a client I'm checking or there is good software to manage the production in forest areas. The plan is to give a few feller teams a GPS unit so they can log the location of each tree they fell, and when possible add a picture, diameter, length and specie for example. The logging of the locations etc. won't be the problem, but processing the data can take some time when there are multiple fellers around collecting lots of pictures and other data. I am land surveyor so I know how to make maps and process data but I want to find a kind of programme that isn't to difficult, and that's easy to check and monitor by the management. I can get anything in Autocad for example, but that won't be easy for the management I'm afraid 
Does anyone know what kind of programmes are used in the logging industry, or what are you using yourself? 

[Doomsday]

I'm a little confused about what you are after...

Are you seeking a cruise program?
If so, they can be difficult to acquire. Most government agencies pay to have their own licensed software created for their specific needs. There may be some private offerings.

As far as the pictures, locations, etc.-
I would recommend looking at Avenza PDF Maps. This is an app for mobile devices we use all the time in forestry and wildland firefighting. You can take waypoints and have pictures and descriptions attached to the point. When you export to computer it will create a shapefile (.shp or a few other formats) which will auto-populate the attribute table with the descriptions and embed links to the pictures, stored in the same computer folder.

It may be easier to give the fallers .pdf maps (this is what I do) and have them load it into Avenza on their smart phones. Then they can make a point at each tree, take a picture, and write the description. All the info will be stored together and they can export it to you directly.

I have only used it in conjunction with ArcGIS but it may be transferrable to Google Earth, QGIS, or another program.

[Otis1]

I would recommend taking a look at Forest Metrix. It's a fairly robust program that has many customizable options for tree data, understory, note taking, pictures, etc. pretty much everything you would want to measure. It can also be used for some mapping although probably not as good as a standalone GPS. It uses an iPad. 

I have used it for several years now and the people at the company are always very helpful with any questions or to help customize it to your needs. 

[clearcut]

Keep it simple. Have the fallers text you a photo and the details you need. Drop that data into a spreadsheet as you receive it. Adjust phone settings so the photos have gps coordinates attached. 

If you want to get fancy, a text bot can be developed for cheap that reads the texts and drops them in a spreadsheet automatically. 

All the data you need, with an app the fallers are likely familiar with. If you monitor the incoming data as it arrives, you can check it for irregularities. 

Analysis by spreadsheet with the geographic data in a GIS. 

[Cruiser_79]

Thanks for the replies so far! Sorry that my questions aren't that clear all the time, I'm Dutch and English isn't my native language... It's about a project in South America, so it has to be tough/bulletproof for the (local) fellers. Production, just counting the fallen trees,  is the most important thing we will need. And because of the strict regulations we want to reach a 100 % track down of every tree. Including a unique number or even a barcode or something like that. Areas are quite large so checking every tree isn't an option.

I'm also interested in the makes of GPS you're using. Should be simple, tough and reliable. Better a bit more expensive and reliable in my opinion.. 
I'll check the software you already gave me, many thanks!

[Doomsday]

Garmin is the industry standard over here. It is sturdy, reliable, and simple to use. They make a range of handheld models, all of which should be good.

The GPS software in Samsung and Apple smartphones uses a different satellite system which some people find to be more accurate. They are standalone, so do not require phone service to operate GPS functions. Avenza PDF Maps is a very easy to use app for these devices. I'm not sure if everybody has a smartphone in their pocket over there, like we do here, but if so it could be as easy as having the fallers download the app onto their personal devices.

[lxskllr]

I'm also interested in the makes of GPS you're using. Should be simple, tough and reliable. Better a bit more expensive and reliable in my opinion..
I'll check the software you already gave me, many thanks!

If you're in SA, a smartphone might be the most bulletproof setup. The cost is relatively low, and replacement easy to come by.

[mike_belben]

Im not sure how well it would work as it is not exactly designed for your aplication, but "Huntstand" is the best free land mapping app i have used.  Its got excellent satellite, topo, and parcel boundary maps, plus measurement in linear feet or acreage area etc.  Itll accept a million pinpoints and notes on each pin plus gps coordinates per tree.

    In your case there would be a lot of extra features of no use related to hunting but each faller could download it and put drop pins and measured dimensions into their own phone and then create a map of what they cut for no charge.  Then one person could round that data up into a single spreadsheet or app i guess.  It would show an immediate picture of the ground operations.  

[Cruiser_79]

Thanks for the replies, smarphone is indeed a cheap and easy to replace alternative for a handheld GPS. Now I have to find a good app and GIS platform to manage the data. I'm not sure or they use a grid based coordinate system or just the WGS coordinates. I guess that most of the programmes use the wgs system, and can't convert it?
On the net I found Trimble Mobile builder, and it has a feature of working with bar codes. Anyone familiar with that programme? From the surveying I have the experccience that Trimble programmes often only work with their own (expensive) hardware. Will it be the same with this? 

[lxskllr]

I'm a surveyor also, and not affiliated with forestry aside from hobby use, so I can't give specific tips. As general advice, I'd be very cautious building workflow around proprietary software. The tools can be taken from you at any time, and you'll have no recourse aside from setting something else up. I would try using libre software; tools that are basic and universal(say a spreadsheet instead of a proprietary database/form) so there isn't a single major failure point. Problem is it takes some technical knowhow to set it up, and may require more technical knowledge from the end user. More time on initial setup can make it easier for the end user.


For a quick look, I found this...

https://f-droid.org/packages/net.osmtracker/


I don't use it, and can't endorse it, but it looks like it has some interesting functions. F-droid is my preferred repo for android programs. If something quits working, I can either fix it myself, or pay someone else to fix it. For the most part, all source code is available. There's a few cases where the upstream source code has been pulled, and it gets listed as an anti feature in the description, but the old source code the app is built from is still available to hack on.


All food for thought. You may be able to chain tools that'll do what you want. It may or may not be less polished than turnkey solutions, and will most likely take more work up front, but will  provide flexibility and fault tolerance going forward.

[Cruiser_79]

I go check the F-droid app on my own phone, maybe I can try to export some CSV files out of it. 
Collecting the data won't be the problem I guess, but still haven't found a good programm to manage the data. 
Now I'm busy with QGIS to make some analysis of the terrain with some contour maps etc. Maybe I can use QGIS to import the field data as well. Does someone have experience with that? 

[clearcut]

My system is to have field personnel text photos and the relevant data with minimal formatting. I'll copy and paste the data into a spreadsheet, checking to see if is complete and reasonable. I then import the photos into Qgis to recover the location data and join the data from the spreadsheet to the photo location.  

I prefer this system because it is near real time, and clarification can be requested if something looks unusual or data are missing. For example if a species is unlikely to be found in an area, or a height is out of proportion to a diameter, the field can be contacted before they move far from the location. Of course that depends on connectivity. 

It's also easier to train one person to gather and normalize the incoming data to make it consistent. 

I have experimented with QField which mounts a Qgis project on an Android device allowing location and attribute data to be edited on site. Texting was easier for the field crew. Plus texting allows them to use an iOS device should they prefer. 

Also I could not find an easy way to restrict read and write access to the Qgis data that the field crew did not need. 

[Cruiser_79]

My system is to have field personnel text photos and the relevant data with minimal formatting. I'll copy and paste the data into a spreadsheet, checking to see if is complete and reasonable. I then import the photos into Qgis to recover the location data and join the data from the spreadsheet to the photo location.  

I prefer this system because it is near real time, and clarification can be requested if something looks unusual or data are missing. For example if a species is unlikely to be found in an area, or a height is out of proportion to a diameter, the field can be contacted before they move far from the location. Of course that depends on connectivity.

It's also easier to train one person to gather and normalize the incoming data to make it consistent.

I have experimented with QField which mounts a Qgis project on an Android device allowing location and attribute data to be edited on site. Texting was easier for the field crew. Plus texting allows them to use an iOS device should they prefer.

Also I could not find an easy way to restrict read and write access to the Qgis data that the field crew did not need.

Thanks for your reply. Maybe this is a good way to start. And for the field personnel this is probably the easiest way indeed. Fancy devices with complicated software won't work out there I'm afraid. Do you use the geolocation of the field personnels devices in QGIS? That would be perfect. The connectivity in the field isn't very good I'm afraid, but when they arrive in the basecamp in the night the devices will send all their collected data and pictures. I'll start with building a spreadsheet with the data we want to collect.

[clearcut]

Most Android and iOS devices will record the location where an image was captured in the EXIF data stored with the image. This feature can be turned off, and on some devices, requires a cell signal for an accurate location. So check the individual device before you rely on it.

A plugin, ImportPhotos in QGIS 3, formerly Photo2Shape in QGIS 2, is used to load a folder of images and read the EXIF data that documents location. I've used the photo2Shape successfully, but have not had a need for ImportPhotos yet.

Optionally, the field personnel can document their location via text on either iOS or Android.

I then have the field folks text comma separated values for the tree data  - plot#,spp,dbh,ht,quality,product using mostly numerical codes so the user does not have to switch between numeric and alphabetic keyboards. Any notes, wildlife considerations, archeological or cultural sites or objects, slope, aspect, and other conditions can also be documented. 

[Cruiser_79]

Most Android and iOS devices will record the location where an image was captured in the EXIF data stored with the image. This feature can be turned off, and on some devices, requires a cell signal for an accurate location. So check the individual device before you rely on it.

A plugin, ImportPhotos in QGIS 3, formerly Photo2Shape in QGIS 2, is used to load a folder of images and read the EXIF data that documents location. I've used the photo2Shape successfully, but have not had a need for ImportPhotos yet.

Optionally, the field personnel can document their location via text on either iOS or Android.

I then have the field folks text comma separated values for the tree data  - plot#,spp,dbh,ht,quality,product using mostly numerical codes so the user does not have to switch between numeric and alphabetic keyboards. Any notes, wildlife considerations, archeological or cultural sites or objects, slope, aspect, and other conditions can also be documented.

I sure gonna use  the photo plugin in Qgis! 

Last week I spoke a friend who is in the IT business, and he showed me an app he uses in his work. It's called datascope, a kind of platform you can customize by yourself. It isn't free, but with 25 dollars a month per user the price isn't too much for this project. 
The app is available for iOs and android. I made a kind of list for the fellers, and they can choose options from a list (species for example) and fill in diameters and lengths. It is even possible to scan a barcode and add pictures. Also the location is stored and right after they finished the form the location with all the data is visible on a map. You can export the data to Excel, where al the data is separated (diameters, species, lengths, lat/lon, etc.). Perfect for further use in Qgis or something else. 
Maybe it can be convenient for some other people on this forum as well!
I try to upload a video and show the app.