This project comes out of a simple set of questions set forth by Mike Dillion during Lexington's 2015 National Day of Civic Hacking:
How many trees are there in (downtown) Lexington, what kind are they, and where are they?
There are two key components to this applications
- Collect locations and attributes of trees in Lexington through a form
- A map that shows the location of trees and allows users to view attributes for individual trees.
Collecting tree location and attributes is not a new thing (see Existing Examples), but what are issues are we speaking to for Lexington specifically?
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Equipping lay users: Making it easier for lay users contribute and consume tree data
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Connect to nature: In the age of the triumphant city, Kentucky stands out as a state of largely rural communities. While Lexington stands out as one of the few urban outposts in the state, much of its citizenry have deep roots in that rural legacy. By creating a catalog of trees, users can seek out some of the appeal of rural settings within the city.
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Lack of complete existing solutions: Existing efforts to catalog and educate folks about trees are scattered and fragile. For instance, plaques in Woodland Park help people identify some of the trees in the park, but once you leave the park, the trees aren't marked. These efforts are also largely dependent on the efforts of neighborhood organizations and even individuals. What this project seeks to do is create a central repository of tree locations and attributes to supplement and enhance the maintenance of existing tree cataloging of Lexington trees.
Laura lives in Lexington and enjoys the many of the benefits of living in an urban setting. That said, she also appreciates nature. She spends the weekends hiking at Raven Run and climbing at Red River Gorge when she can, but is always looking for an opportunity to enjoy nature.
We have looked at what sorts of things already exist that can help inform the development of this app.
- Lexington Tree Board
- Arboretum Tree Map
- Woodland Park plaques
These are existing thingies that kind of are inspiring this project. They don't necessarily have to do with trees though
- Louisville Downtown Trees
- Ingress Portals
- AirBnB
- Geocaching
Web form that allows users to contribute tree locations and attributes
Hey, a map that lets you see the trees near you (and more!)