[CANUFNET] FW: In-house Tree Management Databases and Big Cities

[Meagan Hanna, Miss]

Greetings all,

I see that Jessica Tivy had recently put out a question on tree inventory technology and trends in Canada. I actually have a similar inquiry of my own. In fact, I have a set of precise questions about tree inventories in large Canadian (and American, for any neighbours on the line) cities. I am hoping to touch base with a few municipal practitioners with the goal of obtaining more information on how large cities manage their trees.

To be brief, I would like to draw some comparisons between the City of Montreal's in-house, Oracle system and tree databases from other big cities. To achieve this, I am interested in discussing specific programs with you. I am on the look-out for resource people who wouldn't mind offering some time for an email or telephone call.

If you're feeling generous, you may contact me directly by email at meagan.hanna at mail.mcgill.ca. Alternatively, if you feel some of this info could be useful for all, feel free to share your comments with the group.

My questions are as follows :

1) What platform/system does your city use to manage its trees?

2) Is your city's tree database managed through an in-house program or through software developed by an external company or organization?

3) Does this program cover location, species, size class and other characteristics only or do you use it to manage your work orders, services requests and summaries of activities as well?

4)  Is there a geo-spatial component too? (ex: can you position and view your city's trees on a spatial database/computer-based map)?

5) Is your tree inventory kept in a stand alone program or is this information integrated with other programs such as your city's mapping data, asset management system or work management system (311 call log, service request follow-up etc.) ? Basically, does your tree database interface with other programs or is it independent from all?

6) Do your city's inspectors, arborists or foresters have access to the database while in the field through a portable computer, tablet or other device? If so, can you respond to citizen requests and generate work orders in the field or do you have to complete those steps and close your ticket once back at the office?

7) Do you use GPS equipment in the field to manage tree inspections and correctly position your city's trees?

 If you have gotten this far, first off thank you so much!

8) Second, if your city uses software to manage its trees, I would love to know how your city manages this program. Which department(s) is (are) responsible for training, troubleshooting and development?

9) Are any of the three abovementioned aspects a problem in your municipality at the moment?

I know this email was a whopper. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I am looking forward to your feedback and hope to be in touch with you.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Meg


Meagan Hanna
Technical Officer - Horticulture and Arboriculture
City of Montreal
Work email : meagan.hanna at ville.montreal.qc.ca
Personal email : meagan.hanna at mail.mcgill.ca
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