Tracking tree trends
Forests can be challenging places to work in, with remote locations and intricate environments making it difficult to gather accurate information about how they’re changing. A system to help foresters protect woodland by recording and utilising data through digital tools has won a leading user experience design award.
The forestsense initiative helps experts share knowledge about forests threatened by climate change and aims to improve management of woodlands and create sustainable interventions to protect them. It was given the gold prize in the UX Design Awards in March where jurors praised the way it could improve daily tasks and fit into foresters’ working lives.
Creator Niklas Muhs said: “The limited use of digital tools in forestry can be attributed to the difficulty in adapting the abstracted digital interface to the intricate environment. To address this issue, a remote control system was developed with features for data acquisition and analysis. The interface had to be user-friendly and intuitive to facilitate adoption by individuals familiar with analogue methods.”
The UX Design Awards are presented twice a year by the International Design Center Berlin and recognise innovative solutions across all industries from around the world.
