The urban tree management system received the second prize at the 14th Technical Innovation Contest of Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue city) in 2024. Photo: Gia Huy

New step in tree management

In 2004, the topic of the green tree management and planning system at the Imperial City using GIS technology (geographic information system) guided by Dr. Do Thi Viet Huong, lecturer of the Department of Geography - Geology, University of Science, Hue University, was carried out by students and made an impression as a powerful support tool for green tree management and planning. The topic won the second prize of the 2004 National Student Scientific Research Award, and at the same time laid the foundation for applying technology to urban green tree management.

Seeing the difficulties and shortcomings in traditional manual tree management, as well as the benefits of technology in tree management and planning, a group of experts from the Consulting, Design and Production Department of the Hue City Information Technology Center (HueCIT) has implemented a project on "Trees, Landscape and Environment Management System". "The system has helped management agencies have effective tools to perform professional work in tree care, meeting management requirements in the current digital environment. This is also a tool to digitize data on trees, environmental landscapes, water surfaces; monitor, maintain and develop green areas and urban landscapes", said Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Gia Huy, project team leader.

The urban tree management system operates through a web-based application and a mobile application to monitor, maintain and plan trees quickly and effectively. The core of the system is a software platform built with tools, integrating GIS technology, allowing updating and managing information about each tree in the urban area in many different ways such as using satellite images, digitizing trees right on the scene through the user's device location (GPS technology). From there, each tree is specifically identified through a unique code based on the tree species, planting area (ward, commune) and route. In addition, each tree is also attached with a QR code, helping to quickly retrieve important information such as location, tree type, health status, care history and maintenance recommendations. Thanks to that, the management team can monitor online and plan pruning, pest control or tree replacement in a more scientific way. In particular, people can also participate in monitoring by providing feedback on tree status through the feedback function on mobile devices, contributing to improving the effectiveness of management work.

Phase 1 of the project took place in 2024, the tree management system was applied by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and the Hue Green Park Center (now divided into 2 Green Park Centers of 2 districts Thuan Hoa and Phu Xuan) in digitizing trees in Hue Citadel, mausoleums and Thuan Hoa district.

Mr. Dang Ngoc Quy, Deputy Director of Thuan Hoa District Park and Tree Center, said: “With the use of the tree management system, we can more accurately monitor the status of more than 12,000 trees in the area through an application installed on the phone. Previously, inspection work mainly relied on manual reports, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Now, with just one mobile device, staff can access all information about each tree, from location, health status to care history.” Thanks to the tree management system, the tree maintenance process is also optimized, the rate of trees with pests and diseases is significantly reduced, and maintenance efficiency is improved.

Potential

Initial successes show that applying the system to manage trees for the entire city of Hue is considered an inevitable direction. According to Mr. Gia Huy, this application can be integrated into the Hue-S smart urban management system. “When integrating the tree management application with other technology platforms such as GIS systems, traffic infrastructure or data reflecting the situation of people, we can form a comprehensive urban management network. For example, data from the application can help identify routes with a high risk of tree collapse during the rainy and stormy season, thereby taking timely preventive measures,” Mr. Gia Huy analyzed.

With high applicability, easy to deploy, suitable for managing many existing objects, needing to determine location on a large scale, the system developed by HueCIT received the Second Prize at the 14th Technical Innovation Contest of Thua Thien Hue Province (now Hue City) in 2024; At the same time, many units in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang... are interested and invited to cooperate. "Receiving many cooperation proposals is proof of the effectiveness of the tree management system. HueCIT will optimize the system according to the way different units work so that users can make full use of the system's features, contributing to optimizing resources and increasing work efficiency", said Mr. Gia Huy.

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