Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/174312
Time-sensitive GeoWorld departments such as NetLink, PeopleLink, Product News and Business News now are maintained solely at the GeoPlace.com Web site. Check there often for the latest updates as they happen. A group dedicated to exploring and documenting forests and trees—from the oldest to the tallest—is experimenting with rugged handheld technology to help advance its goals. The Native Tree Society used the Archer Field PC from Juniper Systems along with Laser Technology Inc.'s MapSmart software and laser rangefinder to map tree footprints. A map of a tree's footprint can help researchers determine the tree's volume and better estimate its size. Michael Taylor, coordinator for the California Big Trees group and a member of the Native Tree Society, used the rugged equipment to collect tree measurements and map thousands of points on each tree surveyed during a recent project. Taylor then created 3-D surface point clouds of the tree trunks in Microsoft Excel to determine volume, using the points to create a tree footprint. "One function the Archer/MapSmart appears to be particularly adept for is footprint mapping of trees, especially in remote, cluttered, forested environments," noted Taylor. NATIVE TREE SOCIETY/M.W. TAYLOR Group Embraces New Tools to Map Tree Footprints Rugged handheld devices are playing a role in the mapping of tree footprints, a task that helps researchers determine the actual size of trees. The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2) and geospatial-analysis software firm Azavea launched a Web application that should allow communities and individuals to analyze information and track trends related to homelessness. The Homelessness Analytics application pulls in data related to homelessness among the general population and among veterans as well as data on homelessness factors and support services (homelessnessanalytics. org). Homelessness Analytics was developed in collaboration with the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans (NCHAV) in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, with software built by Azavea. The National Alliance to End Homelessness claims there are typically more than 633,000 people experiencing homelessness nightly in the United States. Team members behind the new application HOMELESSNESSANALYTICS.ORG Homelessness Mapping App Goes Live A new map application should allow the public to more easily explore data on homelessness and related factors. S E P T E M B E R 2 O 1 3 / W W W . G E O P L A C E . C O M 7