NEW APPLICATIONS
Mobile Application for Karoo Plant Identification
Ever walked in the veld and suddenly come across a “ bossie ” flowering profusely with beautiful yellow flowers , and wondered to yourself ... What species is this ? Do my sheep / goats / cattle eat it ? Is it poisonous ? Is it an indication that I am overgrazing the veld ? And with the best intentions in the world , you pick off a piece , put it in your pocket or bakkie for later identification in your office , where you have plant identification books . But we all know that by the time you get back to your office all thoughts of identifying plants will be out the window because there will probably be lots more important issues to take care off .
Wouldn ’ t it have been nice to have an easily accessible resource available right there in the veld to assist you in identifying the plant ? With the technology available today the answer lies right there in your hand – a mobile application on your cell phone . Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute ( DALRRD – GADI ), in conjunction with the Endangered Wildlife Trust ( EWT ) and TurtleTech Pty ., has developed a mobile application for identifying and providing information on common grazing plants occurring in the Nama-Karoo biome of South Africa .
Three phases are included in the development process :
Loraine van den Berg
Current Address : Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute Web Address : http :// gadi . agric . za
• Phase 1 ( already completed ) - this phase includes the provision of an electronic guide to approximately 250 plant species commonly occurring in the Nama-Karoo biome , including Trees , Shrubs , Dwarf shrubs (“ bossies ”), Grasses , Succulents and Ephemerals (“ Opslag ”). There is also an option to create a list of all the species that you have observed . The information provided for all species includes Common names , Photos , General description , Grazing value , Toxicity , Invasiveness , Medicinal value , Ethnobotanical value and a Distribution map within the Nama-Karoo biome
• Phase 2 ( not available yet ) – this phase will entail the development of a neural network by which the application would be able to “ learn ” to identify a species through a photo taken by the user . A mechanism for reporting unidentified species would also be provided if the application is not able to identify the plant , or if the species is not included in the application . There will also be more information provided on the control of invasive species , as well as the effect of poisonous plants on livestock . The “ location ” function of the cell phone will be incorporated into the “ My plants ” function of the application to provide a mechanism to create a species list for a specific farm or area .
• Phase 3 ( not available yet ) – this phase will focus on using information captured by the user to determine veld condition at a specific point . This function would allow the user using the application to conduct a quick vegetation survey , after which the application will calculate the veld condition score . This veld condition score could be used to manage veld more sustainably . Information on various grazing systems commonly used in the Nama- Karoo biome will also be provided .
Phase 1 of the mobile application is currently available for download on the Google Play Store and iOS platforms at no cost .
Once installed the application does not need internet connectivity and can therefore be used in the veld even if there is no signal .
To download the application use “ Nama-Karoo Plants ” in the search field on both these platforms .
Figure 1-5 : Screenshots of the new “ Nama-Karoo Plants ” application available on Google Play Store and iOS platforms .
45 Grassroots Vol 20 No 4 December 2020