ARTICLE #4 | 63
MOBILE LEARNING DEVICES AS COLLABORATIVE TOOLS TO ENHANCE
BIOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION SKILLS IN THE LAB AND FIELD
Figure 2: Screenshots of the Here&Near app showing: (left) locational map of eight target trees on Keele campus, (middle) text
descriptions, and (right) images of trees.
Four tree ID apps were selected for this study to capture the range
of options available; evaluation of these apps as the ultimate focus
of this study. The four tree ID apps have slightly different approaches
(Appendix 2) and varying capabilities to key out the eight target
trees; no one app could identify all the target trees (Appendix 1).
The Field Study Council’s (2012) single-start-point is based around
leaf shape while the non-linear multiple-entry-method of Isoperla’s
(2012) British Tree ID, quantifies fit to tree genera based on a suite
of tree attributes. The Forestry Commission’s (2012) ForestXplorer
requires access to the internet for the app to run, and includes
information on forest sites as well as tree fact sheets and a “tree
species finder” key that starts from multiple entry points, but
unlike Isoperla (2012) these features cannot be done additively.
LeafsnapHD (Columbia University et al. 2011) utilises image analysis
software to match new leaf material to an extensive image database,
but the potential to confirm identification of trees keyed out with
the other three apps is limited by the lack of English species in the
database, and requires access to the internet for it to work. FSC
(2012) trees has fact sheets of 44 tree species (17 unlobed, 9 lobed,
4 compound and 15 needles) of native and introduced origins,
and is the only app that can key seven out of eight of the target
trees, although downy birch is only to genus level. ForestXplorer
has 28 trees, with a focus on commercial species planted in the UK,
and can successfully identify six out of eight of the target trees to
species. Isoperla (2012) has 82 tree species in 44 genera, but keys
out target F to the wrong species and does not include rowan in the
database. LeafsnapHD has the largest tree database of 184 species
and is aimed at a North American market, although some species
introduced from European are also included, but itf only keyed out
three of the target species. A UK version of this app was launched
in 2014 (after the pilot study took place) with 156 tree species from
across the UK (Columbia University et al. 2014), however some
target species were still not included.
The whole process of identification was documented in the field
with the inbuilt camera, which can take front- or back-facing
photographs and short videos. These can be shared with team
members by uploading to the communal Dropbox account and
each device had a separate allocated folder. Students can also
record audio commentary to static pictures with the Fotobabble
app and type up text commentary in OpenOffice.