New Science App for Leaf Peepers
Attention smart phone toting leap peepers. If you’ve ever wondered what type of tree was nearby but didn’t have a guide book, finding the answer is now as easy as taking a snapshot with your smart phone.
LeafSnap is a new smart phone application developed by Columbia University and University of Maryland computer scientists under the direction of Smithsonian botanist John Kress.
Originally developed to help the Smithsonian build its 163-year-old collection of plant species, the app serves two masters. Smart phone users with curiosity about plants have the opportunity to take a picture of a tree’s leaf and discover what type of tree it is. Call it facial recognition for trees. When that picture is synched to the application the phone’s GPS marks the location of the sample and adds it to the collection. You find out what type of tree you are seeing and science gets another piece of data.
The software studies the leaf shape and pattern to discern the major tree families. From there the user is given a variety of choices to try to match the tree exactly. The app looks at the leaf’s lobes, angle and other characteristics to help narrow the possibilities.
This app will help scientists monitor changes in tree populations over time as well as identify new, never collected tree species.
In the future this app could be morphed to help create a butterfly or insect library.
This is a great way to contribute to science and your own learning. Next time you are strolling through a park, neighborhood woods or out in the mountains, look up from your texting and take a picture of an interesting tree. You will be lending your experience to science and helping to complete a very large project.
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