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projectThe first application to emerge from the Qtrees research project is Baumblick. Baumblick is a web application that gives an insight into and an outlook on the condition of our city trees in Berlin.
City trees are increasingly suffering the consequences of climate change and the atypical weather conditions of urban climates. Due to their slow genetic adaptation as a reaction to environmental changes, they are particularly affected by increasingly frequent periods of drought and increasing temperature extremes. The damage caused by longer periods of drought and the ongoing climate change can already be seen in Berlin, as many city trees have to be pruned or felled due to the massive development of deadwood.
With the Quantified Trees (Qtrees) project, the consortium aims to sustainably counteract tree death by developing an artificial intelligence (AI) based forecasting system that uses a wide range of data to identify urban trees that are acutely threatened by drought at an early stage. Two platforms were to be developed based on the AI-based predictive model. The platforms will offer both the public administration and civil society in Berlin the opportunity to maintain and preserve the city trees and to react in a quick manner to dynamic weather conditions in the future.
The first application to emerge from the Qtrees research project is Baumblick. Baumblick is a web application that gives an insight into and an outlook on the condition of our city trees in Berlin. Sensors can be used to measure the suction of a tree to determine how dry or wet the soil is. Using an AI model, we try to identify patterns in the data sets and predict the current and future water supply for all city trees up to 14 days in advance. The app also raises awareness on the topic of “care and irrigation of urban trees” and invites people to get involved with urban trees, thereby contributing to the improvement of the AI model.
With the expert dashboard for administrations, we have created an application that demonstrates the potential of digital measurement, analysis, and maintenance while at the same time providing concrete support to the districts in watering urban trees through the use of predictive insights. As a collaborative project, QTrees also serves as a platform for exchange across departments, authorities, and projects. Over time, the districts and project partners have been able to repeatedly connect with one another, establish new contacts, and discuss various maintenance measures in response to the effects of urban climate change.
In association with the Birds on Mars, the Technologiestiftung Berlin successfully secured funding for measures aimed at climate change adaptation and is thus part of the German Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (DAS), funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment and Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
During the course of the project, the consortium was primarily responsible for promoting the development of the AI-models, exploration of the data and the development of the software components. As a project partner for workshops, the SGA (Street and Green Space Office for the Mitte district of Berlin) constantly provided relevant technical expertise and promoted integration into internal processes and support networking with other actors in the administration.
Association partner: Technologiestiftung Berlin and Birds on Mars GmbH
Cooperation partner: Street and Green Space Office Mitte Berlin
Project sponsor: ZUG Zukunft - Umwelt - Gesellschaft
Sponsor: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
Funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) based on a resolution by the German federal parliament.
CityLAB was founded in 2019. It is operated by the Technologiestiftung Berlin and funded through a grant by the Berlin Senate Chancellery.
Launch year: 2021
Case study provided to the AI Navigator courtesy of CityLAB Berlin, Apolitical's content partner. "Quantified Trees (Qtrees)", CityLAB Berlin, https://citylab-berlin.org/projekte/quantified-trees-qtrees/. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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