Arborgraphia, a new app developed by UL Lafayette faculty and students, helps visitors identify trees on campus.
Dr. Douglas Williams, a professor of instructional technology, dreamed up the app. He’s also director of the University’s Center for Innovative Learning and Assessment Technologies, which creates educational mobile apps and computer games. “My family enjoyed the outdoors, so I grew up with an appreciation for nature, including trees. I started brainstorming, thinking of a way to share the treasure of our trees on campus and also provide a learning tool,” he said. Williams used information in one block of campus — bounded by Johnston Street, East University Avenue, Hebrard Boulevard and East St. Mary Street — to establish the app.
That block has more than 260 trees representing 33 species. Among them are the Centennial Oaks, which were planted by the University’s first president in 1901, and camellias that line part of the Walk of Honor, a pathway of bricks engraved with graduates’ names.
Photographs and illustrations of trees, and their bark, fruits and flowers, help users identify species. There’s an interactive map, an index of tree species and guided walking tours. A history tab reveals more information, such as how American Indians used a particular species, or how a certain tree is related to the University’s history.
An additional ֱ, “My Journal,” uses GPS coordinates for individual trees, so the app will “know” when the user is within a certain radius of a given tree.
Arborgraphia is suitable for all ages, although younger users will need some help navigating it, Williams said.
It was a collaborative effort that began in 2011. Three students created its illustrations: Ahren Brown, who graduated in 2012; Brittny Giroir, a junior; and Amy Heinz, a senior. Tiffany Gilbert, a freshman majoring in informatics, determined each tree’s GPS coordinate and uploaded data, including images and illustrations. Dr. Yuxin Ma and Louise Prejean, Center staff members, contributed to the overall design, content and testing of the app.
Most of the data came from UL Lafayette’s Community Design Workshop, a senior-level studio for architecture students that’s focused on urban planning. Its students are conducting a campus-wide tree inventory.
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