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cell phone app for 'drawing' a map of plant locations by sensing where you walk?

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Is there a program, an app or some 'thing' for a cell phone where you could turn it on and walk to a plant, type in a label then walk to another plant and label and even photograph it...in no particular order but the program can read where you are on the ground so that what you end up with is a map with all of the plant life marked in correct positions?

I have drawn maps, even with graph paper and that's what I'll probably do but this crossed my mind as as a way to locate more accurately.

Downside would be I'd have to turn on 'location' which I never do.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Aaron Pate

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Location: Spartanburg, SC USA

posted 3 weeks ago

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I saw an ad a few years ago for something that was supposed to work this way. It was a sort of wand thing you'd trace the garden edges with. I don't know if it worked through a phone/app, but that sounds likely. The tool worked much like rolling along with a surveyors wheel except it would capture more data. Unfortunately I don't remember what the product was called.

This would probably have to use some kind of local space-sensing tech, like LIDAR for example, as I don't think GPS/location data is accurate enough, so you might get to keep your location data off after all :)

M Ljin

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Another permie, Joao Winckler, apparently made an app for that sort of thing. I haven’t tried it.

https://leaftide.com/

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Joao Winckler

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Ha, that's me M Ljin is referring to. I built Leaftide partly because I had this exact problem, wanting to know where everything was planted without relying on memory or scrappy hand-drawn maps. It doesn't do the walk-and-sense thing Judith is describing though, you still place plants manually on a plot map. The GPS accuracy on phones is only good to about 3-5 metres which makes it pretty useless for individual plant positions unfortunately. For what you're describing, graph paper and a tape measure is honestly still hard to beat for accuracy.

Leaftide - garden planner w/ 876 plant types. Need permaculture testers for fruit trees & perennials. Free Pro month for detailed feedback, even just suggesting plants

Judith Browning

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thanks folks!

Aaron, that wand thing might be as close to anything I've heard of....thanks!
I can imagine the neighbor's curiosity at that one🙄

Joao, your app sounds like a great organizing tool, especially for those already keeping records on a digital device.

What I want to accomplish is a paper map of plants and trees here. Graph paper and a pencil have usually been my tools....just the thought of getting out in the heat this summer got me wondering about options and not very practical ones.

The 'want to do' list gets longer as I get older 😊

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

John Wolfram

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posted 3 weeks ago

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A few years ago I tried using an app called "Save Location" to map out tree locations at my orchard. Even with trees at 15 or 30 foot apart, the resolution of standard cell phone GPS wasn't good enough to make a worthwhile map.

RTK GPS, such as used by John Deere's systems, would have enough resolution, but it's big $$$.

My next thought was to just get a drone to create an ultra high map, but instead I just laid out a grid system and that has worked well. Permaculture designs seem to avoid setting things out on straight lines, but by golly are they useful in keeping track of things.

Although the locations aren't very accurate, Google Maps is a rather good way of saving things, as it lets you save photos and text along with each tree. Here's mine, but it hasn't been updated in a while. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1C0E1iqIPWtbITbd3SAROkyzuLL_1G-4&usp=sharing

M Ljin

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Another thought is that on iPhone, if you include location on pictures, it will automatically have a map for you of where each picture was taken. Maybe this will help you?

One can never be too kind to oneself or others.
Never our fault, always our responsibility

Judith Browning

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Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

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Permaculture designs seem to avoid setting things out on straight lines, but by golly are they useful in keeping track of things.

John, This is so true and is why I thought something that would map my footsteps and positions as I go from plants/trees to plants/trees in my quite haphazard and unplanned plantings would be helpful.

The design is happening in spite of my random ways as things get larger and more clearly intentional.
I thought for our families benefit I would try to map and label periennials at least but was feeling overwhelmed by the task in the heat of summer.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

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Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

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posted 3 weeks ago

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M Ljin wrote:Another thought is that on iPhone, if you include location on pictures, it will automatically have a map for you of where each picture was taken. Maybe this will help you?

thanks M.!
that could be helpful although that's the very reason I don't turn on location on this phone 😊

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Kyle Hayward

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Location: Oh-Hi-Oh to New Mexico (soon)

posted 3 weeks ago

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Have you tried Inaturalist...a smartphone app.

Judith Browning

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Kyle, I have not heard of it although whatI just read about it sounds great...will read some more...thanks!

I'll leave the link here in case anyone else wants to check it out.

I started with wikipedias article because it uses lots less data.

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INaturalist

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

I agree. Here's the link: http://stoves2.com