Trees are not just a simple part of nature, they’re a immensely complex structure that requires an vast amount of knowledge to understand. Leafsnap is first in a series of recently launched apps designed to turn mobile app users into citizen dendrologists.
Developed by researchers from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution, the app uses face-recognition software to identify a species of tree from a photograph of its leaves and already includes the trees of New York, and Washington D.C. — but will soon encompass the entire continental United States. Once a user snaps a picture, Leafsnap begins “automatically sharing images, species identifications, and geo-coded stamps of species locations with a community of scientists who will use the stream of data to map and monitor the ebb and flow of flora nationwide.” Check out what becoming an amateur dendrologist looks like below.
via: Guardian.co.uk
images via: Leafsnap
