<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>As tree height is one of the important variables measured in forestry, much effort is made to provide its fast, easy and accurate determination. We analysed precision of two widely available smartphone applications (Smart Measure and Measure Height) during the field measurements of tree height. The data was collected in three Scots pine stands in central Poland. We found negative systematic error of both tested applications regardless the distance of the measurement (15 or 20 m). RMSE values of the height estimates varied from 1.01 to 2.46 m depending on the application used and the distance of the measurement. Value of the calculated absolute and relative errors significantly (p &lt; 0.015) positively depended on the actual height of the measured trees and was more diverse for higher trees. Smartphone applications seem to be promising measurement tool for tree height determination, however as for the time being they require improvement before wider introduction into the forest practice.</p></abstract>

As tree height is one of the important variables measured in forestry, much effort is made to provide its fast, easy and accurate determination. We analysed precision of two widely available smartphone applications (Smart Measure and Measure Height) during the field measurements of tree height. The data was collected in three Scots pine stands in central Poland. We found negative systematic error of both tested applications regardless the distance of the measurement (15 or 20 m). RMSE values of the height estimates varied from 1.01 to 2.46 m depending on the application used and the distance of the measurement. Value of the calculated absolute and relative errors significantly (p < 0.015) positively depended on the actual height of the measured trees and was more diverse for higher trees. Smartphone applications seem to be promising measurement tool for tree height determination, however as for the time being they require improvement before wider introduction into the forest practice.

Accuracy of smartphone applications in the field measurements of tree height

Warsaw University of Sciences-SGGW, Department of Dendrometry and Forest Productivity, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland, phone: +48 22 5938093

Folia Forestalia Polonica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Accuracy of smartphone applications in the field measurements of tree height"}

As tree height is one of the important variables measured in forestry, much effort is made to provide its fast, easy and accurate determination. We analysed...

Accuracy of smartphone applications in the field measurements of tree height

Published Online: Mar 07, 2016

Page range: 240 - 244

Received: Jun 03, 2015

Accepted: Oct 15, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ffp-2015-0025

Keywords
accuracy, tree height, smartphone, hypsometer, mobile applications

© 2015 Szymon Bijak et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Accuracy of smartphone applications in the field measurements of tree height

Published Online: Mar 07, 2016

Page range: 240 - 244

Received: Jun 03, 2015

Accepted: Oct 15, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ffp-2015-0025

Keywordsaccuracy, tree height, smartphone, hypsometer, mobile applications

© 2015 Szymon Bijak et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
accuracy, tree height, smartphone, hypsometer, mobile applications