The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Software developed to identify tree species

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 21, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Software developed to identify tree species

Staff Reporter

The software can identify over 600 tree species of the Western Ghats
Database can be linked with digital maps to indicate location of trees

Bangalore: You need not be a taxonomist or a field biologist any more to identify trees of the Western Ghats: software will now do it for you, right down to its Latin name.

Keeping in mind the non-specialist — forest officials, researchers, students, non-governmental organisations and stakeholders — the software has been developed to identify over 600 tree species of the Western Ghats. The description of species will also be available in three local languages: Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam.

The software has been developed by Biodiversity Informatics and Cooperation in Taxonomy for Interactive shared Knowledge base (BIOTIK), which is a project jointly coordinated by the French Institute of Pondicherry (FIP), the National University of Lao and other organisations. Developed as an open source Web-based application, the database will be made available online, on CD-ROMS for personal computers, as well as on ultra-mobile PCs and Simputers.

The software offers the user choices of branch patterns, leaf textures, bark character and details of fruits or flowers, narrowing down the search until the species is identified.

“The Western Ghats was chosen because it represents one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and there has never been a greater need to understand and protect these forests,” said B.R. Ramesh of the FIP, speaking at the launch of the application here on Thursday. “Merging traditional taxonomy with information technology will also make up for the lack of qualified taxonomists,” he said.

By linking this database with digital maps, which have been prepared in collaboration with the Forest Department, Dr. Ramesh said that it was possible to indicate the location and distribution of trees.

A.K. Verma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said the software would benefit the Forest Department.

There was some concern over abuse of the software, which would make the identification of rare plants and their locations readily accessible. K. Sankara Rao, Professor at the Indian Institute of Science said, “Rather than help in their conservation, such accessibility could threaten certain species further, especially rare medicinal plants that are becoming products of commerce.”

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