Resumen de AppPopuli: Web Application for Real-Time Damage Report in Poplar Plantations Using Citizen Science

S. Díez Reguera, José Alberto Benítez Andrades, Fernando Castedo Dorado, Álvaro Rodríguez González, R. Arévalo González, E. Díez Presa, J. Garnica López, María Flor Álvarez Taboada

• AppPopuli is a citizen science project developed by a multidisciplinary team, in the fields of forest health and computer science. The core of the project was to develop a web application that allows both foresters and ordinary citizens to inform, in real-time, about damages in hybrid poplar plantations (Populus spp.) caused by pests or diseases. The damage report is done individually by the user through a form that they fill in with information related to the damaged tree, such as, for example, the name of the pathogen causing the damage (if known), the geographical location, photographs, etc.; so that this data is stored in a database. The database aims to monitor the status of poplar plantations and provide feedback to the app users about the damage they have reported. On the other side, the application also includes a help section with information about the pests and diseases that could damage poplar trees, so that non-experts in the field are able to identify damages found in poplar trees correctly; and an explore section with a table that contains some of the data of the reports sent by the users with their location marked on a world map. The application is focused on its use using mobile devices (but not limited to), which has been kept in mind while designing the user interface in order to guarantee a good user experience, no matter the device you are using and the size of its screen. This application will contribute to sustainable and responsible wood production, providing more resilient poplar plantations and promoting the early control of potential pests and diseases.