I've been asked to consult for a big Apps Company who's considering making an App designed specifically for Tree Climbers and Arborists. So I ask you, the experts, what would you find useful to have in an App? Clients list, Uploading photos and creating spreadsheets of your jobs, Knots, calendar, techniques, pruning tips...? They actually don't know yet if there is a big enough market for an App. What do you think? Would you use an App to organize your work? What features would you find indispensable? I appreciate a lot any feedback!
New Tree Climber's APP
- Thread starter Santoro
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
So based on your post, you know nothing about the industry... how could you possibly develop a useful app?
I thought that maybe an app in which one could group clients, jobs done, tree locations, upload photos and so on could be useful. I reckon you don't agree. Thanks anyway for your reply!
One thing I myself would find useful is to have a log weight calculator in which one could input the species, the diameter and the length of the log and have it calculate the weight. but I can understand that you are probably much more experienced than I am and wouldn't need that.
those already exist, I have one on my phone for doing crane jobs
group clients with google tasks, its linked to my company wide google account and 100% free, can add dates, reminders, description, just a nopepad anyone on the account can access at any time
Thanks. Could you tell me what's the app you mentioned for the crane jobs?
Log weight pro
I'm on a month old s23 ultra newest phone I could get and I have it, works just fine
Yes, that's weird. I have a second phone in which it simply doesn't show at all. Maybe it's not available in Europe. Looked into Google tasks as well. It doesn't look that one can add a tree's geolocation (with Google maps), upload photos and so on. But maybe it's just me that would find it useful. That's what I'm asking you guys. So thanks again for your reply.
With all due respect Are you an Arborist? It gives folks a better Idea what kind of info you actually need vs. loading you up with stuff you already know.
As with anything else there is always room for change and improvement. That is life.
In this information age I'd rather not just be cheap market research unless I'm helping someone truly invested in the industry.
As with anything else there is always room for change and improvement. That is life.
In this information age I'd rather not just be cheap market research unless I'm helping someone truly invested in the industry.
I was an Arborist for a long time, but now I'm an instructor. Of course I started the thread as kind of market research, but I didn't expect (and I was right) much feedback. You can call it "curiosity". I find it interesting that there are already dozens of softwares for Arborists that single climbers know nothing about (Arborstar, just to mention one) but that all bigger companies use already. They offer cloud storage of photos, documents, clients, locations, bids, calenders and so on. In MY opinion, I don't see why a single arborist or smaller company wouldn't benefit from it as well, apart from the fact that they are usually quite expensive. But older climbers usually say something like "why do I need an App?". Always in MY opinion, these are the same people that 25 years ago would say "why do I need a mobile phone?" or, a bit later, "why do I need to read emails in my mobile?". But there is a younger generation coming to the business and I was curious if someone would mention an interesting feature for an App that I hadn't thought of. That's all.
So you obviously know the industry.
I wonder if it is less that we need a totally new app, but maybe a more accessible and affordable version of the already existing software? My area has spotty cell data service, and I don't climb with my phone anyway. If I was spending money on Tech it would be more when I am planning the job and would have to function offline.
I wonder if it is less that we need a totally new app, but maybe a more accessible and affordable version of the already existing software? My area has spotty cell data service, and I don't climb with my phone anyway. If I was spending money on Tech it would be more when I am planning the job and would have to function offline.
We don't know what we don't know
That's exactly what I think. Existing softwares are meant for very large companies. Single climbers/arborists don't even know they exist and definitely can't afford them.
That is the message that I got, also.
As it happens, I do not need any log weight estimator, anyway. Log weight estimating is for taking the biggest chunk you can for the available reach. On the rare occasions when I use a crane, I just ask the crane operator how much he can carry for any given lift, then I make damn sure it is not anywhere close to that big.
My personal belief is that any digital estimation scheme would need to be used rather regularly to gain familiarity with it's accuracy, and would need to be confirmed by using a crane with an accurate scale. Since I do not use a crane often enough to do accurate log estimation, I would have no use for that app on my phone. As others have suggested, I do not climb with the phone in my pocket anyway.c
some days any pick is "at the limit", the 30 ton I run has 102ft of boom, 100ft max radius, we work 80-90ft radius often, and rated capacity is around 900#, I like to calculate pieces when any mess up is such a high percentage of ROC, even tho at 900# I try to keep my picks to 4-600#
ive found log weight pro to normally be within 100# or so, but never blindly follow it, knots from branch unions can add hundreds of pounds to a piece, along with excess water in a log, and always treat a supposedly hollow log like it weighs the normal weight for a log that size (and species)
I do have a copy of the TCIA paper green log chart if you want me to share it
I don't foresee a log chart need in my future. Thanks, but I got no crane jobs pending.
I perfectly agree. Being an instructor, my most commonly used phrase is "cut small pieces", so no calculator is actually NEEDED to do the work. Still, it would be cool to know better... You can all call me a dumb and ignorant climber but I'll admit that I'm always a bit ashamed of, when someone sees a piece (say a 1,5 meters long - 60 centimeters diameter log of a Pine Tree) that has just been cut lying on the ground and asks me how much it weighs, how much improvised and approximate my answers are. If you guys can give a straight answer without showing how hard you had to think about it, you have my full respect!
Similar threads
