LiLA

Your purple heart will save the green.   

BACKGROUND

People depend entirely on the environment for good health and well-being. Its protection and preservation is a primary responsibility. Tree planting is a common yet effective way on achieving this as it can vastly improve the quality of the natural surroundings. Unfortunately, Philippine forests are disappearing rapidly throughout the years and a platform must be introduced to help environmental warriors to properly advocate in stopping the trend through networking, organizing, or engaging in tree planting activities. In an attempt to improve the efficiency of these activities across our country, the project LiLA may come in handy. The initiative is a response to Challenge #2 or Environmental Challenge of the competition. 

LiLA is an online mobile application platform that bridges people and the environment. It will be a one-stop hub for tree planting event organizers and tree-planting volunteers. End-users of the app can enjoy the following feature it offers:

• Plan and promote a tree planting event;

• Find tree planting activities within an area;

• Identify strategic location for the activity;

• Ensure the appropriate plant species for certain locations; and 

• Create network to expand environmental advocacies.

  HOW DOES IT WORK?

STEP 1: Developers will map the strategic locations for tree planting and label the appropriate species to be planted in that area using data provided by relevant offices and agencies. (Ex: DENR Suitable Species for Urban Forestry)

STEP 2: Event organizers will plan and schedule a tree planting event - indicating its strategic location and the target number of trees using the LiLa App. They will be connected to concerned offices like in LGU to coordinate properly and procure seedlings to local sellers.

STEP 3: Volunteers can browse in the app to check the scheduled tree planting activities near them or in a specific vicinity, connect to its organizers, and join the event.

STEP 4: During the tree planting proper, volunteers can register the tree/s into their profile and set its name. The exact location of these trees will be saved in their data if they wish to locate the tree/s again in the future.

STEP 5: Lastly, the organizers and other users can monitor the number of trees planted in a location in accordance to the data input by the volunteers.

STEP 6: LiLa app users is considered to be part of the LiLA Community where they can expand their network and make friends with fellow environmental advocates.

  HOW UNIQUE?

The LiLA app offers a fast and efficient way of organizing and joining tree planting initiatives which encourages more individuals or organizations to engage more in such activities. This will also help in monitoring real-time data of the number of trees planted in an identified location.

  Use of GNSS

The GNSS is used to calculate a location in terms of latitude, longitude, and elevation in relation to a geoid (a representation of the earth surface). This feature may be utilized to obtain surface topography and bathymetry in shallow regions, as well as to pinpoint precise measurement places.

In this project, the developers will utilize GNSS in tracking precise location of volunteers and each planted tree. Organizers can directly monitor the progress of their program. One of the most utmost uses for GNSS system in this project is the realization of surveys and production of maps.

  The Game Changer: Galileo

In this project, the developers will use HAS or High Accuracy Service primarily in pinpointing the areas open for tree planting and at the same time, monitoring where trees are being planted. The user will experience a new way in observing where and who planted the tree in the area. It will also show in real-time the current progress of all tree-planting programs in the Philippines.  

Providing Galileo’s High Accuracy Services, it may offer all other planters with an additional layer of (managerial) knowledge, in addition to the real-time monitoring carried out on site by the satellite. The use of Galileo will improve the management of all reforestation and tree reserves management program in the Philippines.

Additionally, the Galileo OS Ranging Service and Galileo OS Positioning Service, in particular, would be implemented into the project. The precise ranging service would be used by the app to estimate the user location and to marked the position where trees are being planted 

  Market potential

Enhanced National Greening Program is aiming to reforest 1.5 million hectares of denuded watersheds and forest lands in the country. In addition to that, a house bill requiring each graduating student to plant 10 trees is close to becoming a law. Various policies in the country plus the initiatives of environmental warriors which calls the need for organizing tree planting activities exist. This opens a huge opportunity for the LiLA to enter the market to be downloaded and use for free, and make their tree planting experience a lot easier. In addition to utilizing the advertisements to make the application profitable, establishments that sell seedlings may be introduced in organizing individuals using the app, negotiate the numbers, and finally, get a 3% share of the sales’ profit earned in one tree planting activity.

Here are the potential market for LiLA: 

  DENR or the Department of Environment and National Resources

The DENR, on the other hand, is tasked to give technical assistance to CFC in terms of identifying the forestlands where the seedlings will be planted, conduct survey, planning and mapping, and identify the suitable tree species that should be planted in the areas concerned.

  Department of Education

Due to the Graduation Legacy for Environment Act, the Department of Education is tasked to provide the students and convenient way to plant trees in their upcoming graduation events. The total market potential in this year is about 17.5 million student per year.

  NGOs or Environmental Groups

There are at least 51 non-governmental organization that focus on environmental protection. They can lead and organize tree planting activity for people who want to join an event.

  Corporations and Private Business

Businesses can "pay off" the harm they create locally by planting trees or supporting other types of habitat restoration. As climate change worsens, trees are gaining popularity due to their ability to absorb the carbon dioxide we continue to emit into the sky.

  Local Government Unit

Trees are frequently planted in the right-of-way by municipalities or states for amenity, engineering, and environmental reasons. In most situations, the power and duty for the trees is retained by the municipality or state.

  Private and Public Universities

The Graduation Legacy Act requires all elementary, high school and college students to plant at least 10 trees before graduating. This initiative, if properly implemented, will ensure that at least 175 million new trees would be planted each year. In the course of one generation, no less than 525 billion can be planted under this initiative

  Public Individuals

The LiLA app provides a quick and easy way to organize and participate in tree planting projects, encouraging more individuals or groups to participate in such activities. This will also aid the users in the tracking of real-time data on the amount of trees planted in a certain place.

Step 6 - Innovation factor

The project aims to provide convenience and a one-stop hub for people and organizations who want to plant trees. By recording the precise location of each planted tree, organizers can directly monitor the progress of their program. The personalization of each tree will allow verification of data in the case of official use or purchase by environmental bureaus or environmental institutions.

   Technical back-end  

The first step in developing Ligtas-Kalikasan Locating Application (LiLA) is to include GNSS. It will be used in identifying the exact locations of where the volunteer planted their trees.

The researcher will ensure that the appropriate GNSS-connected module is used so that it can send and receive critical information from the satellite to all applicable cellphone brand.

  Proof of concept

Team   

Our team is composed of youth volunteers from EarthShaker PH, a science organization that aims to promote Earth sciences and its applications to society. The crew includes:

William Kevin Abran
Researcher, Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics

Mark Louise Borja 

Graphic Designer, Science Technology and Engineering Student

Julia Lou Salor 

Finance Manager, Bachelor of Electronics Engineering

Jerick Cañonero 

Video Editor, Bachelor of Tourism Management

Jessie Beniales Jr. 

Researcher, Bachelor of Electrical Engineering

Adones II Delos Santos 

Graphic Designer, Bachelor of Civil Engineering