Landesforst MV
Voice-based recording optimizes the forest protection reporting system
The Challenge
The forestry activities of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Forestry Department (Landesforst MV) include advising and promoting private and corporate forests, forest supervision, and protecting forests and forestry. One of its central tasks is forest protection reporting, which includes the forest protection reporting service, protection consulting, monitoring of pests and the condition of forests, forecasting and prevention of damage, and practical forest protection research. The increasingly complex tasks, combined with a shortage of resources and personnel, jeopardize reliable forest protection in the long term.
This has resulted in the challenge of further optimizing the forest protection reporting system while ensuring a consistently high quality of data collection. This requires a data collection tool that is optimally adapted to the forest protection reporting system, considers the challenges in the forest, and enables efficient and user-friendly data collection. The ability to collect data mobile in the forest using voice input and automatically store it in a quality-assured, central database should also automate work steps and make data available quickly for processing for forest protection information.
In close cooperation with con terra, Landesforstanstalt MV successfully introduced district tablets with customized specialist applications: practical, efficient, future-oriented, and exemplary for the digitization of administration.”
The Customer
Growing forests, sparking curiosity, promoting their treasures in a sustainable way. With 29 forestry offices, 191 districts, and 1,000 employees, Landesforst Mecklenburg-Vorpommern AöR brings life to the green lungs of northern Germany.
Its central tasks include the protection, research, and conservation of the forest. In addition, knowledge is passed on in vocational training. In the state forest, care, sustainable use of wild and forest products, as well as advice and forestry services for forest owners are offered. Furthermore, the forest is promoted as a place of experience and learning through healing and spa forests, nature trails, and a wide range of forest education programs.
The Solution
AI-supported voice input based on map.apps Speech was developed for mobile data entry. The solution is specially designed for the technical vocabulary used in electronic forest protection reporting (eWSM) and can also be used offline without network coverage. This eliminates the need to search through long lists, cumbersome input on touch devices, or analog data entry with subsequent digitization. This saves time and simplifies the work steps.
The AI-based speech recognition module has been seamlessly integrated into the recording module based on con terra Technologies. It offers plausibility checks to avoid ambiguous entries and ensures high data quality. In addition, the approach enables quick and easy adaptation of the language model to integrate further types of damage, for example.
The Technology
map.apps (incl. FGL offline and Speech)
ArcGIS Enterprise
FME Server
Nextcloud | SQL Server | Android | CORDOVA
The Benefits
An efficient and reliable specialist procedure for recording damaged areas using natural language was developed for the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Forestry Department in the context of electronic forest protection reporting. The recording, processing, and evaluation of data directly on site replaces analog and digital double recording.
A key feature is the natural language input option, which is optimized for technical vocabulary and offers high recognition quality. Offline voice input in the eWSM module is a unique feature and is essential for efficient use in the forest, given the frequent lack of network Coverage.
Summary
Highly efficient data capture via voice control
Optimized for process-relevant vocabulary
Available offline on mobile devices
Consistent, stable workflow
