MOTI : Smartphone-Based Forest Inventory
Mobile app with advanced optical measurement and camera calibration capabilities enabling foresters to efficiently collect forest inventory data and make informed management decisions directly in the field.
Factsheet
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Schools involved
School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences
School of Engineering and Computer Science -
Institute(s)
Multifunctional Forest Management
Institute for Cybersecurity & Engineering (ICE) -
Research unit(s)
IDAS / Business Information Systems Engineering (BISE)
Forest Ecosystem and Management
ICE / Software Engineering and Development - Funding organisation Others
- Duration 01.12.2012 - 31.12.2014
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Christian Rosset
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Project staff
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Fiedler
Prof. Dr. Christian Rosset - Partner Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU, Aktionsplan Holz
- Keywords forest inventory, timber cruise, forestry, mobile app, optical measurement, augmented reality, smartphone, iOS, Android, forest management, field data collection, GPS, geolocation, forest stand, basal
Situation
MOTI is a practical smartphone application with advanced optical measurement features designed for forest inventory work. Since 2012, a collaborative partnership between Bern University of Applied Sciences - School of Engineering and Computer Science (TI), Bern University of Applied Sciences - School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL), and forestry practitioners has driven the development and continuous improvement of MOTI. The application provides foresters with a mobile toolkit analogous to a pocket knife—combining measurement instruments, visualization capabilities, and decision-support tools for preparing, conducting, and analyzing stand inventories. It addresses a key operational need: enabling foresters to rapidly assess key dendrometric values such as timber stocks, leverage spatial visualization for enhanced understanding, and collect standardized data in real-world forest conditions with a smartphone.
Course of action
The MOTI development follows a structured collaboration model: Prof. Dr. Christian Rosset (HAFL) serves as Product Owner, providing with his team domain expertise and forest management requirements; Prof. Dr. Ulrich Fiedler (TI) leads the software development team, delivering technical implementation and innovation. The application offers a suite of forest measurement calculations integrated with optical measurement and visualization, accessible directly on mobile devices. Foresters can compute stems per hectare, timber volume, and basal area by species. Advanced optical measurement features enhance field comprehension of stand structure and spatial relationships. The optical measurement supports zooming in and out, works precisely under various lighting conditions, and accounts for the smartphone's inclination. All collected data are assigned geographic coordinates via GPS. Data can be stored on a dedicated server and retrieved for office-based processing, statistical analysis, and reporting. The app supports a complete workflow from field collection through server synchronization to analysis.
Result
MOTI is a cross-platform mobile application available on iOS and Android devices, continuously maintained and improved since 2012. The app delivers a forest inventory toolkit integrating GPS-based spatial referencing, camera calibration, automated calculations for stand-level parameters, and secure data export and synchronization. Through integrated measurement functions and intuitive interface design, MOTI enables foresters to reduce manual data collection time, improve data consistency, and facilitate knowledge-based decision-making directly in forest stands. The application receives regular updates and functional enhancements, ensuring ongoing compatibility with current platform requirements and emerging forestry management needs. It demonstrates proven applicability in Swiss forestry contexts and supports sustainable, data-driven forest management practices backed by over a decade of collaborative development and field testing.
Looking ahead
MOTI is positioned as a foundational digital and optical measurement tool within modern forest management workflows. The ongoing collaboration between TI (development), HAFL (forest management expertise), and field practitioners ensures continued alignment with operational needs. Future development may explore enhanced integration with national forest information systems, advanced optical measurement capabilities for stand visualization and decision support, and alignment with standardized forestry data models. Potential extensions include direct data submission to forest organization databases, support for additional stand attributes and management parameters, and analytics platforms for aggregated trend analysis. Ongoing engagement with forest enterprises and cantonal forestry authorities will inform roadmap priorities and ensure MOTI continues meeting evolving operational and regulatory requirements in Swiss forestry.
