Manasa, RB
(2011)
Trees of NIAS: Nature's Bounty.
Documentation.
NIAS, Bangalore.
(Unpublished)
| Abstract: |
In summer of 2011 National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) conducted a workshop for middle/high school
children called ‘How to map what’s around you!’. Seventeen students from different schools participated in the
workshop. In the workshop we learnt various aspects of mapping, such as about latitude/longitude, direction,
scales, symbology, legends, etc. We also learnt to use Google Earth, locate places and make maps. We leant to
use GPS and then load the points on to Google Earth and view the points on the background of satellite image.
As part of the workshop we did a project on Trees of NIAS, in which 34 different kinds of trees were mapped. Each
participant chose 2-3 or more types of trees and mapped their locations in the campus. While doing this I realized
the rich diversity in NIAS, especially the different types of trees in the campus. After the course I got very interested
in trees. I started noticing trees on road wherever I went, whether around home, around school or out of town
during holiday trips. Then I found that NIAS was one place where many different kinds of trees can be seen within
a small area. This inspired me to further extend the work we did in summer workshop and try to map as many trees
as possible in NIAS campus. Though my school had started by then, I came and worked on Sundays and other
holidays for this project.
Method:
We started by doing the GPS survey. Ms Sreeja K.G. guided me in identifying trees and classifying them. We went
together around the campus, she identified the trees, I would mark a point in the handheld GPS and then make a
note of the point ID number and the Plant name. These GPS points were then downloaded on to computer using
MapSource software, and then viewed on Google Earth along with the background of satellite imagery. On Google
Earth separate directories were made for each tree and ID numbers were saved into respective directories.
Distinctive symbols were then assigned to each type of tree. After this we could make maps on Google Earth of individual trees, groups of trees or all the mapped trees. I was guided by Dr M.B.Rajani regarding GPS and
mapping. The GPS equipment we used has an accuracy of less than 10m. So the position of individual trees can
be displaced by few metres. But with the help of maps one can go to the location and with the help of pictures the
tree can be spotted.
About the book:
In spite of trying our best it was still not possible to cover all the trees in NIAS. We have identified and geocoded, in
the approximately 5.2 acre NIAS campus, a total of 363 trees which belong to 82 different species, 69 genera and
33 families. This book has a map in the beginning showing all the mapped trees, each type of tree has a different
symbol. There is a Legend Box that gives names for each symbol. After that one page dedicated to each type of
tree in which there are few pictures of that particular tree, details and description about the tree, and a map
showing its locations in NIAS campus as red dots ( ). Among the pictures printed in this book around 76% were
taken on campus. The rest were downloaded from the Internet. This is because the flowering and fruiting season
vary and they are also in various stages of their life cycle, from saplings to mature trees. In some cases the tree
was too tall or was hiding amidst other trees or behind and close to buildings. Therefore it was not possible to take
good distinctive photos. The photos taken in NIAS can be identified as they are marked with black borderline
( ) and photos downloaded from Internet are marked with blue borderline ( ). After the pages with
details of individual trees, there is an index with list of trees (botanical, family and common names), GPS IDs and
page numbers. After the index there is reference list of books and websites that were referred to for description. At
the end there is a database of GPS IDs which has listed latitude/longitude of each GPS ID, and also the date and
time when each one was mapped.
This is in no way a complete list of trees in NIAS. In future anybody interested can add on and complete the list. |
| Item Type: |
Monograph
(Documentation)
|
| Additional Information: |
Manasa R B, student of Himamshu Jyothi Kala Peetha, Bangalore |
| Subjects: |
NIAS Resources > Documentaries |
| Divisions: |
Schools > Humanities |
| Date Deposited: |
27 Jun 2017 05:37 |
| Last Modified: |
27 Jun 2017 05:37 |
| Official URL: |
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| Related URLs: |
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| Funders: |
UNSPECIFIED |
| Projects: |
UNSPECIFIED |
| DOI: |
|
| URI: |
http://eprints.nias.res.in/id/eprint/1293 |
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