• AMS Institute

• Experiment,
• Methodologie

• Natuur & Milieu

Happy Tree Monitor

MSc MADE Living Lab Course 2022

Trees in general, but also in urban areas, provide many advantages for the wellbeing and quality of life of people. But what about the wellbeing of city trees themselves? In the Happy Tree Monitor project a team of Research Fellows use urban data to analyze the happiness of trees in Amsterdam. The team investigates what defines tree happiness, what are suitable indicators to measure this concept, and what data is already available. Moreover, the researchers explore what senses a tree has to perceive its environment and what a sensor for tree happiness would entail.

In 2022, as part of this research and innovation project, MSc MADE students took part in a MSc MADE Living Lab. The student team acquired input variables and indicators, including ecosystem, abiotic, human related, and tree-specific factors. They developed an extensive overview of (sub)categories and variables by, among others, interviewing a diverse range of experts, facilitating co-creation sessions and organizing an expert validation meeting. Based on their work, the Research Fellow team developed follow-up plans to develop a Happy Tree Sensor, a Happy Tree scanner, and a Happy Tree Heat Map.

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