Database maintenance

The original electronic arboretum database was created in 2005, by professional surveyors (perhaps the Davey Tree Expert Company) and was kept in a Microsoft Access Database. Although the database included columns for a great deal of data, most of it was not filled in. The location data, however, was very precise. Since any formal database is more complex than a spreasheet and since most versions of Microsoft Office do not include Access, the decsion was made to keep the information in a spreadsheet. Although any spreadsheet would work, we are using Google Sheets since it is part of Google Drive and is accessible by virtually any device with an Internet connection as well as being compatible with Microsoft Excel.

Therefore, any additions, subtractions or updates should be applied to the spreadsheet first. This is the reference from which other products (e.g. maps) are derived.

Any updates from the field that have been collected in applications like Google My Maps are not final until they have been converted and stored in the relevant spreadsheet.

There are many databases referred to on this website, but the most important (and the main reason for the website) is for the arboretum trees on the Medford and Lumberton campuses. Therefore these procedures will deal specifically with maininting the tree databases. Maintenance of the other databases would be similar.

Adding New Trees to the database

New trees may be added to the database in serveral ways. The most straightforward way is to open the spreadsheet that records the Medford Trees database, for example and typing in the data for a newly added tree. This data may be obtained from various sources, but most likely will not contain location data (latitude and longitude). This can be obtained with a smartphone using procedures described here.

Some data about new trees may have been recorded using Google My Maps to not only record data like name, height and so on, but also location. This procedure is described here. The data from My Maps will need to be either manually copied into the main spreadsheet for the trees or downloaded and converted to a spreadsheet for that can be copied into the main spreadsheet.

Another source for location data about new trees, is from photographs that contain location data. Using this method is described here.

Data about new trees could be entered into a Google Form. This data would automatically be added to a Google Spreadsheet which could be copied to the main tree spreadsheet.

Removing Trees from the database

If a tree dies or is taken down for other reasons, it should of course be removed from the database. Information showing which trees have been removed might come from a spreadsheet created from the revovered signs for the removed trees, or the information could be entered into a Google Form such as this one. This data would automatically be added to a Google Spreadsheet which could be copied to the main tree spreadsheet.

In the past volunteers have surveyed the arboretum, noting which trees in the database are still there and recording which are not using various methods, but eventually entering the data in a Google Form, whose resulting spreadsheet is used to update the main spreadsheet or data base.

Correcting errors in the database

As mentioned above, the document of record is the spreadsheet for the particular database, (e.g. Medford Trees, Lumberton Trees). Any errors should be corrected in this spreadsheet first and then propogated to maps or other files, for example kml files to use with Google Earth.

Using photos in the database

It is very desireable to include photos, both historic and current of items in the database. The current method for doing this is to include links from Google Photos in the arboretum@medfordleas.net account, in spreadsheet columns labeled for these photo links.

Updating the Tree database with current measurements and photos

From time to time, volunteers will hopefully get current measurements and photos of both new and older trees. This information should be added to the appropriate spreadsheet.