markiesla

Arbortrack on tablet.

 

Great program but lacking some basic features (GPS) . the new live version will appararently address these issues, one of the new features is that you can make a works order and include maps and email it to contractor while still staring at the tree.

 

which is a nice feature and will save me loads of admin time.

Phone data signal permitting of course - but that is the bane of all our lives when it comes to "live data"

What is you are wanting to achieve? How do you want to manage / use the captured information etc. Do you want to share the information easily with the end client via an interacttive map?

Make sure your T&C's clearly state re charging interest on late payment e.g. 2.5% above Bank of England Base rate or similar - or whatever rate you wish to use. Also consider whether your interest charge is compound or just on the principal sum. Either way you need to state clearly in your T&C's.

If all your T&C's are clear and upfront and delivered as part of the of the quotation, it makes it easier should the need arise to go down the legal avenue.

Another consideration could be to include a "work initiation" sheet which the client has to sign before work commences. Of course this should refer to your T&Cs and that they have been read and agreed to.

You may also wish to include a comment about cancellation notice and charges if not cancelled with at least xxhrs notice. This is probably better business to business rather than business to client as it may scare some of them off.

Hi Ian,

Even as a former AutoCAD Certified Instructor - you will not get much argument against how many features / functions there are in AutoCAD that the vast majoirty of users simply do not need. That is where AutoCAD WS really comes to the fore - just the right functions we need and it is free. :-)

I will give you a call

Being a regular poster on a trade forum seems to work for me. If only there wss one for the Arb industry

Ive actually had people contact me because i post on here, some of these are professionals of the highest level. They also follow my progress here, as guests. This is why i always urge others to consider carefully what they post, and how they come across to the wider audience. Of course, some just dont care what others think of them

A very valid point Andy and Rob D. Also remember that posting on the internet - whether here, facebook, twitter etc could be deemed gross misconduct or bringing your employer / a n other organisation into disrepute.

I know that makes me sound like a boring old whoppee cushion

In our experience we found adwords "good" to wave the flag but I am not convinced we got any direct business from it. By this I mean google user enters the search term, sees the google ad and clicks through to us, makes the enquiry and purchases the product or service. Of course, flag waving all helps in raising awareness, profile etc.

One thing though - I have heard of competitors - not in the arb industry i hasten to add - clicking on their competitors links at every opportunity just to us the costs the advertiser. Petty I know!!

Hello Ian and welcome to the fold :-)

I'm sure we can help you out.

Would a web-based option fit your plans? Is the sort of interrogation you want to do similar to that offered by Westonbirt Interactive Map Would you like to record the trees and add photos, etc as well as the tree details?

Have you considered using AutoCAD WS to draw up the site plan?

Sorry to sound like an interrogation :-) If you want to give me a call pm me and I will give you my number.

Where are you based? just out of interest.

Kind regards

Mark S

Wasn't quite sure where to post this - so thought here was best.

"On April 26, 2012, Trimble announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SketchUp® from Google. SketchUp is one of the most popular 3D modeling tools in the world. As part of the SketchUp platform, Trimble will also partner with Google on running and developing SketchUp's 3D Warehouse, an online repository where users can find, share, store and collaborate on 3D models"

taken from Trimble - Trimble to Enhance its Office-to-Field Platform

It will be interesting to see how this will now evolve

Just out of curiosity, how accurate is accurate enough?

I have been reading various posts (mainly LinkedIn) etc on GIS and GPS location services etc and it is very easy to be seduced (if I can use that word) at the thought of using our mobile phones to record our locational details.

Is 3-5m accurate enough?

• In terms of telling us where we are - probably.
  

• In terms of indicating a tree - arguably yes.
  

• In terms of recording the tree location- arguably not
  

• In terms of recording the tree location to be used as a future positioned asset- defintely not
  

However, is using smartphone as a positional locator any better than marking on a map from 10 yeras ago? Or recording an offset from a street light? or corner of a building?

Personally, I fear that we building a huge data correction time bomb using smartphones as accurate positional instruments - one that cannot be easily diffused. (profund)

From what I have seen and heard - the Digiterra solution is hard to beat for flexibility etc (that's why we wrote an import routine for it to Eye-TREE)

Once captured you can then save it out to Arc View, KeyTREE, Eye-TREE etc if necessary.

What level of accuracy do you require? More accurate GPS costs more money - needless to say!!

How valuable to your business would it be to accurately collect, present and manage your tree surveys from a single set of data?

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

• To understand how to get site survey data quickly and produce accurate, high quality presentation drawings that can be published to the Web
  
• To discover the ease and flexibility of managing and sharing your tree, asset and estate related information
  
• To discover how quick and versatile Digiterra, , KeyTREE and Eye-TREE can be for preparing tree survey drawings that comply to BS5837:2005
  
• Date: 17th Nov 2011
  
• Venue: Key Systems Head Office, Redditch
  
• Click here for further details
  

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Those who have a Duty of Care
  
• Arboriculturists and tree officers that need to accurately plot tree survey data to present to clients and public agencies
  
• Tree specialists that need to submit tree drawings that comply to BS5837:2005 as part of the planning process
  
• AutoCAD users that need to be able to locate trees and accurately represent tree canopies based on NESW measurements
  
• Estate and Asset Managers that need to record and report tree data
  
• Those responsible for Grounds Maintenance
  

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis so register now to avoid disappointment

Just a quick note to clarify. Some of the OS data is covered by the Open Data initiative. The detailed mapping (MasterMap) i.e. individual gardens, houses, roadside etc must be licenced (and paid)for use. This is the sort of data which would be used to support planning applications and typically produced at a scale of 1:50 through to 1:2500.

Always worth checking as Arbmatic says :-)

Have you had a look at AutoCAD WS, https://www.autocadws.com/.

It is free and it will allow you to take your autocad drawings into the field with you - with or without wif-fi / 3G connectivity - (once you have downloaded the drawing file)

AutoCAD WS is essentially a very lightweight verison of autocad - but you can do redline, measure, layers etc. Also works on iphone & android devices.

We've got some in our poly tunnel. 1000,000 scoville chills. I'm scared to use them!

I'd be scared to touch them - never mind use them

One thing that always stands out to me is the quality of the paper. Glossy 120gsm paper works well for flyers as a minimum.

Nothing worse than coloured Izal

That's my tuppence worth, but agree with including landline & mobile numbers and a website if you have one. Also if you are VAT registered or have a Company Registration number include that. It instills more of a feel good factor :-)

My dad was telling me about a muppet that was on his ass when on a blue light run down a dual carriageway to an RTC at a well known accident blackspot. When he got a roundabout he dabbed the brakes then slammed them on. He felt a little nudge but didnt think much of it. When he got the the accident he noticed a nice big black mark on the lift hinges. Last week they got an insurance letter through asking for money towards the front end damage to a Mercedes CLK. My dad sent a letter back explaining the car was tailgating him on the way to a car accident. He also said that the ambulances have CCTV on the front, back and sides of the vehicles and was recording 24/7. He sent the insurance company a copy of the video with the time and date and speed. The Merc drivers insurance company has now revoked is policy and the police have charged him with hindering an emergency vehicle, tailgating and insurance fraud.

Oops I would love to see his renewal premium

Westonbirt staff now say it is the Best ever bloom for Chinese bean tree and we have provided a Special Interest page on the Interactive Map.

The Special Interest page can be found at:

Westonbirt Interactive Map Special Interest

The full news item can be found at: Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum - News

My wife is a paramedic and it is staggering the amount of abuse they get from people when they can't get past the ambulance or they refuse to let the ambulance through.

One numpty refused to move as he was on his phone. He even shouted abuse for them to turn off the sirens. When traffic came to a halt - the motorist was rather shocked when the PC who had been travelling in the back of the ambulance jumped out and nicked him

Hi there,

Sorry if I am being a little bit slow here, but are you looking to convert paper based grid coordinates to latitude & longitude values? Are the 8fig grid ref sheet reference numbers - e.g. TL234567 to 51.237, -2.836 (made up example)

Regards

I did consider using the botanical name to add to the "obscurity" - but decided against it as I couldn't pronounce it

Hi all,

Westonbirt Chinese bean trees flowers

Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum - News

Just thought I would share :-)

... has nicked the wood carving of a monk from the Campton plantation.

The carving was about 8ft high so is not the sort of thing you can stick under your arm.

Rant over :-)

Buy British please :-) e.g. Dawes Cycles - Edge SE and just stumbled across this http://www.formbycycles.co.uk/page/20/0_Finance - but I would say try to support your local bike shop

no prob - feel free to pm me if you have any queries :-)

Have a look at ( WS Landcad Plantare ) It does require AutoCAD so that can mean a significant investment. PlantARE uses all the functionality of AutoCAD for drawing production and enhancement. Connected to Plantus, Europe's leading plant database containing 8000+ plants, trees and shrubs, PlantARE assists in the design of all types of landscaping layout whether using individual, series, groups or area planting. In addition to producing the drawing, a full plant schedule including numbers, locations and costs is prepared automatically. PlantARE provides additional tools for hard landscaping such as car park layouts, building outlines, block and hatch pattern creation.

Another avenue would be Keyscape Landscape Design Software and you can have a free trial. Some of the other Key products KeySCAPE Systems | Products

Hope this helps :-)