Emerald ash borer infestation was detected for the first time in Canada in 2002 and in Quebec in 2008. According to Natural Resources Canada, “Canadian Forestry Service scientists estimate that the costs to Canadian municipalities for the treatment, eradication and replacement of trees affected by the emerald ash borer could reach 2 billion dollars over 30 years.”

An increasing number of North American municipalities are putting action plans inot place to combat the destructive insect, capable of eradicating entire concentrations of ash trees in six years or less.

Using the JMap map-oriented data integration platform from Council Associate Partner K2 Geospatial since 2009, the City of Saint-Constant, Quebec is using the JMap Mobile application to do a geo-located inventory of all the trees infected  within its territory as well as to quickly create, modify, plan and update the inventory of trees infected.

"The precision, speed and reliability of the JMap Mobile application we use in the emerald ash borer infestation program of our city has allowed us to  gain time in all the steps of our operation," said Stephane Huard, head of Saint-Constant's information technologies division.

Data is transmitted in real time
Using a tablet or a smartphone, personnel involved in the compiling of the inventory cover the territory, geographically locate infected trees with the device’s GPS, take a picture of the infected asset and fill in a form dedicated to the project that is available on the device. Data is transmitted in real time to the municipality’s JMap server with access for all personnel involved via the map-oriented layer of data dedicated to the project.

Following the compiling of the inventory through the JMap application, the city can then follow the placing of traps throughout the territory, conduct an annual follow-up on the condition of infected trees (with photographic evidence), inspect and target sectors at risk, draw up intervention plans per sector, estimate annual intervention costs, monitor SLAM treatment method, and track the culling of trees.

"Given the importance that municipalities are giving to the fight against the emerald ash borer, JMap Mobile is in the process of becoming the reference real-time tool for locating, treating and monitoring the condition of trees infected by this scourge," noted Jacques Charron, President of K2 Geospatial.