University of Michigan app helps users identify plants without relying on internet connection
University of Michigan researchers are changing the way we experience nature.
Michigan Flora Online already offers nature enthusiasts a comprehensive guide to the plants people can find in Michigan, but its new app is bringing this resource to a wider audience. The Michigan Flora app is like having an entire field manual right on your phone, and, just like the book itself, you don't need internet access to use it.
That was one of the main goals when designing the app, since an internet connection isn't always guaranteed when exploring nature in Michigan.
"One of the main things is to be able to have this on your phone in a little more easier organizational layout than a squished-down web page on your phone, but then to not need cell service," said UM Herbarium research collection manager Brad Ruhfel.
Unlike other apps that identify plants based on your phone's camera, the Michigan Flora app asks questions to help users identify plants using their own observations. The feature is called the dichotomous key.
"This presents you with two questions, and you read the description of question one, look at your plant, read the description of question two, look at your plant, and you pick the one that it fits the best. As you exhaust the questions, you'll get to the species that you're trying to identify," Ruhfel said.
Ruhfel says you don't need to be an expert on plant terminology, either, when answering the questions.
"Anytime there's a word that's underlined in the key, that usually means it's a technical term, and you can just press on it, and then a bubble will pop up with a definition for that," he said.
Ruhfel says users can also search for specific plants if they already know the name, so that they can learn about them in greater depth.
"You can see the photos, there will be a paragraph of information, and then it gives you a map of all the places in Michigan where we have specimens. This gives you very Michigan-specific information," he said.
Ruhfel says the Michigan Flora app is live and has already garnered thousands of downloads from both Apple and Android users.
