FarmTree Tool Updates
FarmTree Tool is regurarly developed and updated regurarly. The ideas for improvements are generated by the advisory team that works closely with the clients and FarmTree Tool users. Therefore all the changes and new features are a direct response to the users and consultancy experiences and feedbacks
Below - FarmTree online Tool updates since 2022 March.
2023 March 1
New features:
- the date of the currency rate is stored in the plot scenario, so exchange rates are conserved for stored plot scenarios
- new hydrology graphs
- new ways to calculate the water and temperature suitability
- plants can suffer damage and even die from drought and poor temperature conditions
- ability to modify the existing name suffix of plants and inputs
- option to store plot scenarios online and share them with team members (depends on subscription)
2023 January 25
New features:
- highlight number of warning messages
- new graphs for nutrients (NPK)
- enhanced colour difference in graphs
- new tab names and redistribution of graphs under the tabs
- graph summary
- hovering over a graph only shows numbers greater than 0.05
- addition of CRUs per plot and CO2 revenue per plot graphs
- store the dataset name/id in the downloaded scenario
- automatically switch to the correct dataset (if available) when running a stored scenario
- added pruning effect on cover
- added copy row button for tree/crop/input selection
- added link to ecoregions
- added the option for specifying planting months and years for crops
- added the option for specifying applying months and years for inputs
- the number of fertiliser splits can be modified
- extra options to modify properties of trees, crops and inputs
- graphs x-axis start at year 0 but month 1
- for each graph a button is added for showing information, but the information is still very limited - will be improved soon
2022 November 28
New features:
- harvesting all products of a plant takes place at end of the economic life cycle, even when the life cycle is shorter than the harvest rhythm
- ignore the harvest rhythm for roots and always harvest roots at the end of the economic life cycle
- input cover % can be customized
- a scale indication was added to the map
- a loading indication added to import buttons
- the ability to specify months of fertiliser application was added
- a fix for wind erosion was done (reasonable tree cover should reduce the wind erosion to zero, but it did not)
- trees are planted in January again, and not at the beginning of the growing season (NB this means that if they need fertiliser, the month of application must be set to 1)
- modification options were added to products for burn-at-harvest and remove-at-harvest
- a new carbon graph was added under the Carbon tab: adjustment factor for baseline CO2e removal
- a new graph for erosion mitigation was added under the Ecology tab
- new currencies were added: the Peruvian Nuevo Sol and the Colombian Peso
2022 October 31
New features:
- plot selection on the map shows the area and its mid-point
- for the mid-point of the selected area, soil data from SoilGrids.org is made available (with the exception of soil salinity)
- map plot boundaries are stored in the scenario
- better timing for planting and application of inputs
- improvement of auto-scaling and data export in the comparison tool
- upgrade of nutrient model
- fix for missing water erosion at steep slopes
- possibility for FarmTree to customize the use interface for client teams
- fix for inverting x-axis when panning graphs out of range
- new graph for temperature suitability
- new lay out for tool interface
- tooltip explanations added for editable properties of trees, crops and inputs
2022 October 3
New features:
- forestry graphs are visible again (but still in calibration phase)
- user can select whether wages and CO2-revenue are included in the balance calculations
- a selection of assumptions on trees, crops and inputs has been made visible
- for a plot scenario several properties of trees, crops and inputs can be edited and stored in the corresponding scenario download file
- the scenario can be exported in both a CSV format as well as a JSON format
- security certificates are implemented
- new graph for space restrictions
- all graphs start at year 0 instead of year 1, to be in line with the project start year
- for trees a maximum number of life cycles can be entered (default values mimic the legacy tool)
- for crops and inputs a start year and a maximum number of years on the plot can be entered (default values mimic the legacy tool)
- user receives feedback (messages) on the plot scenario when necessary
2022 August 31
New features:
- new graphs for the carbon tab
- new forestry graphs (all in TEST phase, outcomes unreliable!)
- improved thinning calculations
- export graph data not only as CSV but also as Excel file
- some small lay out improvements
- hide settings that are not (yet) used in the model calculations
Bug fixes:
- fix calculation of period of optimal production for the main product (e.g. fruit) of trees
- fix for calculation of the reduction of evapotranspiration by trees in dry climates
2022 July 16
New features:
- Franc CFA (XOF) as currency
- tree height graph
- yield per product category graphs
- carbon pools graph
- possibility to select a project start year for carbon sequestration calculations
Bug fixes:
- add missing info to biomass per species graph download
- add missing rainfall bars to the water balance graph
2022 July 4
New features:
- faster loading of the tool
- French translations added
- output graphs translations added (except for names of species and inputs)
- the tool introduction page is translated
- privacy policy added
- when identical tree species are planted at different times, they show as different species in the graphs
- graph data can be downloaded per graph to a CSV file
- extra information on each graph can be downloaded
- the list of trees, crops and inputs in the drop-down menu is sorted in alphabetical order
- possibility to go back to default values for settings
2022 June 23
New features:
- users can register and log in with their own e-mail address
- extra graphs and viewing options for the comparison of the results from different plot scenarios
- perform landscape analysis by running multiple plots in batch (access for internal users only)
- toggle between Tree cover % and Trees per hectare
- added Spanish translations for input (translations of output will be added in the next release)
- feedback to user if input is invalid
- synchronization of scaling in comparison tool
For this June 2022 release the entire FarmTree Model code was analysed and refactored for increased maintainability and stability.
2022 March 31
New features:
- choice of language and currency in the toolbar
- more accurate climate data, retrieved from the Copernicus satellite (https://climate.copernicus.eu/)
- possibility to export and import a scenario design for re-use
- compare two or more graphs by uploading them in the compare results page
- extra graphs and time series: CO2e balance, weather, suitability to full sun exposure
- improved modeling of the available water in the soil
- graph colours based on (plant) names for easier comparison of outcomes
- vegetation layer names compliant with scientific literature