The Berlin government recently called on residents to help water the city’s trees amid the ongoing drought. While Berlin has seen some rain lately, the soil is still dry, leading the city to ask for assistance in watering its trees. To facilitate this effort, the city is utilising the online platform “Gieß den Kiez” (Water the Neighbourhood), which helps residents locate trees in their area that need watering, along with guidance from the Berlin Plant Protection Agency on how to do it effectively.
The Gieß den Kiez online platform is a project of The CityLAB by Technologiestiftung Berlin funded by the Berlin Senate Chancellery. The interactive online platform demonstrates the power of the city’s tree survey data by displaying the following information for all public trees in Berlin:
- Watering Requirement Rating (no requirement, moderate and critical)
- Water Requirement per week in litres (including data from the last 30 days – e.g. rain)
- Tree Species
- Age
- Last Time Watered
The platform allows residents to put in their address and filter the data to see which trees in their neighbourhood require watering and the recommended amount. It also visualizes public pumps and the current weather data for Berlin. Interested parties can indicate when they last watered a tree and subscribe to specific trees they want to water regularly.
The data for recommended amount (in litres) is provided through a weekly updated “soil moisture indicator” from the Berlin Plant Protection Agency. This indicator is based on current weather data, soil type, and the small-leaved linden tree species and shows examples of when additional irrigation would be advisable.
This initiative for tree watering and its accompanying online platform demonstrate how cities can leverage their data to engage residents and communities in the care of urban forests.
Images: Courtesy of Gieß den Kiez
