Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department

Over 102 000 trees growing in about 200 public rental housing estates and venues are managed under the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA). To conduct annual tree risk assessment and management (TRAM) for all these trees before the wet season becomes a challenging task for us. With concerted efforts of Tree Management Units of Development & Construction Division (DCD) and Estate Management Division, Information Technology Sub-division and Business Information Technology Unit, the HA has developed the Enterprise Tree Management System (ETrMS) which was rolled out in April.

ETrMS is the first of its kind in Hong Kong which integrates Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), World-wide Web (Web) and mobile technologies in tree management. The new system provides an effective platform for retrieving the spatial and textural data of trees and facilitates in-house staff and our business partners. Contractors and qualified arborists can conduct tree inventory survey, tree risk assessment, tree remedial works and audit electronically via web and mobile applications. ETrMS will be adopted in the entire process of the annual TRAM exercise starting from the 2017 cycle.

Under ETrMS, each tree will be installed with a unique RFID tag. Qualified arborist or contractor can then identify the tree with the use of RFID reader and input tree assessment in the field using mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. The mobile device can also show the location of the tree on the map in the GIS platform for cross-referencing at the same time. Tree data will then be uploaded to the web application for completion of assessment, followed by review, auditing and instruction for tree remedial works. Upon completion of TRAM, tree inventory data is uploaded to DCDGIS Tree Database. The system also enables the management staff to generate reports for monitoring the progress and performance of tree risk assessment service providers.