User analysis

Introduction

Forests are an important part of our state’s environment and economy. Forests provide clear air and water, great biodiversity, places for recreation and is used to produce products we use to live. It can be concluded that life without forests is unimaginable and it is important to manage the forests well. However, in the past time deforestation has destroyed too many trees, an estimate of 1,3 million square kilometer per decade. Deforestation has important global consequences; soil erosion, water cycle disruption and greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation happens to create land for agriculture and cattle or to use the trees for wood products. It can however also occur as a consequence of wild fires. On average, more than 100.000 wildfires clear 4 to 5 million acres of land in the united states every year. Wildfires can thus be considered as an important cause of deforestation and change forest structures dramatically. Although wildfires are often harmful to humans and animals, they return nutrients to the soil by burning dead or decaying matter. This means that the area of the wildfire is very fertile and new forests grow easier. This project will focus on deforestation that happened because of wildfires. The benefit of focusing on this type of deforestation is that the prototype does not have to check whether the ground is fertile since this is definitely the case as a result of the wildfire. Because deforestation happened due to wildfires, the ground is not destined for other purposes as cattle or agriculture, as is often the case with artificial deforestation. This means that the area can be reforested without intervening with others plans. The project thus focuses on wildfires that happen by accident and not planned wildfires.

To combat the consequences of deforestation the project focuses on reforestation. There are two main methods of reforestation: natural regeneration and artificial regeneration. Natural regeneration relies on nature to return an area to forestland after the area is deforested, this can happen through seeds that are carried by the wind or transported or buried by animals. Artificial regeneration involves human intervention in sowing seeds or planting seedlings. Artificial reforestation has multiple advantages over the natural manner. It provides better control over tree spacing, more control over the species present in the new forest, the opportunity to plant genetically improved seeds and a higher rate of tree survival. Artificial reforestation is thus preferred over natural reforestation to create a higher success rate of creating new forests.

There are already several businesses involved in the reforestation business. For example BioCarbon Engineering, who uses specialized drones to replant trees in remote areas. The prototype from our research stands out since it focuses especially on reforestation after a wildfire. Also the seeding mechanism will be new compared to other prototypes. According to a report from the World Resources Institute shows that businesses in the forestry sectors are making money from planting trees, with sales growing up to 10 times per year. This shows that there is a huge ask from society for companies and prototypes like this one.

On this wiki page information about the USE aspects and User requirements can be found

General information regarding the project can be found at PRE2017 4 Groep6

USE aspects

Society

Much influence from the prototype will be noticed by society. Deforestation is an international problem with huge and devastating consequences which includes but not limits to soil erosion, water cycle disruption and greenhouse gas emissions (Cook, 2018). This results in a loss of biodiversity and will also influence human lives. Greenhouse gas emissions for example contributes to global climate changes. Deforestation thus has great influences on the society in ways that cannot be imagined. When no actions are taken against deforestation, the problems arising are getting bigger and bigger with the years. The society is currently looking for solutions to these problems. The prototype is created to combat deforestation and therefore the consequences of deforestation. If deforestation is reduced, the society will benefit from this since the prototype makes reforestation much easier and cheaper. It is more efficient than current ways of reforestation and is therefore a better solution to decrease the consequences of deforestation.

Users

Apart from the society users is another group to consider. Users can be divided into three groups: primarily users, secondary users and tertiarily users. Primary users are those persons who actually use the artifact; secondary users are those who will occasionally use the artifact or those who use it through an intermediary; and tertiary users are persons who will be affected by the use of the artifact or make decisions about its purchase (Abras, Maloney-Krichmar, & Preece, 2004)[2]. The primary users of our prototype will be people who rebuild the forest after a wildfire, most likely foresters. Foresters are going to use the prototype to replant new trees and the prototype helps them to plant more seeds in less time compared to planting them with no help of smart technology. Next to the foresters other users will be influenced by the technology as well. Secondary users are companies that are involved in the maintenance and production of the prototype and the government, more details on this can be read in the enterprise and government section. Tertiary users of the prototype are in principle all living residents of the world. The consequences of deforestation will eventually influence everybody and the prototype will decrease these consequences and thus each living individual will benefit from the prototype.

Enterprise

Enterprise would benefit from these robots since, as is mentioned in the introduction, there is a huge ask for companies in the forestry sector and the company that produces the prototype would have success in their business. The robot is not labour intensive and can operate autonomous thus making the work for users of the prototype easier. Other solutions might be more expensive or less efficient. It is also a major factor for the company image. It is almost free advertising, since being green is rising in popularity for the consumers.

Government

The government is obliged to protect their citizens, so investing in these robots and utilizing them is beneficial for them since they help alleviate a problem future generations will come in contact with. It is a solution that will help the sustainability for future generations. While they might not directly be involved, subsidy can be an incentive for both enterprise as NGOs to deploy these robots in various location and situations.

Besides the actual impact the robot can have, it also has the same indirect benefits as enterprise. It is a great image boost for the government. A green campaign will most likely have a positive effect on the opinion of the current ruling party.

User Requirements

Primary Users

• The technology needs to be easy to use by people who are not tech savvy
• The technology needs to have little to no necessary training
• The technology needs to be either faster or longer sustainable than current forestation methods
• The technology needs to be harmless to existing forestation

Secondary Users

• The technology needs to be able to rival current technologies in price
• The technology needs to be easily maintainable

Tertiary Users

• The technology needs to have a net positive influence on the environment