| FoRMS: Forest Resource Management Software
ABSTRACT FoRMS is an inventory application being developed at the School of
Forest Resources, Penn State University. The idea for FoRMS arose from a desire to collect
and manage quantitative and qualitative forest inventory data in an automated manner. The overall intent of the software is to provide a forest manager
with a system to: Collect forest inventory and harvesting data Collect related GPS features Analyze and summarize the data Provide complete report generation Link the database to a GIS Offer all of the above on a field computer that can be updated in
the field and taken to prospective clients FoRMS consists of two programs; PenFoRMS, which runs on
windows-based pen computers, and FoRMS, which runs on a standard desktop PC. Both programs
utilize a system of replicated Microsoft Access databases with a custom user interface
developed in Visual Basic. PenFoRMS offers complete delineation, inventory, and harvesting
data collection forms, dynamic calculation of stand/stocking/sale volumes, and complete
report generation. Additionally, the pen computer has the ability to run GPS and GIS
applications, providing the user with a full featured, mobile information system. The field unit is connected to a standard office PC through a 100
Mbit Ethernet connection. FoRMS on the desktop offers additional report options, database
utilities, import/export capability, query generation, and field computer setup options. FoRMS is currently in a beta stage of development; it is being
tested successfully on the School’s Experimental Forest, and we are under an
agreement with a forestry consulting firm to provide field testing and development
assistance. The PenFoRMS software is fully functional; the FoRMS software is currently
under development. I expect to roll out a demo of the entire package by the end of this
month, and version 1 of the software by years end. |