Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment

Kato Samuel Namuene; Emmanuel Ndumbe Njuma; Arrey-Tabot Chenilie Nena

doi:doi:10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14

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Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment

Kato Samuel Namuene^*

, Emmanuel Ndumbe Njuma

, Arrey-Tabot Chenilie Nena

Published in Science Development (Volume 7, Issue 1)

Received: 1 February 2026 Accepted: 10 February 2026 Published: 25 February 2026

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Abstract

Forest inventory data collection is fundamental to sustainable forest management, timber traceability, and regulatory compliance. Traditional inventory methods often involve manual data recording followed by post-fieldwork computational analysis and transcription into digital systems, creating temporal delays, transcription errors, and potential data integrity issues. This paper presents a novel Progressive Web Application (PWA) designed to streamline forest inventory data collection, tree volume calculation, and data management in real-time field conditions. The application implements two complementary volume calculation methodologies: the form factor method and the conic formula method, alongside automated quality classification and minimum diameter validation systems. Developed using modern web technologies, the PWA features robust offline functionality, low resource demands (e.g., 1.2s initial load time, 2.4MB offline cache, minimal battery impact), and standardized CSV export. Field validation with data in tropical forest (n=310 trees) confirmed high agreement between methods (Pearson r=0.995, explaining 99% of variance; mean bias -0.08 m³, 95% limits of agreement -0.15 to -0.01 m³), with the conic method showing a 3.2% systematic underestimation suitable for calibration or complementary use. Compared to paper-based approaches, the digital app achieved a 52% reduction in time per tree (from 6.8 to 3.3 minutes), complete elimination of transcription errors, data loss, and calculation errors, and immediate data availability with direct export compatibility. User acceptance was very high (mean ratings 4.7-5.0/5), with qualitative feedback emphasizing efficiency, reliability, and data quality. The open-architecture design facilitates adaptation to diverse forest types and management systems, while the PWA framework ensures accessibility without installation barriers. This tool represents a significant advancement in digital forestry, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in tropical forest inventory and management.

Published in	Science Development (Volume 7, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14
Page(s)	48-70
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Forest Inventory, Progressive Web Application, Tree Volume Calculation, Forest Informatics, Offline-first Applications, Tropical Forest Management, Field Data Management

References

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Namuene, K. S., Njuma, E. N., Nena, A. C. (2026). Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment. Science Development, 7(1), 48-70. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14

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ACS Style

Namuene, K. S.; Njuma, E. N.; Nena, A. C. Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment. Sci. Dev. 2026, 7(1), 48-70. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14

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AMA Style

Namuene KS, Njuma EN, Nena AC. Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment. Sci Dev. 2026;7(1):48-70. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14

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@article{10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14,
  author = {Kato Samuel Namuene and Emmanuel Ndumbe Njuma and Arrey-Tabot Chenilie Nena},
  title = {Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment},
  journal = {Science Development},
  volume = {7},
  number = {1},
  pages = {48-70},
  doi = {10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.scidev.20260701.14},
  abstract = {Forest inventory data collection is fundamental to sustainable forest management, timber traceability, and regulatory compliance. Traditional inventory methods often involve manual data recording followed by post-fieldwork computational analysis and transcription into digital systems, creating temporal delays, transcription errors, and potential data integrity issues. This paper presents a novel Progressive Web Application (PWA) designed to streamline forest inventory data collection, tree volume calculation, and data management in real-time field conditions. The application implements two complementary volume calculation methodologies: the form factor method and the conic formula method, alongside automated quality classification and minimum diameter validation systems. Developed using modern web technologies, the PWA features robust offline functionality, low resource demands (e.g., 1.2s initial load time, 2.4MB offline cache, minimal battery impact), and standardized CSV export. Field validation with data in tropical forest (n=310 trees) confirmed high agreement between methods (Pearson r=0.995, explaining 99% of variance; mean bias -0.08 m3, 95% limits of agreement -0.15 to -0.01 m3), with the conic method showing a 3.2% systematic underestimation suitable for calibration or complementary use. Compared to paper-based approaches, the digital app achieved a 52% reduction in time per tree (from 6.8 to 3.3 minutes), complete elimination of transcription errors, data loss, and calculation errors, and immediate data availability with direct export compatibility. User acceptance was very high (mean ratings 4.7-5.0/5), with qualitative feedback emphasizing efficiency, reliability, and data quality. The open-architecture design facilitates adaptation to diverse forest types and management systems, while the PWA framework ensures accessibility without installation barriers. This tool represents a significant advancement in digital forestry, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in tropical forest inventory and management.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment
AU  - Kato Samuel Namuene
AU  - Emmanuel Ndumbe Njuma
AU  - Arrey-Tabot Chenilie Nena
Y1  - 2026/02/25
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14
T2  - Science Development
JF  - Science Development
JO  - Science Development
SP  - 48
EP  - 70
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7154
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14
AB  - Forest inventory data collection is fundamental to sustainable forest management, timber traceability, and regulatory compliance. Traditional inventory methods often involve manual data recording followed by post-fieldwork computational analysis and transcription into digital systems, creating temporal delays, transcription errors, and potential data integrity issues. This paper presents a novel Progressive Web Application (PWA) designed to streamline forest inventory data collection, tree volume calculation, and data management in real-time field conditions. The application implements two complementary volume calculation methodologies: the form factor method and the conic formula method, alongside automated quality classification and minimum diameter validation systems. Developed using modern web technologies, the PWA features robust offline functionality, low resource demands (e.g., 1.2s initial load time, 2.4MB offline cache, minimal battery impact), and standardized CSV export. Field validation with data in tropical forest (n=310 trees) confirmed high agreement between methods (Pearson r=0.995, explaining 99% of variance; mean bias -0.08 m3, 95% limits of agreement -0.15 to -0.01 m3), with the conic method showing a 3.2% systematic underestimation suitable for calibration or complementary use. Compared to paper-based approaches, the digital app achieved a 52% reduction in time per tree (from 6.8 to 3.3 minutes), complete elimination of transcription errors, data loss, and calculation errors, and immediate data availability with direct export compatibility. User acceptance was very high (mean ratings 4.7-5.0/5), with qualitative feedback emphasizing efficiency, reliability, and data quality. The open-architecture design facilitates adaptation to diverse forest types and management systems, while the PWA framework ensures accessibility without installation barriers. This tool represents a significant advancement in digital forestry, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in tropical forest inventory and management.
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Kato Samuel Namuene

Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0002-3258-6862
Emmanuel Ndumbe Njuma

Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon

http://orcid.org/0009-0004-9313-1719
Arrey-Tabot Chenilie Nena

Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon

http://orcid.org/0009-0004-5302-0213

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APA Style

Namuene, K. S., Njuma, E. N., Nena, A. C. (2026). Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment. Science Development, 7(1), 48-70. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14

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ACS Style

Namuene, K. S.; Njuma, E. N.; Nena, A. C. Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment. Sci. Dev. 2026, 7(1), 48-70. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14

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AMA Style

Namuene KS, Njuma EN, Nena AC. Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment. Sci Dev. 2026;7(1):48-70. doi: 10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14

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@article{10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14,
  author = {Kato Samuel Namuene and Emmanuel Ndumbe Njuma and Arrey-Tabot Chenilie Nena},
  title = {Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment},
  journal = {Science Development},
  volume = {7},
  number = {1},
  pages = {48-70},
  doi = {10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.scidev.20260701.14},
  abstract = {Forest inventory data collection is fundamental to sustainable forest management, timber traceability, and regulatory compliance. Traditional inventory methods often involve manual data recording followed by post-fieldwork computational analysis and transcription into digital systems, creating temporal delays, transcription errors, and potential data integrity issues. This paper presents a novel Progressive Web Application (PWA) designed to streamline forest inventory data collection, tree volume calculation, and data management in real-time field conditions. The application implements two complementary volume calculation methodologies: the form factor method and the conic formula method, alongside automated quality classification and minimum diameter validation systems. Developed using modern web technologies, the PWA features robust offline functionality, low resource demands (e.g., 1.2s initial load time, 2.4MB offline cache, minimal battery impact), and standardized CSV export. Field validation with data in tropical forest (n=310 trees) confirmed high agreement between methods (Pearson r=0.995, explaining 99% of variance; mean bias -0.08 m3, 95% limits of agreement -0.15 to -0.01 m3), with the conic method showing a 3.2% systematic underestimation suitable for calibration or complementary use. Compared to paper-based approaches, the digital app achieved a 52% reduction in time per tree (from 6.8 to 3.3 minutes), complete elimination of transcription errors, data loss, and calculation errors, and immediate data availability with direct export compatibility. User acceptance was very high (mean ratings 4.7-5.0/5), with qualitative feedback emphasizing efficiency, reliability, and data quality. The open-architecture design facilitates adaptation to diverse forest types and management systems, while the PWA framework ensures accessibility without installation barriers. This tool represents a significant advancement in digital forestry, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in tropical forest inventory and management.},
 year = {2026}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Progressive Web Application for Forest Inventory Management and Tree Volume Assessment
AU  - Kato Samuel Namuene
AU  - Emmanuel Ndumbe Njuma
AU  - Arrey-Tabot Chenilie Nena
Y1  - 2026/02/25
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14
T2  - Science Development
JF  - Science Development
JO  - Science Development
SP  - 48
EP  - 70
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7154
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.scidev.20260701.14
AB  - Forest inventory data collection is fundamental to sustainable forest management, timber traceability, and regulatory compliance. Traditional inventory methods often involve manual data recording followed by post-fieldwork computational analysis and transcription into digital systems, creating temporal delays, transcription errors, and potential data integrity issues. This paper presents a novel Progressive Web Application (PWA) designed to streamline forest inventory data collection, tree volume calculation, and data management in real-time field conditions. The application implements two complementary volume calculation methodologies: the form factor method and the conic formula method, alongside automated quality classification and minimum diameter validation systems. Developed using modern web technologies, the PWA features robust offline functionality, low resource demands (e.g., 1.2s initial load time, 2.4MB offline cache, minimal battery impact), and standardized CSV export. Field validation with data in tropical forest (n=310 trees) confirmed high agreement between methods (Pearson r=0.995, explaining 99% of variance; mean bias -0.08 m3, 95% limits of agreement -0.15 to -0.01 m3), with the conic method showing a 3.2% systematic underestimation suitable for calibration or complementary use. Compared to paper-based approaches, the digital app achieved a 52% reduction in time per tree (from 6.8 to 3.3 minutes), complete elimination of transcription errors, data loss, and calculation errors, and immediate data availability with direct export compatibility. User acceptance was very high (mean ratings 4.7-5.0/5), with qualitative feedback emphasizing efficiency, reliability, and data quality. The open-architecture design facilitates adaptation to diverse forest types and management systems, while the PWA framework ensures accessibility without installation barriers. This tool represents a significant advancement in digital forestry, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in tropical forest inventory and management.
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
ER  -

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