Augmented reality tour helps Hamilton residents ‘meet the trees’ in the Dundas Driving Park

It's a blustery but beautiful autumn day in the Dundas Driving Park.

The warm sun is beaming down and a rushing gale picks up some of the colourful leaves that blanket the ground, making them dance in the shadow of the escarpment.

And now thanks to a new pilot project, park goers can learn more about what tree the leaves came from and how they differ from species to species.

Saturday marked the launch of the Dundas Driving Park Augmented Reality (AR) Tree Tour, created by resident Steve Hill, who is an ecologist at environmental consulting firm Dougan & Associates.

Hill told The Spectator the goal of the tour is to help residents meet the trees" and better understand the importance of big trees in urban settings. He pointed to the large, old burr oak tree that sits near one of the baseball diamonds.

It's been the common backdrop of countless photos in the park and is estimated to be more than 300 years old. The tree also happens to be food for many different bugs, which in turn feed a variety of birds.

They're really foundational components of our urban ecosystems," said Hill. And as we're facing biodiversity crises around the world, knowing and appreciating these trees is really critical."

Throughout the tour, participants would be introduced to seven different trees - six native and one non-native - all around the park. That includes the burr oak, a white oak, a super maple, an eastern hemlock and a tree of heaven.

The self-guided, augmented reality tour can be accessed by scanning QR codes on green signs placed throughout the park.

That QR code then takes visitors to the Facebook page for the tour, where they can access the downloadable map that features a QR code for each featured tree.

That map can be either printed out or used directly on your phone. And each QR code, whether you scan it or click on it, then opens your camera, where you can see images of the leaves, seeds and twigs from the tree.

These pictures are also interactive and with the touch of your screen, Hill - through voice-over technology - shares information about the different aspects of each part.

Hill began working on the tour around a year ago, noting that the idea for the project came from both a lifelong love of nature as well as Pokemon Go, a popular app that also utilizes augmented reality.

The tour itself was created with the support of a place-making grant from the City of Hamilton as well as Action 13, the Dundas Museum & Archives and staff and students at Dundas Central Public School.

Dozens of people attended the launch Saturday, which saw attendees strolling around the park with cellphones in hand as they approached the featured trees.

Dundas resident Atreyi Mukherji said the tour was a good learning experience," noting that despite often frequenting the park, she didn't know what species some were.

It really sensitizes people to take care of them and appreciate them," she said. Without trees or nature, the planet is in trouble."

Hill is hopeful that by creating a way for residents to connect with the trees, they'll also discover a new interest in biodiversity and science.

Nature provides so much more to us than interest in esthetics," said Hill. Trees are cultivating soil communities underneath us that have all kinds of benefits."

Hill added that the second and third phases of the tour will include the introduction of archival photos of the park as well as the inclusion of local artwork done of the trees.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com