Information technology meets botanical sciences: creating an arborization area at FATEC Franco da Rocha (SP)

Abstract

Urban arborization has great potential to integrate the community with the surrounding environment. Besides being used for landscaping, it also serves as a natural attractor of pollinators and seed dispersers, provides a pleasant outdoor space, and contributes to increase the awareness towards the importance of protecting our natural heritage. With the goal of enriching and informing students, collaborators and general visitors, in this project we planted, identified, and cataloged 31 different species of plants (totaling about 80 seedlings), mostly native to the Atlantic Forest, on the campus of FATEC Franco da Rocha (FFR). Establishing the first arborized area at FFR promoted an interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge between Information Technology Management and botanical sciences through the plating of the cataloged species using QR codes that can be easily scanned by most electronic dispositives equipped with a camera. Each QR code provides information concerning the scientific name, popular name, botanical family, localization in the institution sketch map, geographical distribution in Brazil, main characteristics of the flowers and fruit, as well as some general uses of both the seedlings that were planted and also of some species already present on the campus.