NCS Agroforestry Calculator

The NCS Agroforestry Calculator was an Amazon-funded project with The Nature Conservancy that provided cacao farmers in Brazil economic information about different agroforestry options. Working with the TNC Brazil team and social scientists, Kyle developed an interactive calculator in which farmers could see real-time projections of expense, revenue and profits based on selections of management preferences, available land, and tree species.

This was a 2-year project and utilized ESRI Survey123 software for offline data collection and calculations. Kyle was able to extend the admittedly narrow limitations of Survey123 through extensive use of JavaScript functions. While this app was not a survey and not GIS in scope, it did allow for user input and the immediate calculation results while in the field and often in an offline environment.

While ESRI Survey123 was not the best choice for a project of this scope, it was the requirement and Kyle was able to make the calculator a success.

Tools:

ESRI Survey 123 field app
ESRI Survey 123 Connect
ES6 (JavaScript)

This Survey123 app is not accessible outside of the Nature Conservancy.

I had the opportunity to work with Kyle on a project at the Nature Conservancy that provided farmers in Brazil economic information about different agroforestry options. Kyle led the design of an interactive app that showed farmers the expenses, revenue, and profits expected from agroforestry based on their selection of management preferences, available land, and tree species. Our team was composed of Kyle as well as scientists in Brazil and the US. Throughout the project, Kyle was professional, knowledgeable, fun to work with, and always on time with deliverables and updates. Given the chance, I would most definitely work with him again.

James (J.T.) Erbaugh

Environmental Social Scientist, The Nature Conservancy

I had the pleasure of working closely with Kyle on an Amazon-funded project involving cacao farmers in Brazil, where he demonstrated exceptional leadership and collaboration skills. This project aimed to improve the livelihoods of rural farmers and utilized ESRI Survey123 for offline data collection and calculations. Kyle found a way to extend Survey123’s limited capabilities to generate calculations based on user input. His technical expertise was pivotal to our success.

Yuta Masuda

Director of Science, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation