THE LEAFLET

The Urban Tree Summit is made possible by generous financial and in-kind contributions from our sponsors. We’re excited to introduce you to PlanIT Geo™, a global urban forestry consulting and software development firm.

Their team of 30+ experts in GIS, software development, urban forestry, tree care, and SaaS are united by a passion for trees and technology and derive their purpose from helping others map and understand the value of nature-based solutions to improve quality of life and mitigate climate change. 

PlanIT Geo was founded by Ian Hanou in 2012, motivated by the increased availability of high-resolution satellite imagery and stronger analysis software. For the first time, it was possible to map the distribution of tree canopy via imagery to a high degree of accuracy. Cities were wowed that they could hire a company and in just a couple of months get a wealth of urban forest data but there were often difficulties interacting with all this newly available information. 

“Technology is difficult,” says Hanou, “and in our field, working with arborists and urban foresters, the majority are not specialized in technology. There was a need to make mapping easy, to do Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis without knowing how to do GIS.” 

The company developed the TreePlotter™ Software Suite to remove the technical hurdles of urban forestry data collection and management for professionals and the general public. Their software solutions are now used by governments, nonprofits, universities, and private tree care companies around the globe, with users on five continents across 20 countries. In addition to their subscription software products, PlanIT Geo also offers tree inventory, urban forestry consulting, and geospatial mapping services. 

Widely regarded as innovators and trusted partners in urban and community forestry programs, the entire PlanIT Geo team is aligned towards one vision: “Mapping the World’s Urban Forests for a Greener Future”. We hope you’ll join us in thanking PlanIT Geo for sponsoring the Urban Tree Summit and join us for the Summit. Sessions – both online and in-person – are filling up fast.