Provided are details and specifications for the Poison Ivy Appalachian Trail Mega-Transect Data Collection Application, referred to as PIAT. Described in the report are the software requirements, design, implementation, prototype, refinement, and testing for this application. Additionally, two manuals are included, for the users and developers, so they will be able to interact with and properly use this application as well as understand how it works and how it can be maintained or extended.

This project is a collaboration between Virginia Tech undergraduate students and Dr. John Jelesko, an associate professor working in Virginia Tech’s Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science. The initial details and expected goals arose from meetings with Dr. Jelesko. The primary objective of PIAT is so he and his team can track the growth of poison ivy along the Appalachian Trail. Users of the application can make entries about poison ivy’s presence or absence as they see it along the trail. PIAT has a local database on the phone that can be synced with a larger database. This will allow for multiple users to track data and upload it to the main server. An external device that pairs with the user’s Android device allows them to log entries without interacting with the phone itself.