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| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
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| Mailing List Archives |
| Subject: | RE: GISList: RFI: Getting creative in the field |
| Date: |
11/20/2001 06:02:34 PM |
| From: |
Dimitri Rotow |
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> Here's my deal- I want a portable device (about the
> size of a palm pilot) that I can upload my arcview
> maps to (ArcPad?) and view my position on the map in
> realtime (need a GPS receiver!) and be able to
> scribble notes onto the screen (at least draw .shp
> files as points, lines, and polygons) and upload the
> new information to the original .apr file back in the
> lab.
>
> Is this currently possible (with an accuracy within
> 1-5 meters)?, and if so, with what hardware/software
> combination, and at what amount of damage to my wallet
> (directly translated into hours spent writing a grant
> proposal! :o) ). Of course, the lighter it is the
> better (talk about having your cake and eating it
> too!)
[snip\
> __________________________________________________
> David La Puma
> Optimistic Graduate Student
>
>
David,
I get the feeling this is one of those "you can have any two of three" out
of a) light/small b)affordable and c) highly functional.
Since you are a graduate student I'll relate my favorite "creative" field
solution. A geology professor wanted to do pretty much what you describe,
but his non-negotiable requirements were killer software, a good display and
low cost. He had a board bolted to a backpack frame that holds a laptop
computer. The laptop is wired to a WAAS enabled Garmin GPS unit taped to the
shoulder strap. A graduate student wears the rig.
The grad student walks along in front of the professor with the laptop open
so the professor can see where they are on the moving map at all times. A
small bungee cord keeps the lid open and prevents it from flopping about
should the grad student forget his instructions not to be clumsy. The grad
student carries two folding stools as well. This leaves the professor
unburdened so he can take refreshment as desired or admire the view.
Whenever the prof wants to make notes, the grad student stops and the
professor works at his stand-up desk using a real keyboard. If the
professor requires a more contemplative session, the grad student sits on
one stool and the professor sits on the other stool and takes notes at his
leisure. When it's time to move on the prof says "mush" and away they go.
The software they run is (of course) Manifold so they can see images and
terrains as well as vector layers, etc. Manifold has a GPS console for
moving map and direct data acquisition and reads/writes shapefiles. For what
they save compared to an ArcView license (they have an academic license for
Manifold so Manifold is free for them) they not only get more capability,
they also can afford superb hardware. For what he wants to do it's a lot
better than peering at a tiny screen and pecking at a limited user
interface. At about $170 the WAAS enabled Garmin gives them about 2 meter
resolution.
I admit that's not as lightweight as doing everything on a Palm pilot, but
modern laptops are very light. If you can get someone [an undergraduate
intern? :-)\ to hike with you the convenience of an undiminished user
interface and display cannot be beat if you want to do real GIS.
Cheers,
Dimitri
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