Digital Mapping Home http://geology.bgsu.edu/Onasch/Digital_Mapping/Digital_Mapping_Ho...1 of 3 6/30/2005 9:10 AMBGSU Digital Mapping WebsiteBowling Green State University has been using digital mapping in its summer field course since the summerof 1999. In addition, several on-campus courses use various components of our system as do faculty in theirresearch. The system integrates GPS and GIS to produce accurate maps in a digital format.System ComponentsPocket PC computer (Compaq/hp iPAQ handhelds)iPAQ 3970Expansion battery pack with PC card slotRuggedized caseGPS receiver (TeleType CF card receiver)ESRI ArcPad for handheld and desktop/laptopESRI ArcView for desktop/laptopDigital Mapping in the Summer Field Course CurriculumThe projects are organized to progressively introduce students to digital mapping. The first two mappingprojects are done using traditional methods of mapping on topo and air photo basemaps. GPS is introducedin a one-day project where students map a surveyed triangular course using pace and compass, GPS singlereading, GPS averaged reading, and differentially-corrected GPS. Students plot the location of the threestations as determined by each method on a single basemap to see the advantages and limitations of usingGPS for positional information. The afternoon is spent mapping a single contact with a series of GPSwaypoints, downloading the data, and plotting them on a topo basemap. The next three mapping projectshave the students mapping on DOQ and/or DRG basemaps on Pocket PC computers using ArcPad. Inaddition to drawing contacts, students collect structural data and make field notes on the handheld. Astereonet program on the handheld allows them to subset their structural data and plot them in the field. Eachnight, they download their day's work to ArcView running on a laptop. After editing the contacts andcompiling them with the previous day's work, they then upload the compiled map back to the handheld forthe next day's field work. At the end of the project, the students print out and turn-in the finished map.Example of a Digital Mapping Exercise - The Sugarloaf Mapping ProjectThe two files below are those used in the first full digital mapping project. The Sugarloaf area is locatedDigital Mapping Home http://geology.bgsu.edu/Onasch/Digital_Mapping/Digital_Mapping_Ho...2 of 3 6/30/2005 9:10 AMalong the Arkansas River south of Buena Vista, Colorado. The geology consists of Precambrian plutonic andmetamorphic rocks, Cenozoic volcanics, and Quaternary deposits. The files can be downloaded and installedon a Pocket PC computer running ArcPad to show how you might set up a project. All the forms for datacollection were designed in the ESRI application builder, but can also be done using simple scripts availableon the ESRI website. The forms used in this project can be used in any project once the projection files havebeen changed to coincide with the base maps being used.Instructions - Unzip the Sugarloaf folder on your desktop and copy it to the Pocket PC, preferably to anexternal memory storage device like an SD chip. If you don't already have the ESRI fonts installed,copy the esri_7.ttf file to the Windows\Fonts folder on your handheld. The PDF file gives detailedinstructions on setting up the files and using the system.SugarloafProjectDigitalMapping Instructions Considerations in adopting a digital mapping system1. HardwarePocket PC computer - Just about any Pocket PC computer running the Windows Mobile 2003operating system can be used for digital mapping. We have been using Compaq (now hp iPAQ's), but I imagine any other brand (e.g., Dell Axim) would work fine. Some things to keep in mind whenlooking for a handheld include: Screen size - 3.8" diagonal is really the minimum. The 3.5" screen that is common on manyunits today limits how much you can see. The 4" screens on the higher-end iPAQ's (e.g.,hx4700) would be the best choice, but they are pricey.Screen brightness - The iPAQ's are known for their bright, daylight visible screens. The newer,lower cost models (e.g., h2210) don't have as bright a screen as the more expensive models (e.g.,h5150).Memory - the system memory (RAM) is not as much an issue as the storage memory. Mosthandhelds have 64 Mb of RAM which is plenty to run the programs. You need a device withexternal storage capability such as one with a slot for an SD chip or CF chip. 256 Mb of storageis fine, but with today's low prices, get 512 Mb.Battery life - Our iPAQ's with the expansion battery pack have no trouble making it through a full day of fieldwork assuming you turn off the unit when traveling from one station to another. Without the expansion pack, you need a handheld with removeable, rechargeable batteries. Geta few extra batteries and you should be fine.Ruggedized case - We have had very good luck with the hp ruggedized case. The case is notwaterproof, but will keep your unit dry in a shower. If you use a CF card GPS receiver, it can beinserted through a port in the top of the case. The download/charger cable plugs into the unitthrough a port in the bottom of the case. You write/draw on a flexible membrane in the front ofthe case that sits behind a flip-up door. I have seen these tumble down outcrops with no illeffects to the handheld inside. GPS receiver - we have used the TeleType CF card receiver with generally good results. It is a bitfinicky sometimes in getting a fix and tends to get unseated from the CF card slot. We are moving tobluetooth receivers which give more flexibility. They run off their own battery (rechargeable) so thereis no additional draw on the handheld battery. We have tested the Delorme Blue Logger and TeleType16-channel bluetooth receiver with good results. These two receivers work better in tough conditions(e.g., canopy, harsh topography) and get hot and cold fixes faster than the CF card receiver. They alsoeliminate CF card receiver sticking out of the ruggedized case. PocketPC system or tablet PC system for digital mapping? - The other system being used for digitalDigital Mapping Home http://geology.bgsu.edu/Onasch/Digital_Mapping/Digital_Mapping_Ho...3 of 3 6/30/2005 9:10 AMmapping is a ruggedized tablet PC. Check out the Univ. Michigan's GeoPad website for a thoroughdescription of this system. The advantage is that you have a real computer with a large (10") screen towork on. You can map directly in ArcGIS and skip the ArcPad intermediate stage. You can also