Field Mapping Devices Compatible with ArcGIS 10.0
Rebecca Blamey
- Decent GPS accuracy
- Space to upload a number of shapefiles for reference in the field
- Aerial and OS base mapping available on the device
- Hardy
- Decent battery life
- Easy to use interface, or an adaptable interface for non-GIS users.
GIS in Ecology
Hi Rebecca,
Sorry to take so long to respond to your message (I was teaching a course last week and am only now working my way through the backlog this created).
Capturing GIS-compatible data in the field is an interesting topic, and it’s one which we, ourselves, have been looking into in the last few months. Unlike a few years ago, there are now a wealth of devices out there which have true GPS capabilities built into them, ranging from relatively cheap mini-tablets through smart phones and right up to custom-build GIS enabled devices.
As a result, I think a lot of people are now looking to do away with the traditional pen/pap/simple GPS route and start thinking about capturing their data electronically. However, I don’t think anyone has come up with a full-proof an/or standard system for doing this yet.
I think the important thing here is to think about two separate things here, the device used to capture the information, and the software interface used to collect the data themselves. In the considerations below, I’ve considered both these issues.
The three main classes of device currently available are Android tablets, off-the-shelf Windows tablets and specialist devices, such as Trimbles.
Android tablets tend to be cheap and cheerful, meaning if they get broken or lost, they are not too costly to replace. Most of them nowadays also have true GPS capabilities meaning they have the same level of accuracy as the standard handheld GPS units. The main issue with them in the past has been a lack of software to capture spatial data. You can get apps which allow you to record waypoints and tracks, but these are in the standard GPS format which limits the amount of additional information which can be recorded. Polygons can be captured based on a track of their outline, but they need to be converted into polygons separately (I use a free program called DNR GPS for this) and this is a bit of a pain.
However, there is now an ArcGIS Android App (see http://resources.arcgis.com/content/arcgis-android/about). I haven’t yet tried this (I think it’s only been around for a couple of months and I only found out about it while looking at some background information for this reply), but this might make using an Android device a much more viable option than it was before. If I get the chance, I’ll check it out and add some more information to this thread about it. It should be relatively easy to develop a form-based system for data collection for the Android system, but this isn’t something I’ve ventured into (yet). The battery life is petty good, and would run for at least a full day in the field. Fitted with a gel case, they’re pretty hardy, but would suffer if they get a good soaking for any reason.
Windows tablets represent a step up from the Android devices and allow you to access the many software packages which are already out there, and which you might already be familiar with. Like the Android tablets, they feature built in full GPS capabilities. However, there’s two potential pitfalls with them. The first is than you need to ensure that you get one which is full Windows 8 and not the RT version if you want to be able to run all your usual software on it. Secondly, in Windows 8, they’ve changed how the information from the internal GPS sensor is read, and it no longer communicates with many programmes, including ArcGIS. There is a way round this with a software package called Localizer, but given the money spent on such a tablet, you shouldn’t be having to use work-arounds like this to get them to work properly.
Windows tablets can be quite expensive, but the one I use for GIS-related stuff was about £350 and all in all I’m pretty pleased with it. Having a Windows system can make it easier to integrate your data collection with ArcGIS. This is currently the system I use, and we have been developing form-based software to allow us to capture GIS-ready data live in the field, and I’m finding I really like it and its potential. Depending on your exact requirements, you may find you have to develop your own form-based interface for people to use to capture you data (here at GIS In Ecology, we’re currently exploring whether this is a service we can offer), or you might be able to use something the ArcGIS family to do this. Again, the battery life is pretty good, and if fitted with a gel case they’re reasonably tough. As with the Android option, water can be an issue though.
The final options are the specialist devices. The most well known of these are the Trimbles. These are essentially ruggedised PCs and can pretty much run the same software options as the Windows tablets. Their main advantage is the fact they are designed to be used in the field, and so should be able to survive longer and in harsher conditions. However, this comes at a cost. You could probably purchase five or ten Windows tablets for the cost of one Trimble, so you could have quite a high attrition rates of Windows 8 tablets and still come out financially better off than buying a Trimble.
Base on the above, I think I would suggest the following:
If the conditions which the devices are to be used in is not too harsh, would consider the Android option fitted with the ArcGIS app as this would keep your costs low. However, you would want to explore whether this app would allow you to capture and display the data you need. The need for aerial maps can be dealt with through either Google Earth or the ArcGIS equivalent. For OS stuff, you might find you need to convert this information into Google Earth compatible layers (kml files) so that they can also be displayed. You would also need to have the device connected to a network that you can access the information in Google Earth (so you’d need one with a SIM card) and you might have problems where you can’t get signal.
If you find that the Android option won’t do, I would consider the Windows 8 option (but bare in mind the issue with the internal GPS receiver). Again, the need for aerial maps can be dealt with through either Google Earth or the ArcGIS equivalent, while the need to display OS data can be dealt with through ArcGIS or similar GIS software. As with the Android option, you might need a network connection to get Google Earth working in the field.
Personally, I would only plump for the Trimble option if I was sure that a much cheaper Android or Windows 8 tablet just wouldn’t stand up to the conditions I was going to use it in. Even then, I might be tempted to simply choose to be more careful with a cheaper tablet , and accept I might lose one from time to time, rather than splashing out on a Trimble. However, this is just my opinion.
Either way, regardless of the option you choose, you my find you have to do a bit of software development to get an interface which allows you to capture the data you wish to collect in the format you need to collect it. However, there may well be tools within the various Arc products which allows you to develop these quickly and easily. Alternatively, there may well be services you can use to have a custom interface built for you.
Anyway, now the appropriate hardware is widely available, I think we’re likely to see an explosion in both in-field electronic data collection, and also in the software to make it quick and easy to collect high quality GIS compatible data.
As always, I hope this helps, and whichever route you choose to go down, feel free to share your experiences here so others can know what works (or what doesn’t!).
All the best,
Colin
yello...@gmail.com
We have been using Avenza Pdf maps. It lets us produce maps in Arc GIS and export them out as geopdf files. Once uploaded to the iPad it is so easy to set up a schema for drop downs. It is basically used to collect point info but we have found it easy to record points as a group to indicate a polygon and then modify it later in arc GIS. It is a free system which provides heaps of capability.
If you are looking for a method to get more from your photos you take in the filed, get Sun Star GIS. This amazing little app gets info from your images taken on a GPS enabled iOS device and creates points and polygon shapefiles showing the photo location, direction of view and angle of view. It also lets you produce KML files for use in Google Earth.
Regards
Patrick