Farm Works Mobile with Geonics Sensors

Transcription

1 Farm Works Mobile with Geonics Sensors Introduction. Farm Works Mobile is a mobile mapping, scouting and data logging program from Trimble. Farm Works Mobile is designed to communicate via an RS232 serial interface with a range of agricultural application controllers to apply site specific doses of agricultural inputs based on a prescription map. Farm Works Mobile also has the ability to log in real time, making it particularly suitable for capturing data from EM38, EM38-Mark2 and EM31 ground conductivity meters. Key features when data logging with Farm Works Mobile are: Automatically applies offset between GPS antenna and sensor locations Real-time colour map of conductivity during survey Load background images and layers for site reference and ground truthing sample location. Data exported in industry standard ESRI Shape File format Farm Works Mobile will run on any current Windows Platform, including: Windows XP Windows Vista Windows7 Windows Mobile Windows CE.Net This means it can be used on any laptop, tablet PC, pocket PC or rugged mobile device with a Windows based operating system.

2 Getting Started. Farm Works Mobile is supplied on a CD which will need to be run on a desktop or laptop PC running Windows XP or higher. If you are installing to a Windows Mobile or CE device, you will need to have installed either MS Active Sync (XP) or Mobile Device Manager (Vista, 7). Running the Farm Works Mobile setup from the CD will allow you to install to either the local machine, or any mobile device connected to it. For this document, all the screen images are from a Trimble Nomad rugged mobile device, running Windows Mobile 6.0. Trimble Nomad 800L

3 The Job Tab Once Farm Works Mobile has been installed and registered, this is the initial menu that you will be presented with. We call this the Job Tab. Depending on what options you have activated, there may be a few less options available on this screen. For data-logging purposes, the only buttons we need to use are: [New Sensor Job] to start a new logging operation, and [Open] (to the right) which allows you to re-open an existing log file to add more data to it. If you are also using the Farm Works Office software for displaying, processing and printing your maps, then there is an option to automatically link sensor jobs to Clients, Sites and Blocks in your database. In this case put a tick in the box next to Use automatic file naming. If you are NOT using Farm Works office software be sure to remove the tick from Use automatic file naming. At the bottom of the screen are buttons to take you to the two other tabs: Map Tab : Displays the current map Config Tab : Options for setting up Farm Works Mobile Click on the spanner button to go to the Config Tab.

4 Setting up the EM38 interface From the Job Tab, click on the spanner tool to go to the Config Tab. This will bring up a list of broad categories for settings in Farm Works Mobile. We want to set up the logging capabilities, so click the [logging] button to continue. You will then have the logging sub-menu which looks like this. To set up the EM38 click on [Device Setup] to enter the device setup menu. I earlier versions of the software this is called [Variable Rate Setup]

5 Tap the [New] button to add a device Type in a description Select the device type Choose the Comm port to which your EM38 is connected. Tap on the Applicator tab at the bottom of the screen. Enter a value for following distance. This is the distance from your GPS antenna to the centre of your EM38. Enter a value for swath width (what transect spacing you will be surveying on). Leave the Feed Delay as zero for EM38

6 Tap on the Controller tab at the bottom of the screen. Select EM38 for: EM38 EM38 Dual Dipole EM31 Select EM38 MK2 only for the newer Mark 2 device. Tap [OK] to return to the Setup Screen. Tap the [Advanced] button on the setup screen. On the Advanced screen, tap on the Log tab at the bottom. Choose Rate Map (points) Click the [Colors] button Use the Use the button to add lines to the legend button to remove lines. Type numbers in to set the range of values you require. Tap on any of the coloured squares to change the colour. Tap [OK] to save and close

7 Tap [OK] until you return to this screen on the Config Tab. Tap the [Auto Logging] button to set the logging interval. The minimum time and minimum distance allow you to enter a value that must be met before consecutive points will be logged. Note: entering in 0 in minimum distance will result in multiple points being recorded at the same location if you stop moving during a datalogging job. It is recommended to always have a value >0 in the minimum distance. Click [OK] to close the Auto logging window. Click [Back] to return to the main config screen Click [Display] to open display settings Click [Map Data Display]

8 The map data display window allows you to choose what information is displayed on the screen whilst mapping. It is a good idea to view at least one channel of your EM data, and an indicator of your GPS quality. From the drop-down list of templates, choose Sensor. Then starting from the BOTTOM of the screen, fill in the fields that you would like displayed: Data attributes I have chosen here are: Dipole 1: vertical dipole from Dual Dipole EM38 Dipole 2: horizontal dipole from Dual Dipole EM38 Satellites: Number of visible GPS satellites Quality: GPS quality indicates if I have differential correction. Note: Attributes of EM38 Conductivity 0.5m through to EM38 Temperature 1.0m are for Mark 2 EM38 Only Attribute of Dipole 1 is for standard EM38 RT Attributes of Dipole 1 and Dipole 2 are for EM38-DD and EM31 Click [OK] to return to the config screen.

9 Click on the button to return to the Job Tab. Click [New Sensor Job] Type a name for your file, and choose a location to save it. I have called this file EM38_test1 I have chosen to save it in My Documents Click [OK] To create the file Click [OK] on the Template screen to skip this option. You will now see the map screen. In order to start mapping your GPS quality must be 1 or greater. You would also want to have at least 4 satellites visible. Click on the File menu and GPS settings to configure your GPS Click on the File menu and GPS Status... to view data. If you have a valid GPS fix you are ready to proceed.

10 Click on the log from. button below the map to choose the device to Click once on your device (you will probably only have 1 device to choose from) When it is highlighted in blue click [OK] to continue. Now hit the [GO] button in the bottom right corner. You will see values from your EM38 displayed on the screen. Points will be logged on the screen at your current location Points will be coloured in according to your colour scale. Note: This is displaying quality=2 and satellites=0 because I am using GPS simulator mode not a real GPS!

11 Display Options In the lower right corner of the screen are three icons which control the zoom level of the screen: These buttons represent (from left to right) Zoom in Zoom out Zoom all (shrink/expand current log to fit the screen) There are also some automatic options to control this: Click on the Log menu. Auto Scroll maintain constant zoom level, but scroll map so current location is always visible Auto Scroll & Zoom automatically scale map so current log always fits the screen and current location is always shown. Auto Scroll & Zoom is the recommended setting for most data logging applications. Note : Setting Auto Scroll & Zoom will override manual settings to zoom level made using the zoom tools.

12 Starting and stopping Datalogging can be paused and resumed at any stage. Datalogging can also be stopped and started multiple times during a survey. A data attribute of Pass ID is recorded in the log file with each data point. Each time a log is stopped and started the Pass ID increments by 1. Pausing and resuming the logging operation does NOT change the pass ID. Finishing and saving The log file is constantly being saved during the logging operation. This means that if the logging is interrupted (flat battery on logging computer for example) that no data is lost. The file is logged in real-time to an FGP and FDT file, these are both Farm Works proprietary formats that cannot be opened in any other software. On completion of the logging job, it can be exported as an ESRI Shape File for use in any GIS or mapping program.

13 Exporting a completed job. To close the job and export as a Shape File: Tap [Stop] to end the current log Tap [Finish] to close the file When prompted, choose Yes to export the log file [OK] Choose Arcview Shape File [OK] Choose Points [OK] The Shape File will be created in the same folder as the raw log file.

14 Updates and support Farm Works Software is distributed and supported in Australia by: FarmingIT PO Box 90 Meredith VIC 3333 Sales : Support : sales@farmworks.com.au support@farmworks.com.au Phone : Fax : Support :