Tool Time : Installing and Using a GPS Antenna with ArcMap 10.1

Transcription

1 Tool Time : Installing and Using a GPS Antenna with ArcMap 10.1

2 Before you begin check to see that you have the following: A GPS antenna and a Windows OS computer.

3 Insert the GPS driver disk into your cd-rom reader...or download it here: The AutoInstaller should launch...select the correct USB Driver for your Operating system. In this example I use Windows XP.

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5 Select Next. You may have to unplug and plug in the GPS Antenna in order for the system to recognize it. I had to do this a few times... but then I have a very old computer.

6 Finish and Exit this software.

7 Plug the GPS Antenna into the USB port.

8 Start ArcMap 10.1 Launch the GPS ToolBar.

9 Launch the GPS Connection Setup. It usually defaults to COM1 but your GPS Antenna may not be configured to COM1.

10 Select "Detect GPS Port" and it should search for the GPS Antenna.

11 When it finds it it will populate the GPS Connection Setup wizard. Here it detected the GPS on COM5 on my computer. Test the Connection..

12 My connection was successful. Select OK. Your GPS Antenna is working so we must now setup a Log file (or shapefile for the Antenna to write coordinates to). Select the Log Setup..wizard. You can open an existing log file but I find it quite useful to create new ones so I never put all my coordinate points in one file. In fact I usually start a new file everytime I move my position and start collecting new points.

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14 Note there are a number of Streaming Options...I take the deafult here. Select New Here I am going to capture points and have them written to a location and file that can be easily found later. I change the default GpsLog.shp to GpsLog1.shp and make sure it is in a directory that will be easy to find later on. In this instance: C:\Temp\shermanIsland\SI_FieldData\

15 Note: To create a Point (shapefile log file) choose:

16 Note: To create a Line (shapefile log file) choose: Select Note: The data table will have the following fields populated and it will look similar to the following table which I collected on Sherman Island. Open the connection to the GPS Antenna.

17 You should start to see points locating on the screen in your ArcMap Data Frame mapping window. If you do not see any... select the Zoom to GPS Position tool and they should appear. To Close the connection to the GPS Antenna...select the Close Connection tab.(the following graphics are slightly different as I captured them on my Field Laptop with slightly different graphic interface) To start streaming points to the shapefile (log file) select the Start Streaming to Log tab.

18 To stop logging points to the shapefile (log file) select the Stop Streaming to Log tab. You can also stamp or write your current location to the Shapefile log by using this command. I used this to identify a number of objects when I mapped Sherman Island.. Here I represent those as Red dots.

19 I then documented (on a separate note pad) what I saw at the Stamped locations, including an ID for each Stamped location. Later, in the computer laboratory, I put the information into the database using the ArcEditor. FYI: ArcEditor is a Tool that will allow us to modify both graphics and attribute data in a Shapefile or Feature Class (within a GeoDataBase). You can make as many log files as you would like and write to them by streaming or stamping Points...or Lines (depending on the type of Shapefile or Feature Class you created). You can then add them to your existing dataset. Note: Before you go to the field make sure you have lots of ancillary or back ground data loaded on your computer in ArcMap so you can easily identify where you are. I will provide a DVD of some data and high resolution images for you before the Field Trip.

20 Highway 80 at 65 mpg logging Points. Zoomed in logging Points.

21 Highway 80 at 65 mpg logging Lines. Zoomed in logging Lines.

22 Zoomed in logging g Lines. Zoomed in logging Lines and changing lanes.

23 Sherman Island logging Points where I have taken pictures. Zoomed in logging Points where I have taken pictures.

24 Zoomed in logging Points where I have taken pictures. Zoomed in logging Points where I have taken pictures.

25 Zoomed in logging Points where I have taken pictures. Logging Points when we stopped for lunch. A walk from the Van to the picnic tables.

26 Logging Points when we stopped for lunch. A walk from the Van to the picnic tables. Two different locations where we logged Points on Sherman Island. Top Red circle the picnic table location. The bottom Red circle loggin Points at one of the group's ' chosen project t site.

27 The bottom Red circle loggin Points at one of the group's chosen project site. Zoomed with a different ortho photo displayed.