Recent Advances in GPS/GIS/Remote Sensing Technologies EGUG Conference Galveston, TX October 15, 2003 By: Ashok Wadwani Applied Field Data Systems, Inc. Houston, Texas Phone No.: 281-579-0492 e-mail: afdsaw@aol.com
ADVANCES IN GPS/GIS/REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLGY Ease of use-minimal training Economical Hardware-Lighter
AREAS OF ADVANCEMENTS GPS RECEIVERS DATA COLLECTORS FIELD DATA COLLECTION SOFTWARE LASER RANGE FINDER DIGITAL CAMERAS AND GIS AVL REMOTE SENSING ARC GIS EXTENSIONS
GPS RECEIVERS Smaller Cheaper GPS Accuracy With the elimination of SA, autonomous accuracy is much better. Stand alone accuracy of about 10 meters. Availability of Coast Guard Beacons and WAAS for DGPS Real time differential service available throughout the world at reasonable cost
COAST GUARD BEACONS Available in several areas of the country and plans are to have the entire USA covered. Download coverage areas from the National Atmospheric Administration web site.
DGPS CORRECTION-WAAS WAAS-WIDE AREA AUGMENTATION SYSTEM FAA is developing this system to help commercial aircraft use GPS as means of navigation Net work of reference stations monitoring and calculating standard GPS errors and broadcasting through geostationary satellite
DGPS CORRECTION-WAAS CON T Correction method similar to Coast Guard Beacon except beacon broadcasts corrections from ground stations at low frequency which are more susceptible to weather interference and has limited range WAAS provides extensive coverage which is less susceptible to weather, signal interference
DGPS CORRECTION-WAAS CON T Provides about 3 meter accuracy 95% of the time Better accuracy is experienced in lower latitudes. Accuracy worsens as you head north and is worse along northern most areas from Seattle through Chicago and Boston As more satellites are launched this will change & entire U.S. is expected to be covered
DATA COLLECTORS
TRADITIONAL UNITS FOR DATA COLLECTION For data collection, traditional GPS units use either: On board memory or External data loggers
DISADVANTAGES OF TRADITIONAL DATA COLLECTORS In most cases, software is difficult to learn Units are vendor specific to GPS engines Cannot be used for anything else. Proprietary operating system Slow processor - difficult to manipulate data Small screen size Low battery life Replacement units expensive
NEW GENERATION DATA COLLECTORS Hand held Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and ruggedized PC s. Palm Pilots Units with Windows Pocket PC operating systems -PDA Ruggedized PC s Tablet PC s
MANUFACTURERS DAP SHARP HP/COMPAQ TRIPOD DATA SYSTEMS VIA WALKABOUT PANASONIC FUJITSU JUNIPER SYSTEMS PSION
Panasonic Toughbook 07 Hammerhead TDS Ranger Panasonic Toughbook 01 Compaq ipaq TDS Recon Allegro
Compaq ipaq Rugged Case Enhance the durability of your ipaq Pocket PC without sacrificing style. The Rugged Case provides: Increased durability of the ipaq Pocket PC and drops from up to four feet Compliance w/ IP54 standards for water and dust resistance Access to ipaq Pocket PC jacks, ports, and Expansion Pack slots A clear, hard plastic window that prevents screen damage and allows use of touchscreen and buttons Removable belt clip
Pretec Compact Flash GPS Card Specifications CompactFlash size card: 36.4mm X 42.8mm X 3.3mm Product Application: Windows CE, Pocket PC, Automotive applications, Marine Navigation, Aviation, & Timing applications: Time Mark: Once per second Reacquisition: Hot Start = 8 sec., Warm Start = 38 +/- 5 sec., Cold Start = 48 +/- 5 sec. Navigation Update Rate: Once per second Serial Data Output Protocol: SirF binary serial I/O messages or NMEA-0183 serial I/O messages Power Consumption: Operation Current = 190mA +/- 10%, Power: = 0.63W +/- 10% Environment Conditions: Operating temperature: 0 degrees C to 50 degrees C Humidity: 95%
ADVANTAGES OF NEW GENERATION DATA COLLECTORS Economical - $300-6,000 (?) Easy to use - most of the users are already familiar with the Palm, Pocket PC operating systems, and Windows O/S. Can be used with or without GPS Can be used for other applications Long battery life Light Weight Color Display Voice Recording systems Pen-based 2 serial ports Memory cards
FIELD DATA COLLECTION SOFTWARE
TRADITIONAL FIELD DATA COLLECTON SOFTWARE Difficult to learn Vendor specific to their GPS engines Expensive Operate only on Windows platform
NEW SOFTWARE FIELDWORKER SOLO ARCPAD LANDMARK OTHERS
ADVANTAGES OF NEW SOFTWARE Economical - $500 - $1,000 Have capability to add background maps or digital ortho photos Will run with MR. SID Not vendor specific to GPS engine Recreational to survey grade Easy to use Can edit data dictionary in the field Most of them have a similar version running on the PC, so learning and training is easier. Accept two serial inputs simultaneously Digital camera input
EXAMPLE SCREENS
RASTER IMAGES
IMAGE
FEATURE PROPERTIES
LOGGING DATA
OFFSETS
EXPORTING
EXAMPLES OF DATA DICTIONARY Poles - Material: wood/metal -Diameter -Asset no. - Manufacturer - Number of conductors -Location
EXAMPLES OF DATA DICTIONARY (CON T) Transformer - Location - Rating: -Accessible: Y/N -Inventory Number -Manufacturer
LASER RANGE FINDERS
Data acquisition challenge #1 You can t get there from here Terrain separates you from the feature you want to map.
Data collection challenge #2 You can get there... but don t want to Also known among field mapping technicians and postal delivery personnel as the Doberman factor.
Data collection challenge #3 You can get there... but the satellite can t
Data collection challenge # 4 You can get there, and there, and there...
To address these challenges, consider using laser mapping systems
The key to laser mapping is... You don t have to get there from here! Instead, just shoot it with the laser.
What makes a laser mapping system work? Eye-safe diode pulse laser measures distance without reflectors. Digital flux-gate compass or angle encoder (not affected by magnetic fields) Electronic tilt sensor determines vertical angle.
General range finding specifications Multiple pulse averaging gives better accuracy. Mapping grade lasers vary in accuracy from about 5 cm. up to 1.5 meters. Maximum range varies from 1000 ft... up to 2500 ft.
Direct GPS Integration GPS Data logging device CRITERION Laser gun
Indirect laser / GPS integration Features Laser GPS
Independent laser mapping Laser with data collection hardware and software. Base map coordinates or survey markers provide reference points. Features are accurate to base map and to each other. Can be geo-referenced again when more accurate base maps become available. Requires origin coordinates.
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS FOR LASER RANGE FINDERS IN UTILITIES Light pole inventory to determine horizontal distance, height and slopes Measurement of line pulls, line sag, bridge spans Line clearances Lay out surveys for transmission tower planning Tree conductor clearance Mapping of large number of features eg poles and which are hard to reach
DIGITAL CAMERA AND GIS
MediaMapper A desktop mapping software that links pictures and other files to GIS map layers. Creates media maps that can be used in Arcview GIS, MapInfo Professional, or on the web. The mapping solution for GIS users wanting a fast, easy way to link photographs or other multimedia files to map locations.
How MediaMapper Works With Digital Still Pictures Take digital pictures while recording GPS data. Media Mapper downloads the pictures and the GPS data file. Click the map to view the pictures of location.
Get the Picture Make the Map Take Pictures and Collect GPS data Pictures Link to Map Via GPS Metadata Download to MediaMapper Customize the Map
Environmental Application Pollution Monitoring Environmental Assessment Programs Hazardous Spills Public Education and Outreach Mandatory Reporting Waste Contamination Points Cleanup Areas Environmental Data Collection Water Management Wetlands
Benefits Works with Off-the-Shelf Components Small, Lightweight for Individual Users No Need for Expensive Outside Programs Simple to Operate Fast Turnaround from the Field to the Internet Quick Association of Images with Maps Creates.shp,.tab, or html maps
AVL Economical AVL units available for monitoring location of field crews in real time. Dispatch center can locate every individual truck in real time. End of day reports with information on miles traveled, stop time, drive time, places visited etc. Data transfer via radio, satellite, cell phones etc. 2-way communications
REMOTE SENSING Due to launching of new satellites, and improved digital aerial sensors quality and quantity of aerial data has improved several folds
ArcGIS SOFTWARE EXTENSIONS IMAGE ANALYSIS STEREO ANALYST
IMAGE ANALYSIS Operates on ESRI ARCGIS 8.3 Facilitates extraction of Imagery Creation of GIS ready imagery Land cover classification Change detection Image re projection Mosaicking
STEREO ANALYST Operates on ESRI ARCGIS 8.3 Performs 3D stereo feature collection in Geodatabase 2D TO 3D feature conversion tools for updating feature data set. Supports CAD formats
Change Detection
Example Damage Assessment Image Analysis
Example Damage Assessment Image Analysis
Example Damage Assessment Image Analysis
Future developments - Feature Updating Roads