[OSGeo-Discuss] Mobile GPS data collection...

[Bob Basques]

All,

I've been following this Thread with interest.  I did some work on a SVG 
application a few years back dealing with AVL, that tracked Snowplows 
and did some simple monitoring.  We may have pushed the envelope at the 
time though, since getting things adopted by the fleet managers was an 
uphill struggle most of the time. We had some pretty slick solutions to 
things technically, but the thing to worry about is ease of use.

You need to make these types of collections systems easy (preferably 
easier) to use than whatever system is being currently used by the 
customer.   I've been pondering building a collection system having to 
due with automatically geo-referencing photographs with direction and 
bearing all being captured.  Any device listed here that also has a 
camera would be a candidate for such a setup.  The biggest obstacle to 
implementation is something that is deemed to be too much work to use 
won't get very much play by the field workers.  I would like to build 
something that is push-button simple.  Always on device, continuous 
tracking, with compass heading of device, all being captured when the 
shutter is clicked.  Combining this with a method to apply the meta data 
of the user (device login) and time index in an automated fashion.  
Point and click, and the data is ready for re-distribution after 
storage, via a map based lookup.

The more automation put into them, the more likely they will be used in 
the field.  They need to be very simple to use, I would venture to say, 
so simple that it's almost an after thought by the users that they are 
using them.   I have a Treo 650 and a EMTAC (before they were EMTAC) GPS 
bluetooth reciever for example that I've been thinking about using in 
such a manner. 

I believe that if the software and hardware systems are applied 
correctly, and if the collection process can be automated to a 
significant degree, the need to manually enter things via a keyboard is 
reduced and can even be eliminated in some cases.  combining the capture 
process with a multiple choice CGI form would suffice for most data 
capture I think.

bobb



Mateusz Loskot wrote:
> Jason Birch wrote:
>   
>> Mateusz wrote:
>> ---------------------------
>> I can't imagine surveying in forest with laptop, but I can with Tablet
>> PC.
>> There were many attempts and devices tests taken by polish forestry
>> officers  and laptop was found as unusable in field (works 2-3 hours,
>> heavy, damage prone with water and sand, difficult to hold it and work
>> on it together). The only option with bigger screen I see is rugged
>> Tablet PC.
>> ---------------------------
>>
>> I've been a bit disappointed in the form factors that have been
>> available recently.  We've had good success with a bunch of old rugged
>> Itronix FEX21 (http://www.itronix.com/products/hpcs/fex21.asp) units
>> that were half-VGA with an integrated keyboard, but I haven't seen
>> anything on a more modern OS that comes close other than the OQO
>> (http://www.oqo.com/hardware/basics/) product.  I have some hopes for
>> UMPC, but the battery life is still way too short for useful field
>> application.
>>     
>
>
> Jason,
>
> I agree.
>
>
>   
>> In a lot of cases, PDAs are too small, and tablets are either too large
>> or don't have a keyboard.  Trying to force-deploy devices that have
>> difficult data entry mechanisms or are too bulky for the field often
>> leads to severe resistance to adoption, especially when dealing with
>> work forces that are already having difficulty with the paradigm-shift
>> caused by digital data entry.
>>     
>
> Unfortunately, I don't see any better solution than using what's
> available on the market + working out some best practice
> well-defined and simple for common user, but that can be a challenge.
>
> Best regards
>   
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