Digital Data Collection In the Field
Project Goals Collect plant and site attribute data with a GPS and Pocket PC Produce spatial and tabular data Create maps that are compatible with ArcGIS Enable easy data transfer into GRIN Reduce transcription errors and time
ESRI software-compatible Microsoft Office-compatible Tables in dbf format Ease of data transfer Extended battery life Lightweight and portable System Requirements
Project Hardware HP iPAQ with ESRI ArcPad software Cruxview Bluetooth GPS Expansion sleeve for iPAQ for data backup and added battery Notebook Computer with ESRI ArcGIS software
Begin with paper data collection form Serves as model for data fields in digital customized form In our digital form, data is entered from drop-down lists, typed in or entered later
Create the Digital Collection Form DateSite_Photo Site_#Vegetative_Notes Accession_#Scientific_Name Collector1Local_Name Collector2#_Plants DirectionsArea_sq_m Anthropogenic_nowDistribution Anthropogenic_pastAbundance InclineHabit AspectFlower_Color LightPlant_Photo SoilAccession_Notes Soil_SampleX_Longitude MoistureY_Latitude LandformZ_Elevation Fields chosen for the digital form Appearance on the iPAQ
Locate and Prepare Spatial Data Gather thematic map layers Derive additional map layers Trim spatial data to area of interest Prepare plant collection attribute tables Add data-collection forms tp map layers Export select map layers to ArcPad Autosync script and attribute files on iPAQ
Activate the GPS and Bluetooth Open the ArcMap project on the iPAQ Enter attribute data Collect a GPS point Collect Data in the Field
Transfer map and attribute table to PC and ArcMap
GRIN Compatibility Accession data can be collected in the field HabitatCoordinates LocalityElevation
Other Benefits Forms easy to create and customize Can incorporate GRIN fields into forms.dbf tables easy to upload into GRIN Maps immediately ready for ArcGIS Data can be used for GIS analysis GIS data available at no cost on the web Reduces data entry from paper forms
Hardware Information ArcGIS Desktop Overview ArcPad System Requirements ArcGIS Desktop System Requirements ArcView System Requirements ArcView&productID=15&pvName=9.0&versionID=38&PID=15&PVID=184 Issues with Windows XP SP2 and ArcGIS 9.1 products
Software List ESRI: ArcGIS 8.3. ESRI: ArcPad CeToolbox: Pocket Screen Capture 1.0. cetoolbox.com Greenwald: ArcPad Form Creation Wizard. arcscripts.esri.com LeProwse: Add X, Y, Z Values to Table. arcscripts.esri.com Microsoft: Excel