Inventory and Survey Methods for Nonindigenous Plant Species (PDF)

Chapter 4 • Digital Aerial Sketch-MappingTable 1. Manufacturers of hardware and software that can be used for DASM.Mobile GIS Software Rugged Tablet PCs GPS UnitsESRI ArcPad 6.0.31-800-447-9778http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcpad/Itronix1-800-441-1309http://www.itronix.comGarmin1-800-800-1020http://www.garmin.comMapTech Terrain Navigator Pro 6.01-888-839-5551http://www.maptech.com/land/terrainnavigatorpro/Panasonic1-888-270-5615http://www.panasonic.comMagellan1-800-707-9971http://www.magellangps.comMichael Baker Corporation GeoLink 6.11-800-MIBAKERhttp://www.mbakercorp.com/services/gis/products/geolink.htmlWalkabout1-888-925-5226http://www.walkabout-comp.comTransplant GPS (U.S. distributor for EMTAC)1-507-529-0041http://www.transplantgps.comhttp://www.emtac.comXplore Technologies1-888-449-7567http://www.xploretech.comTrimble1-800-874-6253http://www.trimble.comTable 2. Comparison of features helpful for DASM for three common mobile GIS software packages.FeaturesESRI ArcPad 6.0.3ProductsMapTech Terrain Navigator Pro6.0Image background layers Any image in several formats USGS topographic maps ororthophotographsSeamless background images No Yes YesVector background layers Yes Limited–points and lines only YesGPS tracklog Yes–tracklog exportable Yes YesMichael Baker Corp. GeoLinkwith Raster and Sketch moduleAny image in several formatsData entry Points, lines, polygons Points, lines Points, lines, polygonsOutput to common GIS format Yes–shapefile Requires conversion of data Requires conversion of dataCustom data entry forms Yes No YesCustomizable interface (e.g.,buttons, menus)Yes No YesLarge buttons No Yes YesCost Medium Low HighOther DASM ConsiderationsReliability and RedundancyTwo important considerations for DASM are reliability andredundancy. Aircraft time is expensive, and in-flight failureof hardware or software can result in costly delays, data loss,or even cancellation of a mapping flight. All equipment,software, and data should be thoroughly tested, and observerssufficiently trained before survey flights to minimize thepotential for problems during flight. Whenever possible,it is also advisable to have backup systems in place in theevent of problems (e.g., a backup GPS unit that can beused with the DASM system, or a handheld GPS unit andvoice recorder in case the DASM system fails). At least oneobserver should be familiar enough with the system to dobasic troubleshooting during the flight.38Inventory and Survey Methods for Nonindigenous Plant Species