Hi,<br>one advantage of data loggers (i use Qstarz 1000 for recording tracks to upload to OSM) is that they are very energy eficient, and they do not need any other device for recording the tracks. My Qstarz easily goes on for 24h recording (or that amount of hours, in diferent days), anf if not on, the battery lasts for weeks without needing a recharge (very good in places without power outlets!).<br>
But some of them also provide the possibility of being used in realtime with bluetooth (qstarz work well with linux and windows at least - android and iphone i do not know...).<br>The acuracy of all this devices are from 3meters to 10 meters, dependin on satellite configuration and obstacules (buildings or tree cover). After testing the data loggers in diferent positions on the body, i found out that the best results where when i used it hanging on my cap with a safety pin (since it is very small, no one seems to notice the strange guy with a gps hanging from his head hehe). It maximizes the exposure to the sky, wherethe satellites are!<br>
<br>Any better you should really look at professional GPS and maybe some good antenna.<br>Maybe you can find some second hand equipment?<br>Regards,<br>Victor Ferreira<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 2:57 PM, Banick, Robert <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Robert.Banick@redcross.org" target="_blank">Robert.Banick@redcross.org</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-US">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Hi Chuck,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">We used the Dual units while walking around a neighborhood of Lima. It was in the southern hemisphere, obviously, but there were few tall buildings to distort
the signal. As a preliminary test we were mostly interested in using the smartphones for visualization and data logging, though on the fly editing is certainly a nice to have. Our primary motive is actually to combine our evaluation (non-geographic data collection)
and GIS surveying activities in one package using smartphones. A number of apps exist at present to enable this, but we’re concerned that the base accuracy for most smartphone GPS units makes them rather unreliable – hence the external units.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">We were getting 3-6 meters of accuracy with the Dual units in Lima, readings that were confirmed by the accuracy of the data when later uploaded.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">I’d be interested in your thoughts on the other external units. We went with the Dual units because they’re purpose built to interact with smartphones (iPhones,
unfortunately), but I’d be interested if the data loggers you mention could do a better job.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Cheers,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Robert<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#c00000">Robert Banick</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#1f497d"> |
</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#c00000">GIS Coordinator</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#1f497d"> |
</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#c00000">International Services</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#1f497d"> |
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Wingdings 2";color:red">Ì</span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#1f497d">
<a href="http://www.redcross.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">American Red Cross</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:gray">2025 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20006<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:gray">Tel <a href="tel:202-303-5017" value="+12023035017" target="_blank">202-303-5017</a> | Cell <a href="tel:404-964-3451" value="+14049643451" target="_blank">404-964-3451</a> | Fax 202-303—052 | Skype robert.banick<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> Charles Conley [mailto:<a href="mailto:cconley@immap.org" target="_blank">cconley@immap.org</a>]
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, June 11, 2012 1:52 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:hot@openstreetmap.org" target="_blank">hot@openstreetmap.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [HOT] Feedback about smartphones use for OSM field surveys<u></u><u></u></span></p><div><div class="h5">
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hello All,<br>
I wanted to ask a couple of questions and perhaps contribute a little to the discussion on external GPS use.<br>
<br>
The first item I wanted to ask about is the notion of accuracy. I'm not clear if the positional accuracy of an external bluetooth GPS is any greater than the accuracy of a smartphone GPS. The research I found on the net seemed to be focused more on comparing
traditional handheld GPS units to smartphones. I'm not sure if these comparisons are valid given that most of the external bluetooth units have more in common with GPS data loggers than they do with handhelds. Has anyone here done any testing to determine
if there is a difference in accuracy between the data logger type of GPS and smartphone GPS?<br>
<br>
Robert could you please add a bit more detail on the scenario that the BT units were used? Specifically I'm interested in understanding if they were used while walking or from a car or an aircraft. Was the intent to allow for data editing on the fly or just
using the smartphone for visualization and data logging? <br>
<br>
I'm asking because we have used several external GPS units similar to the one that was mentioned. The units we used were the Qstarz BT-Q1000eX. We did not use the BT feature of these units but rather used them as highspeed data loggers to collect the path of
high-voltage power lines from a helicopter. We chose these particular units because they would allow us to collect up to 10 points a second. Another interesting unit is the GiSTEQ DL500. The DL500 doesn't have bluetooth but it does allow for logging up to
5 points a second and more interestingly is also has a 3 axis accelerometer that would allow for determining a measure of road roughness.<br>
<br>
Best wishes<br>
<br>
Chuck<u></u><u></u></p>
<div>
<blockquote style="border:none;border-left:solid #cccccc 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">------------------------------<br>
<br>
Message: 2<br>
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:48:40 +0000<br>
From: "Banick, Robert" <<a href="mailto:Robert.Banick@redcross.org" target="_blank">Robert.Banick@redcross.org</a>><br>
To: "<a href="mailto:hot@openstreetmap.org" target="_blank">hot@openstreetmap.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:hot@openstreetmap.org" target="_blank">hot@openstreetmap.org</a>><br>
Subject: Re: [HOT] Feedbacks about smartphones use for OSM field<br>
surveys<br>
Message-ID: <<a href="mailto:CBFAA879.6FB6%25robert.banick@redcross.org" target="_blank">CBFAA879.6FB6%robert.banick@redcross.org</a>><br>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"<br>
<br>
Hi everyone,<br>
<br>
I'm happy to see this discussion taking place, as I've been personally researching and debating this question myself for a little while now. It's my gut feeling that as software for data collection improves smartphones will increasingly play a complementary
role to traditional GPS devices in humanitarian fieldwork.<br>
<br>
One contribution I might make: At the suggestion of the kind people over at Catholic Relief Services, we're exploring linking smartphones to high accuracy external GPS. The best model we've encountered so far is the Dual XGPS 150<<a href="http://xgps150.dualav.com/" target="_blank">http://xgps150.dualav.com/</a>>.
We had success with some preliminary trials in Lima last fall. When the units connected with the smartphones we received very precise coordinates, but we encountered hiccups maintaing the Bluetooth connection with the cheapo Androids (the model name/number
escapes me) we were using.<br>
<br>
Any thoughts, suggestions, or experiences others might have would be most appreciated.<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
Robert<br>
<br>
<br>
Robert Banick | GIS Coordinator | International Services | American Red Cross<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<u></u><u></u></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
<br clear="all">
<br>
-- <u></u><u></u></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:#990000">Charles Conley</span></b><u></u><u></u></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:#666666">Chief Information Officer</span></b><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img src="" border="0"><u></u><u></u></p>
<p><b><span style="color:#666666">1400 16th Street, NW<br>
Suite 210<br>
Washington, DC 20036</span></b><u></u><u></u></p>
<p><b><span style="color:#990000">Tel: <a href="tel:%2B1%20202-729-6795" target="_blank">
+1 202-729-6795</a><br>
Skype: minemapper<br>
Web: </span></b><a href="http://www.immap.org/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color:#990000">www.immap.org</span></b></a><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div></div></div>
</div>
<br>_______________________________________________<br>
HOT mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:HOT@openstreetmap.org">HOT@openstreetmap.org</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot" target="_blank">http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br>