Dear Qiang, I have had a couple of successful field seasons using Open Data Kit ( https://opendatakit.org/) and their ODKCollect app on my Android devices. I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, but as Mark found the screen size is quite small, so we normally run Samsung Tab 3 and 4 tablets that are similar in size to an ipad mini. ODK runs on the Android platform, and there are multiple programs and online tools to aid in building customizable forms. The learning curve is not terribly steep, but experimenting and searching through online forums, etc. was really helpful for me.
For dendrochronologists, we have been working on integrating ODK with the tree-ring database Tellervo. It's results have been great, and we would like to see more people use it and provide feedback. As for a GPS, I haven't relied too much on the built-in GPS in my phone or tablets. They seem to work but are slow in getting a signal. I use a Garmin GLO (http://amzn.com/B00AYAZENY) which connects via bluetooth, and is mostly dependable with good battery life. The major advantage is that the GPS is always connected and located, so marking points is much faster. I then employ the PDFmaps app for navigation. It allows you to download geolocated pdf files - such as USGS topo quads, which are freely available through the app, or maps you create in ArcGIS and select for geolocation. You can import/export kml (Google Earth) files and mark waypoints and tracks. This has been invaluable in remote and rugged areas. Hope that helps. Good luck, Chris -- Christopher Guiterman PhD Candidate School of Natural Resources and the Environment Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research https://sites.google.com/site/chguiterman/ On Wed, Jan 13, 2016 at 5:34 AM, Mark Frey <[email protected]> wrote: > Anna > > We have shifted our data collection to mini tablets with no data plan > outfitted with an external GPS device. We use iPad minis and a Bad Elf Pro+ > but there are many other options. Having no data plan means no monthly cost > but requires WiFi to upload data which can be a pain if the WiFi is down at > the office. We use ArcCollector on the tablets. We have had just as good > luck with ArcCollector on smart phones although the smaller screen size > means data collection is more challenging. > > Mark Frey > National Park Service > > On Tue, Jan 12, 2016 at 11:44 PM, Anna Patterson <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Hi Qiang-- >> >> As part of my Masters I did a comparison study between the Android G1 >> (1st Android smartphone) and A Trimble Juno. The G1 (on pure GPS mode, no >> cell service or assisted GPS) performed more "truthfully" than the Trimble. >> I have it written up here: >> >> >> https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285698231_Smartphones_in_the_field_preliminary_study_comparing_GPS_capabilities_between_a_smartphone_and_dedicated_GPS_device?ev=prf_pub >> >> This is ONLY for Android, and technologically dated. I have no research >> data for iPhone (at the time iPhone only offered aGPS and I wanted >> stand-alone GPS for comparison to the Trimble) >> >> At conference presentations I often received audience stories of how they >> found anecdotally the phone to be more reliable than the stand-alone GPS >> (my favorite being the researchers in Greenland). I have several colleagues >> who have switched to deploying smartphones for fieldwork, as well as >> individuals at state gov't agencies. >> >> As for apps, it depends if you're what you're interested in doing... >> >> Hope that helps some =) >> >> -Anna Klimaszewski-Patterson >> Ph.D. Candidate >> Department of Geography >> University of Nevada, Reno >> >> >> On Tue, Jan 12, 2016 at 6:23 PM, Qiang Zhou <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Dear colleagues, >>> >>> Does anyone have experience in using Cell Phone GPS and Google map for >>> field work? >>> It seems that iCloud is a plus for data safety. But I am not sure about >>> the data quality. >>> If anyone had tried this before, would you please let me know: is there >>> any APP for the task, and what to be careful? >>> >>> Thank you very much. >>> >>> Sincerely, >>> >>> Qiang Zhou, Land Change Scientist >>> ASRC Federal InuTeq, contractor to USGS EROS >>> 47914 252nd Street >>> Sioux Falls, SD 57198 >>> tel: 605-594-2843 >>> fax: 605-594-6529 >>> [email protected] >>> >> >> >
