FWF 410: Lab 1 GPS Assignment

20 points Navigation to UTM coordinates: (10 points)

You will be given UTM coordinates corresponding to a randomly generated location at Kyker Bottoms WMA. For this first exercise, you need to navigate to this point. Each location will be marked with a flag. There also will be 4 additional flags near it (but >5 meters which is the optimum in-the-field accuracy of the Geoexplorer XM units). Flags will be numbered 1-5. Once you arrive at the flag you think is correct, record its number below. You will be graded on how close you come to the correct location (correct flag = 10 points, 1 flag out = 9 pts, 2 flags out = 7 pts, did not find the location = 5 pts). Here are some simple instructions (see handout on GPS operation also):

Step 1: Enter random UTM coordinates in the GPS unit.

Step 2: Use the map and navigation functions to find the random point.

FLAG NUMBER: PDOP and Creating Point, Line and Polygon/Area Features (10 points)

PDOP gives you an in-the-field estimate of whether satellites are positioned optimally. Error in a downloaded location is minimized when satellites are optimally positioned to each other and the user (discussed in class). A PDOP < 6 is considered good orientation.

1) For this exercise, record the PDOP from the Skyplot screen at the random coordinate location used above (2 pts).

PDOP:

It is often necessary in forestry or wildlife and fisheries to use a GPS unit to georeference a point (e.g., a tree or quail location), a line (e.g., a field border, forest road), or a polygon (e.g., a food plot or timber stand). You will do this by creating a GPS file labeled with your last name; each feature (point, line and polygon) will be labeled similarly (see next page) in the space provided for Comments. There will be a total of 5 flags per location colored: 2 blue, 1 red, and 2 orange. The red flag will designate the center of a plot (note: this may or may not be the random location found above). The blue flags will lie along a diagonal and the orange flags will be in the other corners (see figure below).

O

O

R

B

B

2) POINT FEATURE (Orange Corners): Create a point feature file for each orange

corner following directions in the handout (4 points). Name the comment:

YOURLastName_Point1 and YOURLastName_Point2

Next week you will learn how to download these files and geocorrect them using PathFinder software.

3) LINE FEATURE (Blue Corners): Create a line feature using the directions on the

handout by walking along the diagonal of the plot between the two blue flags (2 pts). Name the comment:

YOURLastName_Line1

4) POLYGON/AREA FEATURE (Perimeter): Create a polygon feature using the

directions on the handout by walking the perimeter of the plot (2 pts). Name the comment:

YOURLastName_Polygon1

When you are finished, return this sheet to Jonathan. Again, next week you will learn how to download the locations to a PC, geocorrect them with Pathfinder and import them into ArcGIS 9.1. **To receive all points on 2-4 above, you need to download and correctly name the files.