Field Activity 6: ArcPad Data Collection Part 1

Introduction

This week's activity was the trial run of utilizing our geodatabases created in Field Activity 5 to collect microclimate data on the UW-Eau Claire campus. We were divided into 7 groups of 2 and tasked with practicing data collection using the Trimble Juno GPS units and the program ArcPad. To collect the weather data itself including wind speed, temperature, dew point etc we used handheld Kestrel weather detectors. The first step in this process was to get the project ready in ArcMap and deploy the map and geodatabase information onto the GPS unit to collect data in the field. The reason for this test run was to determine if there were any problems with the geodatabases we created that would need to be resolved before collecting our data. This proved to be very useful since it showed where the flaws existed in my geodatabase that needed to be fixed before it was to be used in the field. 

Methods

The first step in this process was to get the project reading in ArcMap. To do this I imported the feature class that is apart of the geodatabase I previously created. I found that it was very important to import this feature class before bringing in any base map data into the project in ArcMap to ensure that all the other data was in the same coordinate system. The base map data serves as a background which can be used on the Trimble GPS units to show where in the study area my data points were collected. It acts as a reference for the data points collected in the field. I found the best base map data could be downloaded online within ArcMap of a street view map of the UW-Eau Claire Campus area. I also imported another image from the department data of Eau Claire County. 

The next process was to deploy the data onto the Trimble GPS unit from ArcMap which was done using the ArcPad Data Manager Toolbar. After making a copy of the deployment and moving it onto the storage card of the GPS unit I was able to view the base map as well as take data points with the various attributes that I created last week in the domain of my geodatabase. We then went outside to test out this system and take some test points. After our test points were taken we exported them off of the GPS units and into ArcMap to view and analyze our data.

Discussion

I learned quite quickly that there were some problems with my geodatabase once we got into the field to test them. First, I realized that I had forgotten to include the domain for relative humidity which is important in our analysis of the microclimate of the UW-Eau Claire campus. 

I also encountered further problems when I attempted to download the data I collected in the field onto the computer. For unknown reasons when I used the ArcPad Data Manager tool to import the data from my GPS unit into ArcMap my data points would appear in the dialog showing that they were indeed collected however when I went to import them the data would not show up on my base map. After a lot of troubleshooting with my professor and fellow classmates we solved the problem by simply right clicking on the feature class and selecting the option to "zoom to layer" and my data points appeared as they should. 

Conclusion

Overall I found it extremely helpful to have a week where we simply had a chance to get to learn the equipment we would be using for our data collection prior to actually collecting the data. I have a better understanding now of how important it is to test out not only your field methods but also equipment in order to make sure that you have set everything up correctly and that they will serve their proper purpose. Had we not tested out our geodatabases before collecting the data I would not have had all the domain fields necessary to collect all the microclimate data we needed. It was also better to troubleshoot when the data was only practice and I had not spent hours in the field collecting it since now I will have a better understanding of how to address this problem, should it come up again. 

We also decided as a class to create one geodatabase that would be standard and used by all the groups in the next week when we did our actual data collection in the field. This way we could divide up the campus based on our 7 groups and share our data to create a microclimate map of the entire Eau Claire campus rather than just a small portion of it.