This exercise is to give us an introduction to the basics of GPS using the Garmin hardware and software.  The project will be graded as a group exercise. Everybody in the each team will get the same grade.  You are responsible for making sure that you teammates learn the basics of the Garmin technology. Each team should make sure that all the goals listed below are attained.

Goals of the exercise

Assignment

You have been asked to participate in the development of Eastern Michigan University Campus GIS. Some information already exists for the campus GIS, but other desired data sets are yet to be collected. The data that needs to be collected includes location of traffic signs, cross walks and fire hydrants on campus.  Divide yourselves into the groups of two or three persons and undertake the task of acquiring the relevant GIS layers. 

Notes

1. The task has three phases: pre-field work planning, GPS data collection in the field, lab post-processing. Conduct an internet search for more information on these phases.

2. You will receive instructions on how to obtain software for downloading the GPS points to your PC.

3. Each team should create their own data dictionary for the exercise. Think of at five attributes for the features. For example, cross walks may be at stop lights or not. They may have buttons for changing the light. After each team has created their own data dictionary, confer with your colleagues and plan to go out to the field.

4. You should go to the field with your group and begin taking points. You may want to do this separately after you have taken your initial points as a group. Make sure that each team member gets the opportunity to take some points.  There is no upper or lower limit on the number of points that you take. Get enough so that each group member can take several points, but not too many so that you lose too much time on the assignment. 

5. When you return to the lab, download your points to your PC and begin the differential correction process. Note that differential base data from the Internet is usually not available until at least 24 hours after its capture.

You should export your corrected GPS points to a format that ArcGIS can read. Load the points into your GIS and create the metadata using the ESRI HTML style sheet.

Each group should write a final report of 2 pages or less.   The report should explain the steps that you went through to collect your points. You should describe the 3 phases of the work.  It should include a small map or image showing the points you collected. In the report, you can answer the following questions: How much time did you spend taking a GPS point? Where did you find the base data for differential correction? What kinds of conditions or attributes did the feature you worked with have?  

To review, each group should create the following deliverables:

1. GPS data dictionary

2. Metadata for your feature

3. 2 page report on the entire process you went through

4. Map showing your points