|
Introduction
What's New?
Presentations and Publications
Use Cases
Hardware
Software
Data
FAQ
Participants
Contacts
Acknowledgements
|
Background
 |
| Emily Johnson, Peter Knoop, and Philip Ong
during field trails of the GeoPad; mapping near Alta, Utah.
(July 2003) |
The evolution of the GeoPad
can be traced to experiments initiated during summer of 1999, which
explored the benefits of advanced information technology in field
geology research and education. These early experiments examined a
variety of hardware, including laptop computers, Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs), early pen-based computers, cell phones, and portable
GPS receivers, and employed ESRI's ArcGIS, ArcView, and ArcPad software. These
experiments focused on field geology as the domain science, however, the
technology and approach considered here is generally and readily applicable
to education and research in any field-oriented science.
From early experiments with Windows NT4.0 pen-based
computers from Fujitsu and regular laptops, the development of the GeoPad
concept was furthered significantly by a donation of ten Toshiba Portege
3500 TabletPC units in late 2002 from the Microsoft Corporation to the
University of Michigan (U-M), the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the
University of Minnesota. While these units were not suitable for
outdoor usage, they provided an excellent development platform for experimentation with the
new Windows XP TabletPC operating system. With the subsequent
integration of digital ink into ArcGIS, the arrival of Microsoft
OneNote, and the availability for the first time of sufficient
computational resources, the Tablet PC-based concept of the GeoPad
reached a level of general usefulness for a broad audience. An
additional grant of from Hewitt-Packard of ten Compaq tc4200 Tablet PCs
in 2005 furthered our design, development, and evaluation capabilities.
The current state of the GeoPad, as a truly
field-durable, easily adoptable concept, is well illustrated by their incorporation into the U-M's
field geology curricula. After a very successful pilot study in
Summer 2003, focused on GS-440 (Geology Field Course), a senior-level field methods course, we
expanded the integration of GeoPads and GeoPockets to all of our Camp
Davis field courses, adding GS-341 (Environmental Sciences) and GS-116
Introductory Geology.
Some examples of use from specific years:
Other uses, which provided opportunities to
experiment with new GeoPad and GeoPocket equipment and teach approaches,
include:
- Soft Rock Field Trip (U-M sponsored trip to
Nevada/California/Utah/Arizona), May 2007
- Soft Rock Field Trip (U-M sponsored trip to
Texas/New Mexico), May 2006
- Hard Rock Field Trip
(University of Michigan sponsored trip to Scotland), 21-30 May 2005
- Structural Geology Field Trip (U-M sponsored trip to
Spain), 26 May - 4 June 2004
- (Coming soon...) Soft Rock Field Trip (U-M sponsored trip to
the National Parks of the Southwestern United States), 3-17 May
2004
- Hard Rock Field Trip
(U-M sponsored trip to Northern California), June
2003
- Soft Rock Field Trip (U-M
sponsored trip to Texas/New Mexico), May 2002
- Other (various field experiments in Southwest
Colorado's San Juan Mountains, Michigan, etc.), spanning 1999-2003
Use Cases
[This section is currently undergoing re-organization...]
The following list is an attempt to organize our experiences around
various activities representative of how GeoPad and GeoPocket type
approaches can be integrated into curricula. (If you have a story
that you would like to share, then please contact
us and can
include it here or link to your own website.)
- Mapping Exercises - can include a wide variety of
activities, depending on goal of exercise, student background, etc.;
some "end-member" examples
- for non-GIS students (University of Michigan)
- for students learning GIS as part of course or who are
already familiar with GIS (Mark Manone, Northern Arizona
University)
- using GPS directly for mapping with GeoPad and ArcMap (Mark
Helper, University of Texas)
- using ArcPad and GeoPockets (Charles Onasch, Bowling Green
State University)
- Digital Field Notebook (University of Michigan, Northern
Arizona)
- Microsoft OneNote; powerful, intuitive note-taking
capabilities, screen capture and annotation, linking to other
applications (i.e., hot-linking between notes in OneNote and map
data in ArcMap), audio recording, capturing digital images from
cameras
- ability to draw on digital photos can be used to help
construct schematic cross-secitions or stratigraphic columns
- Memo (Pocket PC), audio notes, digital images from cameras
- Instructor Tools (University of Michigan)
- GeoPocket as the answer key and reference library
- Data Collection and Analysis in the Field (University of
Michigan)
- Collect data with ArcPad, ArcMap, or Excel
- Analyze data in the field, with a eye towards using results
subsequently in the field, rather then separating the phases by
performing data analysis post-hoc in the classroom and obtaining
results after you've left the field
- contour magnetic survey data in ArcMap
- model ecosystem succession data in Excel
- gather real-time, downstream conductivity data from salt-bucket
in-the-watershed and contour concentrations in real-time in ArcMap
- Use results for further work in the field
- Teaching in Motion (University of Michigan)
- using wireless networking and application sharing to support
collaborative discussion and interaction while traveling in
multiple field-vehicles (i.e., using an application, like VNC,
Microsoft NetMeeting, Microsoft LiveMeeting, Microsoft
Conference XP, etc., to share other applications, like images,
Excel, PDFs, models, power point slides, etc., amongst GeoPads
in multiple field-vehicles and the CB-radio as the audio
channel
- the critical piece being the synchronous, shared pointer
capability of application sharing, which allows one to point and
draw well talking just like in a face-to-face setting
- the audio capabilities of GeoPads are easily overwhelmed by
road noise, unless you use a headset
- Bluetooth headsets eliminate the cable entanglement
problems, however, they are another piece of equipment that
needs charging, and most last no more than four hours per
charge.
- Survey Exercises (University of Michigan)
- Structure Exercises (University of Michigan, Bowling Green State
University, Cal Tech)
- Stereonets (i.e., recording data in ArcPad or ArcMap and
exporting to an external stereonet application)
- Cross-sections (i.e., extracting a topographic profile in
ArcMap for use in another drawing application or printing for
constructing a cross-section manually)
- Personal Reference Library (University of Michigan)
- pre-load the GeoPad or GeoPocket with reference materials,
such as maps, papers, documentation, digital images, figures,
web pages, etc.
- Digital Atlas (University of Michigan)
- pre-load the GeoPad with a wide-variety of geo-referenced
datasets around which discussion can occur, problem-sets devised,
etc.
- using ArcGlobe one can create a single document which brings all
the data sets together, regardless of scale or projection (e.g.,
from world geology maps to USGS quadrangles)
- you could also create a single ArcMap document, however,
differences in projection across scales can be problematic in a flat
projection.
- The globe projection of ArcGlobe also makes it easy to include
polar data
- Field Teaching Tips
- If you want to show an example of mapping to the group use an
extra layer on the instructor's tablet with very large symbols and
labels. For instance, when introducing how to record
strike-and-dip and how it subsequently appears ArcMap, switch from
the "regular" layer to an "instructor" layer where the symbology is
set to use a very large strike-dip symbol and label it with a very
large font. This helps everyone standing around see it.
Another approach is to use Windows Accessibility options, such as
high-contrast, large objects or the Magnifier accessory.
- GS-440 Geology Field Course
- Snake River Mapping Project
- Pre-configured files for students to use with ArcGIS 9.1
(205MB zip archive);
directory structure:
- Snake_River
- Data
- Dikes.lyr
- Faults.lyr
- Geology.mdb [personal geodatabase for storing
students observations; domains defined to provide drop-down
menus in attribute table when entering data, e.g., formation
name, type of dip-and-dip-direction symbol]
- Observations.lyr
- Outcrop.lyr
- Stratigraphy.csv
- Strike and Dips.lyr
- Synforms.lyr
- DEM
- digital elevation data and contour data
- DOQQ
- DRG
- USGS 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles
- Project Boundary.lyr
- Snake_River.mxd [ArcMap project file]
- Snake_River.sxd [ArcScene project file]
- Granite Creek
- Palisades
- Atlantic City
- [from past years] Alta, Cream Puff
- GS-341 Environmental Science
- River Succession Project
- Example Excel data sheets and graphs for collecting and
interpreting data in the field
- GS-116 Introductory Geology
Camp is underway. Some expected highlights:
- New screens in Xplore iX104C2 AV units are much brighter and
eliminate most of the problems with screen visibility
- 1GB of RAM in new iX104C2 enables seamless, rapid switching
between multiple GIS applications and OneNote -- not disk-swapping
-- which results in less interruption of workflow and an overall
more intuitive experience.
- GeoPad use further expanded to projects in GS-116 (introductory
geology) and GS-341 (Environmental Science)
- more...
A continuation and scaling up from 2003's pilot. Some notable
additions were:
- use of HP5550 iPAQs (w/ HP Bluetooth GPS units) and ArcPad:
- provide instructional staff with reference materials in
field
- GS-440 students gathered magnetic survey data using ArcPad
and incorporated it into their ArcMap projects
- GS-440 students used Pocket Excel to record and process data
during a gravity survey
- GS-116 students explored how GPS units worked and how to
read topographic maps and aerial photos
- Switched from using Windows Journal to Microsoft Office OneNote
as the digital field notebook. Integration for screen clipping
is vastly improved. Automatic recognition of note structure
and ability to re-organize simply by dragging, and add white-space
on the fly is wonderful.
- Main drawbacks were still:
- not enough units for everyone to use to complete an entire
project on the GeoPad
- screen-brightness
  
Examples of rich note-taking capabilities of Microsoft OneNote as a
"digital field notebook":
  
 
Examples of GeoPocket use for magnetic and gravity surveys (ArcPad data
entry on aerial photo of magnetometer readings; ArcMap view on GeoPad of
data imported from GeoPocket; Excel spreadsheet with formulas and
supporting data for converting gravimeter measurements into gravity
anomalies while in the field):
  
A core component of the Geological Sciences curriculum
at the University of Michigan (U-M) is a seven-week,
summer field geology
course (GS-440), based out of the U-M's permanent facility at
Camp Davis,
Wyoming. Such a field course is a degree requirement for most
undergraduate geological science programs. The GeoPads were
introduced during the latter half of the course and were integrated into
three field mapping exercises and a regional
field-trip.
The GeoPads were well received by both students and
faculty, as acknowledged by very positive feedback and evaluations.
They were considered an important addition to the curriculum, both in
terms of facilitating existing strategies for teaching geologic mapping,
as well as enhancing the development of spatial reasoning skills by
providing a richer environment in which students could record,
manipulate, and explore data. They also helped expand the learning
environment into field vehicles and to exploit previously
under-utilized educational "down-time" during field trips. While technical glitches were
encountered, the overall feeling was that these
difficulties were outweighed by the advantages offered by the GeoPads.
 One of our primary concerns in developing the GeoPad
was to ensure that its introduction into the curriculum did not detract
from the emphasis on "field" work for this course, in other words, the
curriculum needed to stay focused on field geology not technology.
As a testament to achieving this goal, only thirty-minutes of instruction
were required to get the students up to speed and out in the field mapping
on their first day with the GeoPads. Additionally, by using off-the-shelf
GIS software (i.e., ArcGIS) as a component of our GeoPad system, the
students also gained practical, real-world-applicable experience.
Support for this pilot study was provided by a U-M
College of
Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA)
Instructional Technology Grant, an equipment donation from the
Microsoft Corporation, and additional funds from the U-M
Department of Geological Sciences
and the U-M Global Change Program.
Introduction to the Digital Field Mapping
Experience
 The first use of the GeoPads in GS-440 took the form
of a one day geologic mapping exercise. It involved a transit from camp up a
nearby mountain (Camp Davis to Cream Puff). We began the day with a
thirty-minute lesson on the basics of using a GeoPad: using the hands-free
harnesses; turning the units on/off and placing them in standby; using a TabletPC pen, rather than a
mouse; the basic features of ArcMap for manipulating
layers (e.g., topographic maps, aerial photos, digital elevation models),
moving and zooming the map, using the GPS; and, an overview of our
customized geologic mapping toolbar in ArcMap for entering outcrops,
strike-and-dips, etc. The purpose of the
geologic mapping toolbar was to reduce the complexity and power of the GIS
software to a manageable, intuitive level and to focus on the
capabilities required for geologic mapping. We made a conscious
effort to emphasize the GeoPad as a tool, rather than on learning a new technology requiring
extensive training.
 The
students were also given a quick introduction to Windows Journal
as a digital replacement for and enhancement over a field notebook.
Journal works just like a paper journal for
recording notes, sketches, cross-sections, etc., however, it also offers
ready access to a number of standard drawing capabilities, such as pencils, pens, markers,
highlighters, and a choice of colors, without having to dig in one's field
bag. [Microsoft Office OneNote is now the preferred choice for this
functionality on the GeoPad.]
 With that brief
introduction, the students were divided up into groups of three (one GeoPad per group,
a limitation imposed by the number of available units) and we were off
and mapping and recording the way up
Cream Puff. We stopped at numerous locations along the way for
students to gather and record observations using their GeoPads, and to discuss the
various geologic features we encountered. A critical factor
enabling the rapid ramp-up
of the students on the GeoPad is their existing familiarity with Windows and common user interface
features and metaphors (e.g., the magnifying glass for zooming, the hand
for panning), so
working with ArcMap was fairly intuitive for them. Furthermore, some
students had previous experience with various GIS
software packages, including a few GIS experts who delved much further into the
system and explored the data to a greater extent than we anticipated.
Digital Field Mapping Projects
 Students subsequently used the GeoPads for two
mapping projects: Snake River and Atlantic City. (Due to the limited
number of units available, and the need for students to work in pairs,
only half the pairs of students were equipped with GeoPads for each
mapping project; in other words, each student only had one change to
complete a full mapping project with a GeoPad, and then they had to switch
back-and-forth with their partner on a daily basis.)
For each mapping project, the students were provided with
a standard ArcMap project that included the custom Geologic Mapping toolbar
and contained four major data layers:
- USGS Topographic Quads (i.e., Digital Raster Graphics, DRG)
- Aerial photographs (i.e., Digital Ortho Quarter-Quads, DOQQ)
- Contour intervals derived from a Digital Elevation
Model (DEM)
- Student's mapping data
The key benefits of using ArcMap for teaching geologic field mapping are:
- easy, intuitive visualization and manipulation of data
-- Each data layer can easily be turned on or off, or viewed in combination
with other layers using transparency; zooming in-or-out or shifting the map
around are simple, intuitive procedures.
- larger, more detailed datasets -- Working on a map
board with paper data limits the amount of information a student can easily
access, the digital approach allows for more contextual data to be supplied at
increased resolutions.
- intuitive pen-based data entry -- the TabletPC extension to
ArcMap allows a student to enter data (e.g., outline of an outcrop) directly
by drawing on the map as if using a regular pen or pencil; it also renders
symbols for point observations (e.g., strike-and-dip, foliation) neatly and
uniformly, thereby eliminating confusion generated by poor handwriting skills
or a lack of room on paper.
- media-rich digital field notebook -- Windows Journal provides
students with an electronic interface for note taking and sketching.
Entries can be easily linked to markers in ArcMap.
In addition, several students explored the use of ArcScene
to view and manipulate data three-dimensionally. By enabling the
students to view their data in this manner, while still in the field, one
facilitates the students' abilities to make the connection between the
real-world and standard, two-dimensional map views.
Field Trips
 In addition to field mapping, the GeoPads
were also used to support the unique "distance-learning" environment of
field-trip travel. A GeoPad and GPS were
placed in each vehicle during a four-day exploration of Wyoming, Idaho,
and Montana. The GeoPads provided students with access to the
state geologic maps and USGS topographic quads for these regions. The
GPS units enabled the students to quickly and easily locate themselves
on the maps in real-time, which, in turn, allowed them to focus
immediately on understanding and
discussing the data on the map and their surrounding environment.
In addition, the GeoPad
provides an ideal platform for activities for during typical educational
"down-time" of field-trip travel. This can be accomplished through
a variety of activities centered around figures, plots, digital photographs,
schematics, thin section images, etc., that were pre-loaded on the GeoPads.
An instructor could
also refer to these items while pointing out various features and discussing geologic
process over the CB radio.
Field-trip support
is readily applicable to
other field science courses. In particular, other course offerings at
Camp Davis, such as the
environmental geology or introductory geology courses, where the focus is on observation and discussion, rather
than mapping, stand to benefit from field-trip use of GeoPads.
Student and Faculty Feedback
 |
| Emily Johnson, a graduate student
instructor, participates in a GeoPad mapping project trial run,
near Alta, Utah. (July 2003) |
When asked, "How would you rate your overall experience
using the GeoPads to complete mapping projects?", students responded
overwhelming with "excellent" (an average of 3.9 on a 4-point scale for 19
students). The four faculty directly involved with teaching this Summer's
course were similarly pleased with the GeoPads.
Difficulties were encountered with the GeoPads, which while frustrating at times, did not dampen the enthusiasm for their
use. The source of nearly all the problems was, not
surprisingly, the technology itself, however, none of the problems encountered
were deemed significant impediments to lteaching or earning by either the students or
faculty. These problems have already been or will be addressed by continued
evolution and innovation of the technologies.
The primary difficulties identified this summer
were:
- screen visibility -- While the iX104's display
technology represents a significant improvement over everyday laptops,
students still experienced some difficulty viewing the screen during the
brightest couple of hours of the day. They had to turn their backs to
the Sun or shade the screen with their hand. This was particularly
troublesome when working with black-and-white aerial photos during the
brightest part of overcast days. (An interesting solution to this
problem is to covert the photos from black-and-white to some other color
scheme, such as red-green). The continuing evolution of active and
trans-reflective display technologies will eventually address
this problem; currently available trans-reflective screens are somewhat better in
sunlight, however, they offer lower resolutions, typically have larger pixels (i.e.,
less-crisp displays), and generally display colors poorly in bright settings.
- software bugs -- Students encountered a fatal
bug in ArcMap-geodatabase interaction, which while never resulting in lost
data, generally forced students to have to take the time to restart ArcMap.
(This bug has subsequently been corrected by ArcGIS
8.3 Service Pack 3 (released 15 Oct 2003).
- power management -- When placed in Standby, in
order to conserve battery power between stops, the iX104's would sometimes
not wake-up. When the problem did occur, it was not clear what lead to
it. If the units were restarted using the reset button, then the
problem would recur; however, if the unit was completely reset (removing the
battery and pressing the button), then it would work fine for awhile. No
students reported losing data as a result of this problem, but resetting and
rebooting the unit took several minutes of valuable field-time. Leaving the GeoPad
on most of the day, and equipping each group with a second battery, ensured
them of a full day in the field, even without the power-saving advantages of
Standby. (Fixed in iX104 BIOS, version A1s, released Jan 2004.)
 At the end of camp, as part of the anonymous course
evaluations, students were asked to provide feedback on their GeoPad experience. The comments were very
positive overall, including a strong desire by the students to have spent more
time using the GeoPads (a limitation imposed by the number of units
and a conscious decision to still spend time on the basics for the first
part of course).
The following are some representative examples of the students' feedback:
- "Worked wonderfully"
- "At first I did not like them. Then I loved them for
their layers, zoom and resolution which made finding myself easy."
- "The [GeoPads] are excellent except for 2
things. Hard to see, and not so good to measure bedding with." [The later
comment refers to the common practice of using one's field notebook to help
align the compass when measuring the orientation of a bedding feature; not
easily accomplished when your field-notebook, the GeoPad, is strapped to you.]
- "I really liked them because they replace mapboard and
field notebook and allow for accuracy and easy documentation in the field.
They save time in the final mapping process."
- "I hope more computers are made/produced so all
students and faculty can enjoy [Arc Scene] like I do."
- "Only problem were with the software crashing.
Everything else was great."
- "Get enough tablets for everyone."
- "Good idea, need more time with them"
GeoPads were put to the test in the rain pretty much every day of the
trip, from constant drizzles to driving down-pours, and the Xplore iX104
units worked just fine.
Planning is underway...
The University of Michigan Department of Geological
Sciences sponsored a graduate/undergraduate field trip to the Pyrenees
in Spain (26 May - 4 June 2004) focusing on the structural geology and
tectonic history of the area. GeoPads fulfilled several roles during
this expedition:
-
trip planning and navigational
aide, using Microsoft MapPoint 2004 Europe and Garmin MapSource
Europe
-
GIS access to geologic maps and road logs at
multiple scales with real-time GPS-positioning, both while traveling
and hiking
-
easily-transportable reference library of relevant
papers and figures for review and discussion while traveling
We also experimented further with the use of digital
cameras to facilitate the drawing of schematic cross-sections.
Panoramic images of road-cuts or the surrounding countryside were
stitched together on-the-fly and imported directly into the digital
field notebook application, Microsoft OneNote. The schematic
cross-section was then drawn on top of the image, which could be hidden
or viewed as needed, resulting in improved figures.
The University of Michigan Department of Geological
Sciences sponsored a graduate/undergraduate field trip to Northern
California (16-22 June 2003) focusing on the hard rock geology of the area. A
"GeoPad", consisting of a Toshiba TabletPC (non-ruggedized) and
a Delorme Earthmate USB GPS, was brought along to experiment with the capabilities
being developed for the field camp pilot. The focus was mostly on
working with topographic map data, as there was not sufficient time to
gather a large collection of digital geologic and aerial photographic
data for the points of interest.
The GeoPad was primarily used on this trip for
navigation and routing purposes. We tested two commercial packages, Garmin's MapSource Topo and DeLorme's TopoUSA
software. Using this software, the GeoPad was extremely useful in helping to locate and
navigate to geologic stops and campgrounds; either because of poor
directions, road construction, or out-of-date information. It truly
proved invaluable, however, by locating and directing the group to the
nearest Dairy Queen during a particularly long, hot day of driving.
 The University of Michigan Department of Geological
Sciences sponsored a graduate/undergraduate field trip from Michigan to
Texas/New Mexico, and geologically interesting points in between. An early GeoPad prototype
was used for navigation, logging and
collaborative application-sharing experiments between field vehicles.
 The proto-type Geopads were built from a IBM ThinkPad T21 running
Windows XP and an Apple iBook running MacOS 9. Each unit was deployed in
a separate
vehicle (mini-vans). Each unit was configured to use an ad-hoc
802.11b wireless network for connectivity between vehicles. The
laptops were located in the front passenger area of two mini-vans, so electronic
interference and line-of-sight issues significantly reduced the reach of
the network. However, by employing an Apple Airport (802.11b base-station),
deployed in the back window of the leading vehicle, the range of the
ad-hoc network was increased from ~50m to ~200m. Further extension
of the network is possible by placing base stations in each vehicle, and
by mounting them outside the vehicles on the roof.
The ThinkPad was also equipped with a Garmin eTrex Vista GPS receiver
and was loaded with Garmin's MapSource Topo and MetroGuide USA software.
It was used to aid in navigation and to produce a road log of the trip.
Application-sharing was used between the two laptops, using
Virtual Network
Computing (VNC), to explore the potential for "distance-learning" in
this unique environment. The typical scenario involved
collaborative viewing of the MapSource application. This provided a
"shared" map to facilitate discussion of the surrounding features of
geologic interest over the CB-Radios in each vehicle. The ability
to see, in real-time, what the other user was seeing and what features
they were indicating on the map as they talked was extremely valuable.
Difficulties with maintaining an ad-hoc wireless network between the two
vehicles inhibited
extensive use of this capability; however, with modifications to the
wireless networking infrastructure, the reach of such networks can be
dramatically increased. |
At the end of camp, as part of the anonymous course
evaluations, students were asked to provide feedback on their GeoPad experience. The comments were very
positive overall, including a strong desire by the students to have spent more
time using the GeoPads (a limitation imposed by the number of units
and a conscious decision to still spend time on the basics for the first
part of course).
The following are some representative examples of the students' feedback:
The University of Michigan Department of Geological
Sciences sponsored a graduate/undergraduate field trip from Michigan to
Texas/New Mexico, and geologically interesting points in between. An early GeoPad prototype
was used for navigation, logging and
collaborative application-sharing experiments between field vehicles.
The proto-type Geopads were built from a IBM ThinkPad T21 running
Windows XP and an Apple iBook running MacOS 9. Each unit was deployed in
a separate
vehicle (mini-vans). Each unit was configured to use an ad-hoc
802.11b wireless network for connectivity between vehicles. The
laptops were located in the front passenger area of two mini-vans, so electronic
interference and line-of-sight issues significantly reduced the reach of
the network. However, by employing an Apple Airport (802.11b base-station),
deployed in the back window of the leading vehicle, the range of the
ad-hoc network was increased from ~50m to ~200m. Further extension
of the network is possible by placing base stations in each vehicle, and
by mounting them outside the vehicles on the roof.
