List of GPS equipment

The GPS equipment we have available in SED (School of Environment and Development):

Garmin eTrex (left) and GPS60

For basic GPS tasks we have Garmin eTrex and GPS60. These are simple and robust handhelds, providing 10-20m accuracy. If you just want to log your position or find a coordinate these are fine. They interact well with ArcGIS. We have about 20 of them, so it is fairly easy to get hold of one. Instructions on how to use them are available here.

Magellan MobileMapper 6

Then there is a new one, the Magellan MobileMapper 6. This is a versatile handheld PDA and GPS for field data collection. Accuracy is 3-5m in the field and 2-3m with postprocessing. It interacts very well with ArcGIS. We only have one of them and users are queuing. Instructions on how to use the Magellan are available here.

Trimble kit

Our most accurate ones are our two Trimble kits. First, there is the Trimble AgGPS kit (aka the Geography kit). This is a professional GPS kit comprising receiver, antenna, field computer, data collection software, and backpack. Accuracy can be up to subfoot, depending on the setup. While walking around with this makes you feel very professional, it is heavy and has a learning curve – you need to work through the manual before using this. It does not talk to ArcGIS. Only recommended if you really need the accuracy.

The second Trimble kit is a Trimble Pathfinder kit (aka the CURE kit). It is similar to the AgGPS kit, but has a later receiver model and has no field computer – this is intended to be hooked up to your own PDA or to a laptop. We also have a vehicle kit with roof mount for this one.

All GPS equipment can be borrowed by University staff and students, just ask Geography lab staff.

There might be addtional GPS and related devices available at other departments (e.g. Earth Sciences have a Laser Scanner!), if you know of any please leave a comment!