I want to be able to use a little hand held, hunters grade GPS, to UPLOAD a USGS quad into, and to upload linework, deed plots etc.
Then, hand it to a client, or to my son, or somebody with just a little savy, and say, here, go walk the lines. This is your approximate line. Probably within 30' or so.
Then, they can STORE way points. At ravines, At bldg sites, and points of interest, at logging roads, At springs. At big trees. Anything of interest.
Then, have them hand it BACK to me, and I upload their coords, so that we can discuss property divisions.
Then, I survey it, and ADJUST the property lines, as needed, to fit the ravines, or ridges, etc.
Then, I design final roads into the projects. And generate final surveys, and set final corners.
What kind of handheld should I get?
What kind of USGS software?
The simpler the better. It should allow point names, alphanumeric.
Is this even possible?
Thanks in advance!
Nate
Ok Nate, I'll bite on this one. Yes you can do that. I have in the past, about 20 yrs ago with my yellow Garmin Etrex.
All it did is cause me more grief than they wanted to pay me for. They go back to their waypoint and can't find it. It's then your fault, even though you are 40 miles away out of cell phone coverage.
I'd say notta to your plan, but maybe put them in contact with the county GIS guru and then let it trickle back to you for real surveying work. You'll be even a bigger hero than you know.
The evil term liability comes to my mind, but I'm certain others will defer that notion. All disclaimers notwithstanding of course.
Good luck with your plan though.
> What kind of handheld should I get?
>
> What kind of USGS software?
>
> The simpler the better. It should allow point names, alphanumeric.
>
> Is this even possible?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Nate
I'll bite too.
Used an Etrex. I agree with Wayne. Pain in the butt. Slow as mud.
You want simple?
Now I use an iPhone, with a program that costs 2.99 or whatever, called Topo Maps. You can download hi res USGS quads for wherever you're working...you need cell service or wifi to download them, but once they're on the phone, no cell service needed. (This pays off big time when I'm mountain biking in the who knows where). The quads are really good scans.
You can add waypoints with a single click...and name them, color them one of a dozen "pin" colors...
Coordinates in either decimal degrees, DMS, UTM, or MGRS
I've heard of folks using an older iphone that's not even under contract if you don't want/need an iphone...you can still use it as a glorified ipod with a pretty good GPS system on board.
Finally, you can use the camera to record features, and "geo-locate" the features later with google earth or whatever.
The only thing you want to do that I don't think you can with the app, is upload plats or line work. But what I've done for that is to upload that stuff to google earth, then print myself out color prints, with USGS quads semi transparent on top of the aerials. Then, when I'm in the woods, I can tell exactly where I am relative to the marks I've pre-set.
Kids'll have no problem learning it either, lol.
Good luck.
[i, I design final roads into the projects
We can laugh at this post, but seriously a lot of what we drive over today was built without even these loose specifications spelt out above.
That's just one area of our work and only merely mentioned above.
I've established roads through bush, steep terrain with just a clino and a hard strenuous walk. I expect others on this forum have done similar.
They survive today and are equal to modern roads surveyed, setout out and built with modern technology that most today would say without which we couldn't build roads.
I often lament those days when we had simple methods, time tested results and yet which are so inadequate in the world we live in. (well most say inadequate)
My thoughts are we could sneer or jeer at the thought of such a survey approach which in modern day requirements (mostly) would be just a joke, but which in reality should it be a reality check to see if we really do need some of those surveys and comprehensive and elaborately documented specifications required in today's world?
But then I make an income from that! Providing 'worthless surveys' for the technobuffs to sate there appetites and to boast what a great road or carpark we've just built.
So I'd suggest it's either all or nothing
Those pesky little handhelds would be no match for a good taped/flagged graded clino traverse which in today's world would not pass 1st base in any 'decent' road contract for survey, design, construct.
Does that then spell the end of Nates' dream device, simple and cheap, downloadable and yet useless?
Just my 2 bobs worth before hitting the cot.
I've been using Global Mapper for many years to transfer my CAD lines and survey points to consumer grade GPS such as Garmin and Magellan.
Works well, not too hard.
I agree with others. Today most want to use their smart phone. Which have about the same mapping grade GNSS (NAVSTAR and GLONASS) chip. The apps are cheap and easy to use.
If you have Carlson you should be able to export the data to Google Earth KML format. Then use this with the smart phones.
Lee Green
I use my phone, It has to be an android. Get Oziexplorer for your phone, get the desktop version to import what you want. As long it has lat and long you can translate the map for your phone, I have put all my fishing maps in there also, works great.
CC
>Now for something different
I was expecting a man with three....
Why leave the office for this at all? Unless I'm reading it incorrectly. Why not just get into CAD and import the tax map, USGS Quad, wetlands mapping, aerial photography (Google Earth), natural resource mapping, soil maps, etc... And then align and overlay. All of those things (in my area of NY at least) are available online. I can identify a majority of what you want to see without ever leaving the office. You won't get any property evidence but really you're going to survey it anyway so you're going to have to do your own recon... We've done this a number of times in the past and had useful results.
