ArcPad

A tree inventory system for Corvallis

21 March 2005

The goal of this project is to create a system to manage the urban forest here in Corvallis, as a joint project for the city and the OSU campus. I have not met with anyone yet... just getting my ArcPad feet under me for now.

There will be a field-based ArcPad component to support data collection and maintenance operations, and an office-based database/report component; the office side could be expanded later to work with ArcIMS and/or a non-spatial asset management system that the city already uses.

I've worked with ArcPad in the past but never done a customized application for it.

The obvious starting point for the ArcPad side is this ESRI sample project which installs very easily...

Hardware for ArcPad

The lesson I learned using a 3900 series iPaq was that a daylight visible display with as big a screen as possible is really important. I just went out and got myself a Dell Axim X50V which has a small but high res screen. I wanted a pocket sized device. The city is currently using last year's model, the X5.

Interfaces -- If you are using a specific GPS receiver, make sure your PDA can talk to it! Some have RS232, some don't. My Axim has USB and Bluetooth; my plan is to try out Bluetooth. The tangle of cables on a GPS backpack system can be really annoying.

Slots (SD/MMC, CF, PCMCIA) -- CF is nice because 1GB cards are coming down in price, and you can get other accessories such as network and serial port adapters in this form factor. SD/MMC memory cards are slightly higher than CF.

Batteries -- The Dell has an oversized battery available. Some units like the 3900 iPaq have a non-removeable low capacity battery, limiting field work to about 2 hours. This sucks. Make sure the PDA has a removeable, high capacity battery.

Optional extras- keyboard, ruggedized case.

Ruggedized PDA's like the TDS Recon are very cool but so expensive that you could get three or four Axim's and carry the extras as spares! Unless you are doing field work that really absolutely requires it, I'd say get a cheap one and a good case. Don't get the 'rugged case' that HP sells! It's overpriced and full of holes that will let water in.

Windows CE devices

DAP uses a turtle on their web page so it must be good!
Dell (Axim)
HP (iPaq formerly a Compaq product; and from before the merger, the Jornada)
NEC MobilePro
Symbol Technologies PDT 8100, PPT 2800
TDS (Recon, Ranger(formerly from At Work Computers))
Trimble (rebadged Recon, GeoExplorer XT)

Tablet PCs

Fujitsu

Intermec

Panasonic Toughbook 01

ArcPad Hacks

Learning to live with ActiveSync

Maybe ActiveSync is so good now there are no longer any 'annoyances.' My advice is to upgrade your handheld to the latest version of PocketPC (2003?) and run at least 3.7.1 version of ActiveSync on your PC.

I worked with a TDS Ranger a few months ago running Solofield and an older version of the O/S (maybe 2002?). Forget the serial port connection, ugh. Running ActiveSync over a serial port is not just slow, it's hard to get the PC and the Ranger to notice talk at all... Pop for the $25 USB/Ethernet adapter.

Software development

ArcPad runs on PocketPC devices; and that's normally the context in which you'd expect to use it. But it also runs on desktop systems. Customizing it normally requires Arcpad Application Builder, a $1500 add-on to a $500 product.

I'd really like to see what it takes to develop code without the Application Builder... at least to build custom menues. The App Builder creates XML files. I can write XML files, with emacs...

To test your custom app, you can run ArcPad in a 'skin' on your desktop system. Basically you just provide it with a picture of your PocketPC device and it inserts the screen image into the screen area of the PocketPC picture. Here is the ESRI page on how to do this: Making a skin

Working with layers

How can I possibly live without ArcIMS?

ArcPad Options

GPS data quality

You can tell ArcPad to issue warnings regarding DGPS availability, PDOP, EPE, and 3D mode.

Paths

You can preset paths that ArcPad uses for things like maps & data, system files, and applets.

Audio

You can attach your own WAV files to events. See Tools->Options->Alerts.

A day in the field: Mission planning for ArcPad

Way ahead of time

How to collect useful data.

With and without GPS

Customizing ArcPad with applets etc.

Preparing maps and data

How much memory will all that take?

RAM versus compact flash

Debriefing

Pulling data out of ArcPad

Using it

Links

Hacks from afar.

Some guy's notes on ArcPad and handhelds

Chris De Herrera's most excellent PocketPC site