Field data collection is one of the many job duties and responsibilities for anyone in the geographic information system (GIS) profession.
GIS is a computer system that captures and displays positions on the earth’s surface and portrays data in many different ways on maps.
Data collection is a process of collecting information from various sources like SurveyMonkey, live interviews, news articles, subject websites, etc., for answers and insights. Most of us have probably done this for a research paper, vacation planning, finding the best craft beers, and who to claim off the fantasy football waiver wire.
Field data collection is what I said about data collection but out in the field. Not in a corn or baseball field sense, but data collection carried out in the natural environment instead of an office or lab.
I’ve assisted in several field data collection projects, like creating city utility (water, sewer, and stormwater) systems, parks & recreation assets, and cemetery inventories. Yes, cemeteries.
The easiest way to show these geographic inventories is on a map. These maps represent the captured locations collected in the field. These captured feature types are points, lines, and polygons. An easy example of this is a state park map. A point on the map could be a trailhead, a line could be a trail, and the park boundary is a polygon.
The necessary items we (GIS folk) use for field data collection include:
– A tablet.
– A GPS/GNSS receiver.
– A mobile collection app.
– A way to store the information.
There are different solutions for all this equipment. I’m currently rocking an iPad, an EOS Arrow 100 GNSS receiver (which I’ve been pleased with thus far), ESRI’s Field Maps, and ArcGIS Online.
Okay. All of that to get to the point of this post.
Last week I had a Bluetooth connectivity issue between my iPad and Arrow 100 GNSS receiver. The two devices wouldn’t pair. The Arrow 100 name wouldn’t even appear on the discovered accessories list. So I started with a Google search and found several solutions before finding the fix.
Below are the three things Apple Support said to try when a Bluetooth accessory (My GPS/GNSS receiver or antenna) won’t connect to your iPad. None of these worked for me, but these methods have worked for me in the past.
1) Make sure the GPS/GNSS receiver and iPad are close to each other.
2) Turn your GPS/GNSS receiver and iPad off and back on again.
3) Make sure your GPS/GNSS receiver is on.
It was annoying that I knew the issue wasn’t with my receiver because my iPhone connected to it. Then it dawned on me. The lightbulb flashed and floated above my head. I realized I had used my iPhone to do field work the day before the iPad.
The iPad couldn’t pair to the Arrow 100 because it automatically connected to my iPhone. The Arrow 100 doesn’t have the multipoint function, allowing multiple devices to connect to it simultaneously. Smack my head!
So if you ever have a Bluetooth connectivity issue between your iPad and a GPS/GNSS receiver or antenna, ensure that the device doesn’t automatically connect to another tablet or smartphone.
Lessons learned for next time.
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