GPS Trimble GeoXT

          Well I got a chance to try out one of the Trimble GeoXT GPS units that we have in the lab for the first time today.  I found the device and software to be intuitive to use.  The application TerraSync found in the start menu is used to log GPS position coordinates.  The GPS unit itself has a wide variety of programs for you to use.  The device like many of our smart phones these days is more of a hand held computer.  In this case the operating system is Windows Mobile.

          Once you start TerraSync there are five main functions made available to you.  Map, Data, Navigation, Status, and Setup.  Map function I think is where you can upload a map as a background and navigate on.  Did not get a chance to explore the Map function.  Data function is the one that allows you to log such things as a point (similar to Garmin waypoint), a line (similar to Garmin Tracks), and area.  I did points of trees and telephone poles.  I also did a line of a sidewalk and an area of my house.  Navigation appears to get you to a stored feature.  Status is the first thing you see when you turn TerraSync on.  It is a sky map of the satellites.  You can set how accurate you want the device with a slider bar.  Another option which is very helpful is a satellite planner to give you your best times to get your chore at hand done.  The last function is Setup which includes all the coordinate systems their units and logging intervals.

          It was interesting using one of these units for the first time.  I do not think it would be a replacement for a purposefully hiking GPS though.  They are on the heavy side, have a unit specific battery and require a cradle for charging.  Most hiking GPS units use two universal easy to find AA batteries.  It was really neat though to see that the I was within a foot or two of accuracy!  The problem that really frustrated me was that I could not get the data off of the unit and into my ArcMap.  One of the options in the Data function is a file manager where you can save your data as a shapefile.  I was unable however to sync the unit to my computer.  Hopefully I'll have a solution to this soon.