GPS and Mapping

The Global Positioning System - known commonly as GPS - literally puts the power of geographical positioning into the palm of your hand.

Garmin handheld GPS

Thanks to a constellation of US Government satellites, a small handheld GPS device can accurately log its position at a given time. So much more than merely knowing where you are, this GPS derived information can then be tied in to photographs, survey data or other measurements, or used to create a static or dynamic map.

Dedicated GPS devices can be as small and innocuous as a mobile phone. Computers such as PDAs and laptops can be made geo-aware with the addition of a Compact Flash or PCMCIA card.

Compact Flash GPS add-on for PDAs and Laptops

A GPS unit is the essential field accessory! Some popular uses of GPS derived data include:

Creating accurate maps, particularly drawing on local knowledge of place names.
Accurately identifying the source of survey data by equipping interviewers with GPS units. This also can be used to verify that the interview was conducted in the correct location.
Linking time-stamped photographs (such as those from a digital camera) with the picture locations, long after this has been forgotten by the photographer.

Please contact me to discuss how GPS can help put you in the picture.