GPS Pathfinder Office User Guide Vol 1

GPS Pathfinder® OfficeUser Guide

GPS Pathfinder OfficeQuickPlan

Volume 1

Pathfndr.bk Page 2 Thursday, June 17, 1999 11:02 AM

Version 2.80Part Number 31310-28-ENG

Revision BMarch 2001

GPS Pathfinder Office User Guide

Volume 1

This volume contains manuals for the following software:

GPS Pathfinder OfficeQuickPlan

Corporate Office

Trimble Navigation Limited645 North Mary AvenuePost Office Box 3642Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3642U.S.A.Phone: +1-408-481-8940, 1-800-545-7762Fax: +1-408-481-7744www.trimble.com

Copyright and Trademarks

© 1999–2001, Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved. For STL support, the GPS Pathfinder Office software uses the Moscow Center for SPARC Technology adaptation of the SGI Standard Template Library. Copyright © 1994 Hewlett-Packard Company, Copyright © 1996, 97 Silicon Graphics Computer Systems, Inc., Copyright © 1997 Moscow Center for SPARC Technology. Portions of this computer program are copyright © 1995-1999 LizardTech, Inc. All rights reserved. MrSID® is protected by U.S. Patent No. 5,710,835. Foreign Patents Pending.

Printed in the United States of America. Printed on recycled paper.

The Sextant logo with Trimble, ASPEN, Asset Surveyor, GeoExplorer, and GPS Pathfinder are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited, registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The Globe & Triangle logo, 4600LS, 7400MSi, Coordinate System Manager, Data Dictionary Editor, Geodetic Surveyor, Geodetic System Surveyor SSi, GIS Surveyor, GPSurvey, Land Surveyor II, Land Surveyor IID, Pathfinder Basic, Pathfinder Professional, PFINDER, Phase Processor, QuickPlan, TerraSync, TDC1, TDC2, and Trimble are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited.

MrSID® and LizardTech™ are trademarks of LizardTech, Inc. and are used with permission.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Release Notice

This is the March 2001 release (Revision B) of the GPS Pathfinder Office Software User Guide, part number 31310-28-ENG. It applies to version 2.80 of the GPS Pathfinder® Office software.

The following limited warranties give you specific legal rights. You may have others, which vary from state/jurisdiction to state/jurisdiction.

Software and Firmware License, Limited Warranty

This Trimble software and/or firmware product (the “Software”) is licensed and not sold. Its use is governed by the provisions of the applicable End User License Agreement (“EULA”), if any, included with the Software. In the absence of a separate EULA included with the Software providing different limited warranty terms, exclusions, and limitations, the following terms and conditions shall apply. Trimble warrants that this Trimble Software product will substantially conform to Trimble’s applicable published specifications for the Software for a period of ninety (90) days, starting from the date of delivery.

Warranty Remedies

Trimble's sole liability and your exclusive remedy under the warranties set forth above shall be, at Trimble’s option, to repair or replace any Product or Software that fails to conform to such warranty (“Nonconforming Product”), or refund the purchase price paid by you for any such Nonconforming Product, upon your return of any Nonconforming Product to Trimble in accordance with Trimble’s standard return material authorization procedures.

Warranty Exclusions and Disclaimer

These warranties shall be applied only in the event and to the extent that: (i) the Products and Software are properly and correctly installed, configured, interfaced, maintained, stored, and operated in accordance with Trimble’s relevant operator's manual and specifications, and; (ii) the Products and Software are not modified or misused. The preceding warranties shall not apply to, and Trimble shall not be responsible for defects or performance problems resulting from (i) the combination or utilization of the Product or Software with products, information, data, systems or devices not made, supplied or specified by Trimble; (ii) the operation of the Product or Software under any specification other than, or in addition to, Trimble's standard specifications for its products; (iii) the unauthorized modification or use of the Product or Software; (iv) damage caused by accident, lightning or other electrical discharge, fresh or salt water immersion or spray; or (v) normal wear and tear on consumable parts (e.g., batteries).

THE WARRANTIES ABOVE STATE TRIMBLE'S ENTIRE LIABILITY, AND YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES, RELATING TO PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, THE PRODUCTS, SOFTWARE, AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION AND MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF ANY KIND BY EITHER TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED OR ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN ITS CREATION, PRODUCTION, INSTALLATION, OR DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. THE STATED EXPRESS WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OBLIGATIONS OR LIABILITIES ON THE PART OF TRIMBLE ARISING OUT OF, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY PRODUCTS OR SOFTWARE. SOME STATES AND JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON DURATION OR THE EXCLUSION OF AN IMPLIED WARRANTY, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION OR FAILURE OF OPERATION OF GPS SATELLITES OR THE AVAILABILITY OF GPS SATELLITE SIGNALS.

Limitation of Liability

TRIMBLE’S ENTIRE LIABILITY UNDER ANY PROVISION HEREIN SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU FOR THE PRODUCT OR SOFTWARE LICENSE OR U.S.$25.00. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL TRIMBLE OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE OR LEGAL THEORY RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE PRODUCTS, SOFTWARE, AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION AND MATERIALS, (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS), REGARDLESS OF WHETHER TRIMBLE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH LOSS AND REGARDLESS OF THE COURSE OF DEALING WHICH DEVELOPS OR HAS DEVELOPED BETWEEN YOU AND TRIMBLE. BECAUSE SOME STATES AND JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

ContentsAbout This Manual

1 GPS Pathfinder Office SoftwareIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Restricted access to files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Add Web Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Plot Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Undo Text Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Cut Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Copy Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Paste Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Delete Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Copy Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Find Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Find Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

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Delete Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Delete Block of Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Undelete All Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Time Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Precisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Auto-Pan to Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Scale (View) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Map Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Time Line Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Refresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Smart Averaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Data Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Enter Attributes Dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Feature Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Displaying Feature Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Editing Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Displaying or Editing a Note. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Status Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Offset Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Position Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Waypoint Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Create Waypoint Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Edit Waypoint Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

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Utilities Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Batch Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Data Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Differential Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Combine Data Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Data Dictionary Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127QuickPlan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Other Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Coordinate System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Style of Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Quickmark Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Time Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Create Local Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Create Site Vector Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Edit Site Vector Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Create Local Site Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Status Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Save Window Layout on Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Minimize On Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Window Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Cascade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Arrange Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158List of Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Search for Help on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

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How to Use Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Register via the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Register by Fax or Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164To Register Later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Trimble on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Internet Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Online Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Trimble Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Trimble Product Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Send Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Base Station List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Trimble Mapping and GIS Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Trimble Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169About the GPS Pathfinder Office Software . . . . . . . . . . . 170

2 Background FilesIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Background Raster Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Geo-referencing Raster Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Geo-referencing Explained. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Recognized World File Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Display of Raster Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

AutoCAD DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Coordinates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

ArcView Shapefiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Coordinates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Windows Bitmap Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

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Geo-referencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Geo-referencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Multiresolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID) . . . . . . . . . . 183Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Geo-referencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Tagged Image File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184Geo-referencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Trimble SSF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Coordinates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Trimble Fast Backdrop Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

3 The QuickPlan UtilityIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

When and Why to Use the QuickPlan Utility . . . . . . . . . . 190Updating the Almanac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Sessions and Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Starting the QuickPlan Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Defining the Session in the QuickPlan Utility . . . . . . . . . . 194Step 1: Selecting a Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Step 2: Defining a Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196Step 3: The Status Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197What Next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

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File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201Print Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201Print Auto Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Print Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Session Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208New Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Edit Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Edit Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Session Menu Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Creating a New Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Editing an Existing Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Creating or Editing a Point with the World Map. . . . . . . . . 215Creating or Editing a Point with the City List . . . . . . . . . . 219Editing a City List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Editing a City List with a Text Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Editing a City List with the World Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Creating or Editing a Point through the Keyboard . . . . . . . . 223Adding and Deleting Points in a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Changing a Session’s Date and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Curtain Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Curtain Editor Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Defining a Curtain with the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Defining a Curtain with the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Defining a Curtain with the Magnetic Bearing Option . . . . . 232Reading a Curtains Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Correcting an Error. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Saving Curtain Definitions and Exiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Displaying a Combined Curtain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Summary of Curtain Editor Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

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Graphs Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Notes on Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241Other Related Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Tile 2 Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244Close All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245Time Locked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246Number SVs and PDOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Azimuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Number Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251PDOP HDOP VDOP GDOP and TDOP Graphs . . . . . . . . 252SkyPlot Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Redraw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Mag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Demag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Force Monochrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258Using the Time Ruler Slides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Auto Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262List Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263SVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264Almanac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265Time Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Sample Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270Show Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271Report Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

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Show Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273Elevation Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274Number of SVs Receiver Can Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Index

xi i GPS Pathfinder Office User Guide – Volume 1

About This ManualWelcome to the GPS Pathfinder Office User Guide. This manual describes how to install, set up, and use the GPS Pathfinder® Office software.

This software, together with its associated utilities, provides all the functionality you need to correct, view, and edit GPS data collected in the field, and to export it in a format suitable for your GIS or CAD system.

Even if you have used other Global Positioning System (GPS) products before, Trimble recommends that you spend some time reading this manual to learn about the special features of this product.

If you are not familiar with GPS, visit our website for an interactive look at Trimble and GPS at:

• www.trimble.com

Trimble assumes that you are familiar with Microsoft Windows and know how to use a mouse, select options from menus and dialogs, make selections from lists, and refer to online help.

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About This Manual

Related InformationOther manuals in this set include:

• GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide

This manual introduces the basic principles of using the GPS Pathfinder Office software. A tutorial introduces some of the powerful features of the main program and the Batch Processor, Data Transfer, Differential Correction and Export utilities.

• Mapping Systems General Reference

This manual introduces the basic principles of using GPS to make maps. It provides the background information you need to use Trimble Navigation Limited’s mapping products, including GPS receivers, dataloggers, and software.

Other sources of related information are:

• Help – the software has built-in, context-sensitive help that lets you quickly find the information you need. Access it from the Help menu. Alternatively, click the Help button in a dialog, or press [F1]. This comprehensive help system reads like an online manual. Use the scroll buttons to move from page to page.

• Readme.txt file – a Readme.txt file contains information added after the documentation was completed. To read this file, double-click it or use a text editor to open it. The installation program also copies it into the program directory.

• Release notes – the release notes describe new features of the product, information not included in the manuals, and any changes to the manuals.

• Update notes – there is a warranty activation sheet with this product. Send it in to automatically receive update notes containing important information about software and hardware changes. Contact your local Trimble Dealer for more information about the support agreement contracts for software and firmware, and an extended warranty program for hardware.

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• ftp.trimble.com – use the Trimble FTP site to send files or to receive files such as software patches, utilities, service bulletins, and FAQs. Alternatively, access the FTP site from the Trimble website at www.trimble.com/support/support.htm.

• Trimble training courses – consider a training course to help you use your GPS system to its fullest potential. For more information, visit the Trimble website at www.trimble.com/support/training.htm

Technical AssistanceIf you have a problem and cannot find the information you need in the product documentation, contact your local Distributor. Alternatively, request technical support using the Trimble website at www.trimble.com/support/support.htm

Your CommentsYour feedback about the supporting documentation helps us to improve it with each revision. To forward your comments, do one of the following:

• Send an e-mail to [email protected].

• Complete the Reader Comment Form at the back of this manual and mail it according to the instructions at the bottom of the form.

If the reader comment form is not available, send comments and suggestions to the address in the front of this manual. Please mark it Attention: Technical Publications Group.

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About This Manual

Document ConventionsThe document conventions are as follows:

Convention Definition

Italics Identifies software menus, menu commands, dialog boxes, and the dialog box fields.

Helvetica Narrow Represents messages printed on the screen.

Helvetica Bold Identifies a software command button, or represents information that you must type in a software screen or window.

“Select Italics / Italics” Identifies the sequence of menus, commands, or dialog boxes that you must choose in order to reach a given screen.

[Ctrl] Is an example of a hardware function key that you must press on a personal computer (PC). If you must press more than one of these at the same time, this is represented by a plus sign, for example, [Ctrl]+[C].

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C H A P T E R

1
1 GPS Pathfinder Office SoftwareIn this chapter:
■ Introduction

■ File menu

■ Edit menu

■ View menu

■ Data menu

■ Utilities menu

■ Options menu

■ Window menu

■ Help menu

■ Registration

■ Trimble on the Web

■ Online support

Related chapters

■ Chapter 2, Background Files

1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Introduction

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1.1 IntroductionThe GPS Pathfinder® Office software is produced by Trimble Navigation Limited for managing and processing data collected using Trimble Mapping and GIS data collection systems.

The GPS Pathfinder Office software runs under Microsoft Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 95, Microsoft Windows NT 4, or later. It provides all of the tools you need for managing a data collection project, handling data from the entire range of Mapping and GIS data collection systems that use Trimble Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers.

The GPS Pathfinder Office software allows you to:

• plan the best times to collect GPS positions, using the powerful QuickPlan™ mission planning utility

• create separate projects, which allow you to manage the data associated with these projects effectively and conveniently

• construct and edit data dictionaries, which can be used to control the data collection operation and which ensure that the collected data is complete, accurate, and compatible with your GIS, CAD package, or database

• transfer files to and from GPS receivers, hand-held data collectors, and field computers

• display and edit collected data in the office, optionally overlaying this data onto a vector or raster background map

• process the GPS positional data to improve its accuracy

• export the collected, processed, and edited data to a GIS, CAD, or database format

• produce a scaled plot as a paper record of the data

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GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Introduction 1

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1.1.1 Restricted access to files

If you are a client user running the GPS Pathfinder Office software on a network, you may find you cannot use some files because they have restricted read and write access. If you receive an error message when trying to work with these files, please contact your system administrator.

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1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – File Menu

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1.2 File MenuThe File menu groups together commands for files. The GPS Pathfinder Office software uses:

• data files for data display, query, and editing

• background files for displaying a map of the area

• waypoint files for storing and preparing waypoints

The File menu also lets you work with projects.

Dialogs for opening a file have a standard Windows format. For information on working with them, see Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.

1.2.1 Open

You can open a single data file for viewing or editing. You can open more than one file for viewing or querying only.

Select File / Open. The following dialog appears:


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – File Menu 1

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Use this dialog to select and open one or more data files. By default, the last-used set of data files is selected. For example, if you have just downloaded a set of .ssf files from a data collector, they are selected. When a file is selected its details are displayed at the bottom of the dialog.

Look in This field displays the name of the current folder and the window immediately below the Look in field displays the folders and files it contains. The view of this window is either large icons, small icons, list, or details. Scroll bars appear when the contents do not fit within the window.

File name This field contains by default the list of recently used data files. You can change the drive and folder, to access the file you want by navigating through folders and drives in the Open dialog or by selecting a different project from the Projects command (under the File menu) to move to that project’s data folder.

Files of type This field specifies the type of files that appear in the window below the Look in field. The options are described below:

Open as read-only If you are opening a single data file, select this check box to ensure that the file cannot be inadvertently changed. If you are opening more than one data file, this box is disabled as you cannot edit or save more than one file at a time. The box is also disabled if the GPS Pathfinder Office software is in demo mode.

Choose... To...

Data files List files of the three types specified below(*.ssf, *.cor, *.phs)

Field data files (*.ssf) List data files created in the field

Corrected files (*.cor) List files that have been differentially corrected

Phase files (*.phs) List data files created using the Phase Processor software

All files (*.*) List all files in the folder



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Data Dictionary/Comment These fields display the internal name of the data dictionary attached to the data file and any comments entered regarding it. They relate to the data file selected in the window below the Look in field, or the last selected file if more than one file is selected.

Start Time/End Time These fields indicate when the first and last positions in the data file were logged. They relate to the data file selected in the window below the Look in field, or the last selected file if more than one file is selected.

File Size This field displays the size of the data file. It relates to the data file selected in the window below the Look in field, or the last selected file if more than one file is selected.

Positions This field displays the number of GPS positions stored in the data file. It relates to the data file selected in the window below the Look in field, or the last selected file if more than one file is selected.

Open and Cancel Click this button to open the selected data file or files. Clicking Cancel closes the dialog without selecting any files.

1.2.2 Save

Select File / Save to save the current data file.

1.2.3 Save As

Select File / Save As to save the current data file to a different filename or in another location.

1.2.4 Close

When you have finished working on a data file, you can close it.



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Select File / Close. If the file was unchanged, it is simply closed. However, if you changed the data file, you are asked whether you want to save it:

Click Yes to save the data file, or No to close the file and abandon any changes. A progress bar appears during the saving process.

1.2.5 Projects

This command enables you to select an existing project or create a new one.

Dividing your work into projects assists you with file management. You can set up projects for different groups of data. For example, if you are a consultant or contractor, you could create a project for each client, major task, city you work in, or month.

When you create a project, you give it a name and (optionally) a comment to further describe the work involved.

You can also specify three folders for storing files for different purposes (backup, export, and base files).



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Figure 1.1 shows an example folder structure; there are three projects, Default, Fairoaks, and Tutorial, each with three folders. The base folder of the first two projects is common to all company projects and is on a network drive.

Figure 1.1 Example project folder structure

When you select a project, the software switches to the working area for that project. For example, if you select File / Open to open a data file, the Open dialog shows the data files in the project folder.

Creating projects helps you to manage an appropriate folder structure. This folder structure is flexible. The folders you specify are only defaults; you are always free to change them and store your data elsewhere. The folders for backup, export, and base files do not have to be folders of the project folder, they can be a shared folder on a network, so that all users can access their files, or they can be the project folder itself.

The default installation choice places waypoint, data dictionary, and background files in the base project folder (usually \PFDATA). However, if you want to organize these files according to project, you can store them in the project folder.

The software uses the project folder structure where appropriate. Otherwise, it ‘remembers’ the folder where you last stored a file of a particular type.



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Select File / Projects. The following dialog appears:

This dialog displays information about the current project. It appears when you start the software if the Display this dialog at start-up box is selected.

Project Name This field displays the current project. To select a different project, click the drop-down arrow and choose the project.

Comment This field displays the information you entered when you created the current project.

Default folder for Table 1.1 shows the information about the current project that is displayed in this field.

Table 1.1 Project information

Item Shows the path and name of...

Project Folder the root folder for the current project.

Backup files the folder containing the backup files for the current project

Export files the folder containing the export files for the current project.

Base files the folder containing the base files for the current project.



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New Click this button to create a new project. The Project Folders dialog appears. If you enter a new project name containing invalid characters, such as ?, +, >, or ", the following message appears:

Click OK and enter a different name for the new project.

Remove Click this button to remove the project in the Project Name field from the list of projects. The Remove button does not delete any files or folders; you can use it to limit the projects that appear in the Project Name drop-down list to those you are currently working on. You are asked for confirmation before the project is removed from the list.

B Tip – To restore a removed project, select New, then use Browse to select the project folder and folders. Enter a name and comment for the project, then click OK.

Modify Click this button to modify the details of the current project. The Project Folders dialog appears.

Display this dialog at start-up Use this check box to set whether or not the Select Project dialog automatically opens at start-up.



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Project Folders Dialog

When you click New or Modify in the Select Project dialog, the following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to specify the name and folder structure of the new project. Four folders are involved: a project folder and three other folders. The software provides names for the folders, taken from the most recent project. You can edit them, or use Browse to select a different folder. The folder fields display relative paths if they specify folders within the project folder. More than one folder field can specify the same folder. If you leave a folder field blank, it points to the project folder. For example, if you leave Export Folder blank, the default location for export files will be the project folder.



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Project Name This field specifies the name of the project. Enter a name when creating a new project. When modifying an existing project, you cannot alter the project name. If you enter a name containing invalid characters, such as ?, +, >, or ", the following error message appears. Click OK and enter a different name for the new project.

Comment Optionally enter a comment about the project into the Comment field. A comment can provide information that may later help you or others to choose the correct project.

Project Folder This field specifies the root folder of the project to be created. The software fills in the field with the path of the parent folder of the last project and a folder derived from the Project Name field. You can edit both path and name, or use Browse to select a different folder.

Note – If you change the project folder, the data files stay in the original folder. Projects simply point to a folder.

Backup Folder This field specifies the folder for backup copies of the data. If you create backups when you transfer files to the office computer, this folder will be the default location for these files. For details on backups, see The Data Transfer Utility in the GPS Pathfinder Office User Guide - Volume 3.

Export Folder This field specifies the folder for files that the Export utility outputs in a format for a GIS or CAD system.



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Base File Folder This field specifies the folder for files recorded by a base (reference) receiver. You need base files to differentially correct data files. If your organization has set up a network folder for base files, you can specify this folder, so that the appropriate files can be used directly from the network when you need them for differential correction.

Default This button sets the folder fields to backup, export, and base, respectively.

Browse These buttons are alongside each folder field. They enable you to locate and select an existing folder, or to create a new folder in the desired location.

1.2.6 Background

Use this command to select multiple background files and load them. The Map window can display them as a background.

Background files are for viewing only; you cannot edit them or access information on their features. They provide a backdrop, which gives visual orientation for your data and waypoint files.

You can export data from your GIS or CAD system, or use a data file from a previous data collection session as a background. Background files can be in a vector format (drawings) or in a raster format (images). Vector files can be in any coordinate system; when you load them, the data is transformed to fit the current coordinate system. Raster files cannot be transformed; that is, they cannot be displayed in a coordinate system that is different from their original coordinate system.

You can load several files at once to provide a comprehensive display. These files can be in different formats. The supported formats are listed in Chapter 2, Background Files.



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Note – Raster files must be geo-referenced. Some files, for example, MrSID™, contain georeferencing information, but other files must have an associated world file. A world file is generated from a raster file using a geo-referencing program, which provides information that links the pixels in the raster file to coordinates in the real world.

For more information on these formats and the way the GPS Pathfinder Office software processes them, see Chapter 2, Background Files.

The Load Background Files dialog lets you:

• compile a list of files that you may want to use.

• select from the list the file(s) that you want to use in the current session, and load them.

When you add a file to the list, the software assumes that it is in the current coordinate system (except for .ssf files, which are always in the Lat/Long coordinate system). If the file is in a different coordinate system, add it to the list, then when you return to the Load Background Files dialog, click Change and assign it the correct coordinate system.

Note – The display of individual layers within loaded files is controlled by the View / Layers / Background command.



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Select File / Background. The following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to compile and maintain a list of files for use as a background. You can then select the particular files to load in the present session.

Note – You can select several files at one time and change their coordinate system, include or exclude them from loading, or remove them from the list. For more information, see Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.

File Names This list displays the name, and path or URL of background files. A check mark before a file indicates that the file will be loaded and displayed on the map. Include only those files that you want to display in the current session to keep loading time to a minimum. The first time that you load a vector file that is in a different coordinate system from the current data file, it will be transformed. This may take some time. Deselect any background files that are not required.



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Add Click this button to add background files to the list. The Add Background Files dialog appears. You can add background files from different drives and folders by selecting them in this dialog.

Add Web map Click this button to start the Internet map wizard. Use this wizard to connect to either an ArcIMS or OpenGIS Internet map server to select and display Web map images for use as background files. You can also click Add Web map to return to the wizard and select a different map server, URL or, in the case of ArcIMS, a different service.

Remove Click this button to remove the currently highlighted background file(s) from the list. The background file itself is not deleted from the folder where it is stored.

Coordinate system of selected file(s) The lower panel of the dialog contains information on the coordinate system assigned to the file(s) highlighted in the list. If the selected file is a Web map image, the map server coordinate system together with the matching GPS Pathfinder Office coordinate system and the layer number is shown.

C Warning – Check that this information is correct. The GPS Pathfinder Office software cannot check, because most background files do not contain information about their coordinate system or zone. When you added the background file to the list, the current coordinate system of the Map window was automatically assigned to it. If a file uses a different coordinate system, you must ascertain what that is and click Change to change the assigned system. SSF, COR, and PHS files do not require an associated coordinate system, as they always store positions as WGS-84 latitudes and longitudes.

If you want to load a vector background file and its coordinate system is not the current system, the information in the file is transformed so that it displays correctly in relation to the current coordinate system.

If you want to load a raster background file, it must match the current coordinate system. Raster files cannot be transformed.



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Change Click this button to assign a different coordinate system to the file(s) highlighted in the list box above. Background files do not contain any information on the coordinate system to which the positions in the file are referenced. If you assign the wrong coordinate system or zone, the GPS Pathfinder Office software will locate the GPS position incorrectly in relation to the background map. You cannot change the coordinate system of .ssf, .cor, or .phs files; they always use Lat/Long.

Note – The Change button does not alter coordinates; it simply specifies the coordinate system so that the software can interpret the coordinates correctly.

B Tip – If the Change button is disabled, there must be an .ssf, .cor, or .phs file among the highlighted files; these files always have the coordinate system Lat/Long.

OK Click this button to confirm the settings in the dialog and to load the checked background files. If you try to display a Web map image that is not saved to a local directory, you may be prompted for a username and password.

The first time you attempt to load vector files that use a different coordinate system from the current data file, you are asked whether you want them transformed. Transforming a vector file adjusts the coordinates so that they are in terms of the current coordinate system. This can take some time. Raster files cannot be transformed.

B Tip – Use View / Layers / Background to specify which layers from the loaded background files will be displayed.



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When you load a vector background file for the first time, a corresponding *.fbk file is created. This file is in the Trimble Fast Backdrop format, and can be loaded much more quickly than the original file. If the background file is transformed, the file itself is not changed; the transformed coordinates are stored in the *.fbk file. When you load the background file on subsequent occasions, the GPS Pathfinder Office software uses the *.fbk file instead, so that loading is quicker.

Coord Sys This button is only displayed if the selected file is a Web map image. Click the button to return to the Internet map wizard so that you can change the coordinate system for the file(s) highlighted in the list. If more than one Web map image is selected, this button is unavailable.

Layers This button is only displayed if the selected file is a Web map image. Click Layers to return to the Internet map wizard to change the layer(s) of the URL highlighted in the list.

If more than one Web map image is selected, this button is unavailable.

Save As This button lets you save a currently displayed raster image from an Internet map server (IMS) to a local directory. This button is only available when a map server image in the list is selected. It is not possible to save multiple files, so if more than one image is selected, Save As will be unavailable.

B Tip – Web map images accessed using an Internet map server are displayed and printed at screen resolution. To print an image at a higher resolution, save the image to a local directory using Save As.

When you click Save As, the Image Properties dialog appears where you can edit the extents as well as choose the scale and resolution before saving the image. When you click OK in the Image Properties dialog, the Save As dialog appears.

Note – You can only save the file in JPEG format.



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In the Save As dialog, enter the filename, and select the folder where you want to save the file. When you click Save, the file is transferred from the map server and saved to the specified location.

As the file is downloading, a progress dialog shows the number of bytes transferred.

A World file containing georeferencing information is generated by the GPS Pathfinder Office software with the same name (but different file extension) as the image and stored in the same directory.

B Tip – By downloading raster background images from an Internet map server and saving them to your local drive, you can easily transfer them, using the Trimble Data Transfer utility, to mobile field devices running Trimble’s TerraSync™ software.

Cancel Clicking this button closes the dialog without saving any changes to the settings or loading any files.

Load Background Files Dialog

The following dialog appears when you click Add in the Background Files dialog:

Use this dialog to add background files to the compiled list.



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Select the drive and folder where the background files are located, then select one or more of the files displayed in the window.

Note – Large bitmaps (for example, .tif files with a height or width greater than 32,767 pixels) may not display correctly as background files. Raster files, which initially seem to load as background files, may appear on the map display as a blank screen with limited coordinate extents. If this occurs, make the image smaller before trying to display it again.

1.2.7 Add Web Map

Using the GPS Pathfinder Office software you can connect to Internet map servers to display and download background images in map view. Access to an Internet map server means you have an additional location from which to search for and select background files to display in the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

To access the Internet map wizard, select File / Background / Add Web map. In the wizard, make your selections at each step and click Next to move to the next dialog. In the final dialog, click Finish to complete the wizard and return to the Load Background Files dialog.

Start the Internet Map wizard, then do the following:

1. Select your map server type. For details, see page 38.

Select a map server type—either OpenGIS or ArcIMS. The map server you choose determines the URLs and the service offered in subsequent dialogs. Click Next.

2. Locate your Internet map server. For details, see page 39.

Enter or select a map server URL. The URLs available to you depend on your choice of map server. Click Next.



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If you have chosen to connect to an ArcIMS map server, move on to step 2a. Otherwise, go to step 3.

a. Choose the required service. For details, see page 39.

b. Select the service you require from the ArcIMS map server and click Next.

3. Enter or choose a coordinate system. For details, see page 40.

The available options here depend on which map server you chose. In both cases, you can change the matching coordinate system in the GPS Pathfinder Office software by clicking Change:

– If you chose an OpenGIS map server, you are prompted to select the coordinate system in which the images must be displayed.

– If you chose an ArcIMS map server, the coordinate system shown is selected by the map server—you cannot change it.

Once the map server and GPS Pathfinder Office coordinate systems match, click Next.

4. Choose Layers. For details, see page 42.

Select any or all of the layers that you want to display or download.

Click Finish to return to the Load Background Files dialog. Any layers you selected from the map server now appear in the list of background files.



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Using the Internet Map wizard

To use the Internet Map wizard, do the following:

1. Select your map server type.

From the drop-down list select the map server you want to connect to. You have a choice of either OpenGIS or ArcIMS. The map server you select determines the URLs and the service offered in the later dialogs.

Click Cancel to cancel the operation and return to the Load Background Files dialog.



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2. Locate your internet map server.

In the Map Server URL list, enter or select the URL you want to connect to. The URLs shown here depend on whether you selected OpenGIS or ArcIMS in the previous dialog.

B Tip – The 20 most recently visited URLs are shown in the list, with the most recently visited site at the top.

Once a connection is made with the map server (messages may appear informing you of the progress of the connection), the next dialog appears.

Click Cancel to cancel the operation and return to the Load Background Files dialog. Choose the required service.

Note – This dialog only appears if you chose an ArcIMS map server in the previous step.



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Select the service you want from the list. All the available services on the ArcIMS map server are shown.

Once you select a service and click Next, the following message appears:

Requesting information on the chosen service.

There may be a short delay while the data is retrieved from the map server. You can click Cancel at any time.


3. Choose a Coordinate System.

The available options in this dialog depend on the map server you initially chose.



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The URL field shows the map server and service that you are connected to.

One of these options is presented:

– If you selected an OpenGIS map server, you are prompted to select the coordinate system in which the image files should be displayed. The list of coordinate systems relates to those available on the map server.

The code shown (for example, EPSG:26916) is the identifier used by the Internet map server (IMS) to reference the available coordinate systems.

Make sure that the correct coordinate system is selected because the GPS Pathfinder Office software will not identify the codes.

The current GPS Pathfinder Office coordinate system is shown. To change it to one that matches the map server coordinate system, click Change.



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– If you requested an ArcIMS map server, the coordinate system shown is selected by the map server—you cannot change it. Click Change to change the coordinate system in the GPS Pathfinder Office software so that it matches the Internet map server coordinate system. This displays the Coordinate System dialog. Click OK or Cancel to return to the Internet Map wizard.


4. Choose Layers.

Use this final step in the Internet Map wizard to select which layers of data to display.

The URL field shows the map server and service that you are connected to.

Select the check boxes for the layers you want to use. To quickly select all the layers, click Select All.



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If you change your mind, click Clear All to quickly deselect any layers you have selected.

The maximum extents information shows the total area covered by the currently selected layer(s).


Click Finish to view the list of layers that you have selected from the Internet map server in the Load Background Files dialog. If no layers are selected when you click Finish, a message appears advising you that at least one layer must be selected.

Image Properties Dialog

The following dialog appears when a map server image is selected in the Background Files dialog and you click Save As. Use it to set the scale, resolution, and extents before you save the image.

Define Image Resolution Enter the scale of the image. The scale format that you can use is determined by the setting selected in Options / Style of Display / Scale Format. For more information, see Scale Plot, page 54.



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Choose or enter the printer or screen resolution that you want. You have a choice of four resolutions, or you can enter a value.

The output image size —for the scale and resolution you have selected—is shown in both pixels and bytes.

Image Extents The image extents shown are those of the currently displayed map server image in Map view. If required, you can edit these map extents.

For more information, see Bottom Left Coordinates and Top Right Coordinates, page 56.

Click OK to save any changes and return to the Load Background Files dialog.

Click Cancel to return to the Load Background Files dialog without saving any changes.

Files of type This field shows the type of background files available, as shown below:

Choose… to list …

All background formats files in the file formats specified below: *.dxf, *.shp, *.ssf, *.cor, *.phs, *.bmp, *.tif, *.jpg, *.sid and *.fbk

DXF format (*.dxf) binary or ASCII files created in AutoCAD’s Data Exchange Format

SHP format (*.shp) files created in ArcView’s Shapefile format

SSF format (*.ssf) data files

COR format (*.cor) corrected data files

PHS format (*.phs) data files created using the Phase Processor Software

BMP format (*.bmp) raster files created in the Windows Bitmap format

TIF format (*.tif) raster files created in the Tagged Image Format

JPEG format (*.jpg, *.jpeg) raster files created in the Joint Photographic Experts Group format



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For more information on these file formats, see Chapter 2, Background Files.

Click Open to add the selected files. The Load Background Files dialog appears again, and its list box contains the selected files.

Note – Three-dimensional shapefiles used by ArcView version 3.1 cannot be loaded as background files in the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

MrSID format (*.sid) raster files created in the Multiresolution Seamless Image Database format

FBK format (*.fbk) files created in the Trimble Fast Backdrop Format from files you previously loaded

All files (*.*) all files in the folder

Choose… to list …



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1.2.8 Waypoints

Use this command to access waypoint file commands. The open waypoint file stores any waypoints you create. A waypoint file can be transferred to a data collector or field computer for use when navigating.

New

Select File / Waypoints / New to create a new waypoint file. The following dialog appears:

File Name This field already contains a name. However, you can overwrite it with a name that is more meaningful to you.



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The supplied name is created according to the following default scheme:

The values indicate the time when the file was created. The counter enables you to distinguish between files. If more than one file is created during a particular hour; ‘a’ is used for the first file, ‘b’ for the second file, ‘c’ for the third file, and so on. The .wpt extension indicates that the file is a waypoint file.

You can configure the GPS Pathfinder Office software to use a different initial letter when naming the file. See Style of Display, page 145.

The name in the File name field above, w071515a.wpt, indicates that the file was the first file created between 3 and 4 p.m. (UTC time) on July 15. This naming by type, date, and time can later help you to identify the file that you need.

Waypoint files can have the extension .wpt or .ssf.

Save as type This field indicates the file type which is displayed in the window below the Save in field. There are three options: .wpt, .ssf and All Files.

OK, Cancel, and Help Click OK to create the new waypoint file. If a waypoint file was already open, you are asked if you want to close it.

If you click Yes, the waypoint list that appears when you select Data / Waypoint Properties is now empty. Any previous waypoints were saved to the previous waypoint file.

filename wMMDDHHx.wpt

w Character that identifies the file as a waypoint file

MM Month

DD Day

HH Hour

x Counter

.wpt Extension



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The Waypoint Properties dialog is automatically displayed when you create a new waypoint file or open an existing waypoint file.

Click Cancel to close the dialog.

Click Help to access the online help system.

Open

Select File / Waypoints / Open to select an existing waypoint file. The following dialog appears:

File name The window below the Look in field contains the files (of the type defined in the Files of type field) that are in the current folder. You can change the drive and folder in order to access the file you want. Waypoint files can have the extension .wpt or .ssf. Select the file that you need from the window.



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Files of type This field shows the available types of waypoint files:

OK, Cancel, and Help Click OK to open the waypoint file you selected. If a waypoint file was previously opened, you are asked if you want to close it. If you click Yes, the waypoints in the file you just opened appear in the Waypoint Properties dialog. For more information, see Waypoint Properties, page 119. Previous waypoints were saved to the previous waypoint file. The Waypoint Properties dialog is automatically displayed when you create a new waypoint file or open an existing waypoint file.

Click Cancel to close the dialog.

Click Help to access the online help system.

Close

Select File / Waypoints / Close to close the current waypoint file and save any changes made since the file was opened.

ASCII Import

This command enables you to import waypoints from an ASCII file. For example, you can export points of interest from your GIS or CAD package to a file, then import them into the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

The waypoints in the ASCII file must be in the following format:

• Records are in the order: longitude, latitude, height (optional), text (optional) or east, north, elevation (optional), text (optional).

Choose... to...

Waypoint Files (*.WPT)

list waypoint files created by the GPS Pathfinder Office or ASPEN® software

Waypoint Files (*.SSF)

list waypoint files created by the DOS-based PFINDER® software

All Files (*.*) list all files in the folder



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• Fields are separated by commas or spaces and each record begins on a new line.

• Text must be enclosed in double quotation marks.

• Format for longitude and latitude is decimal degrees.

For example:

-122.10014 37.26642 -12.25 "PINE TREE"

-122.10001 37.2625 1.2 "OAK TREE"

-122.10018 37.26695 -16.83 "HYDRANT"

The waypoints in the ASCII file can be in any coordinate system; when you import them you are asked to specify the following:

• The coordinate system and zone, or the local site

• The units used for East, North, height, and elevation

Select File / Waypoints / ASCII Import. The following dialog appears:

This dialog has the standard controls for opening a file. For information about them, refer to Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.



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Select the file that you want to import and click Open. The following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to select the coordinate system and units in which the waypoints are defined. For an explanation of the fields in the dialog, see Coordinate System, page 139.

If you select an incorrect file format, for example, .doc or .xls, the following error message appears.

Click OK and select a different file to import.



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1.2.9 Plot Map

Select File / Plot Map to create a plot of the current map display. Your plot can contain information from the open data, waypoint, and background files.

A plot enables you to:

• work on a paper copy of the data

• create an overlay for an existing map sheet, so that you can compare contents

• output the data in paper form for storage or legal purposes

Note – File / Plot Map is unavailable if the Map window is not open or is empty.

By default, every plot created by the GPS Pathfinder Office software contains a title, the coordinate system and zone of the plot, the name of the open data file, and a scale bar. The rest of the plot is available for the contents of the Map window.

B Tip – You can customize the location of the standard fields on the plot, or hide some or all of these fields. For more information, see Customizing the Fields on a Plot, page 59.

By default, the scale and bounding coordinates are selected so that the entire contents of the Map window are displayed in the plot. You can change these values at any time. Depending on the paper size of the printer, more data may be displayed to the top and bottom or the left and right of the plot in order to fill all available space. A plot always fills the entire sheet of paper.

Use View / Layers to specify what is displayed in the Map window. You can show or hide feature types, waypoints, and background layers, and display them using different symbols. You can only plot data that is displayed in the Map window.



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Select File / Plot Map. The following dialog appears:



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B Tip – Create a file containing the information exactly as it is printed to use in other applications, by changing the printer port and printing to a file. To change the port that a printer is connected to:1. Open the Printers folder (Select Settings / Printers from the Windows

Start menu).2. Click the icon for the printer you are using.3. On the File menu, select Properties.4. Click the Details tab.5. Set the port in the Print to the following port drop-down list to FILE:

(Creates a file on disk).

When next you print using this printer you are prompted for a file name and location. A file is then created on disk.

The contents of this file differ from the information copied with the Copy Window command. This file contains a title, the coordinate system and zone of the plot, the name of the open data file, and a scale bar, as well as the contents of the Map window. The Copy Window command copies only the contents of the window.

Plot Title Enter the name of the plot in the Plot Title field. This text appears immediately below the plotted data. A plot title is optional.

Scale (Plot) This field specifies the scale of the plot. The scale is a ratio of page units to real-world units. For example, a scale of 1:2500 means that 1 cm on the plotted page corresponds to 2500 centimeters (25 meters) in the real world.

The scale can be a ratio independent of the units used, for example 1:2500, or in the form 1 inch to x feet. To configure the type of scale, select Options / Style of Display.

By default, the scale is set so that the contents of the Map window fit into the available plotting area. This scale is always a round value, for example 1:5000. Depending on the comparative shapes of the Map window and the plotting area, more data may be displayed either to the top and bottom of the plot, or to the left and right of the plot, in order to fill the available plot area. By default, the plot never displays less data than appears in the Map window.



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If you increase the scale value (make the number to the right of the ratio larger), more data will be plotted than is shown in the Map window.

If you decrease the scale value (make the number to the right of the ratio smaller), the amount of data to be displayed may exceed the available plot area. In this case, if you try to plot or display a screen preview, the following message appears:

This message indicates that you have asked to display more data than can fit in the available plot area.

You can:

• select a larger scale value

• set the bounding coordinates closer together

• select a larger paper size if your printer or plotter allows it

• ignore the message and plot as much as will fit on the page anyway

Bottom Left Coordinates The fields in the Bottom Left Coordinates area are the coordinates of the bottom left corner of the plot, in the current coordinate system. By default, these coordinates are selected so that the entire contents of the Map window appear in the plot, and so that the Map window is centered in the plot.

You can enter specific coordinates into these fields, for example, to create an overlay of a map with known bounding coordinates. If these coordinates make the plot too large to fit in the available plot area, a warning message appears when you try to plot or display a screen preview.



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Top Right Coordinates The fields in the Top Right Coordinates area are the coordinates of the top right corner of the plot, in the current coordinate system. By default, the coordinates are selected so that the entire contents of the Map window appear in the plot, and so that the Map window is centered in the plot.

You can enter specific coordinates into these fields, for example, to create an overlay of a map with known bounding coordinates. If the coordinates you enter make the plot too large to fit in the available plot area, a warning message appears when you try to plot or display a screen preview.

Grid Table 1.2 describes the available grid display options.

Table 1.2 Grid display options

Option Description

Plot Border Ticks Select the Plot Border Ticks check box to display border ticks and labels around the edge of the plotting area. Border ticks are displayed along all four sides of the plot area, and labels are displayed along the top and left sides. The distance between border ticks is determined by the Interval field.

Plot Grid Cuts Select the Plot Grid Cuts check box to display regular grid cuts (crosses) across the plot area. The distance between grid cuts is determined by the Interval field.

Interval The Interval field determines the distance that separates border ticks and grid crosses. By default, the interval is one that inserts at least two grid marks along the shortest side of the plot.

Plot Lat/Long Border Ticks

If the current coordinate system is Latitude/Longitude, select the Plot Lat/Long Border Ticks check box to display border ticks and labels around the edge of the plotting area. Border ticks are displayed along all four sides of the plot area, and labels are displayed along the top and left sides. The distance between border ticks is determined by the Interval field.



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Plot Size This field displays the actual size of the plot on paper. If either of these dimensions is greater than the corresponding dimension in the Maximum Possible Plot Size field, the plot will be clipped. You are warned of this if you try to plot or display a screen preview.

Maximum Possible Plot Size This field displays the maximum possible size of the plot on paper. This is the paper size minus the surrounding border and any caption. If either of the dimensions in the Plot Size field exceed these dimensions, the plot will be clipped. You are warned of this if you try to plot or display a screen preview.

OK and Cancel (Plot Map) Click OK to accept the plot parameters and start plotting. Click Cancel to close the Plot Map dialog without saving any changes you made.

Setup Click this button to display the standard Windows Printer Setup dialog. This dialog allows you to select the printer and configure the paper size and orientation. For further instructions on using the Printer Setup dialog, refer to your Microsoft Windows documentation.

Set Font Click this button to display the standard Windows Font dialog. This dialog allows you to select the font, font style, size and script type. For further instructions on using the Font dialog, refer to your Microsoft Windows documentation.

Plot Lat/Long Grid If the current coordinate system is Latitude/Longitude, select the Plot Lat/Long Grid check box to display regular grid cuts (crosses) across the plot area. The distance between grid cuts is determined by the Interval field.

Interval If the current coordinate system is Latitude/Longitude, the Interval field determines the distance that separates border ticks and grid crosses. By default, the interval is one that inserts at least two grid marks along the shortest side of the plot. Enter the interval as an angle, for example 0°30'00" for 0 degrees and 30 minutes.

Table 1.2 Grid display options (Continued)

Option Description



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Preview Click this button to display the plot as it will appear when printed, for example:

In this mode, the status bar changes to show you the number of the current page. The Preview window options are described below:

Click... to...

Print send the file to the printer.

Next Page scroll to the next page of the preview. This button is disabled if you are already on the last page.

Prev Page scroll to the previous page of the preview. This button is disabled if you are already on the first page.

One Page / Two Page toggle between a single-page and a two-page display. This button is disabled if there is only one page.



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Customizing the Fields on a Plot

In addition to the plotted data and the options you set up in the Plot Map dialog, a printed map plot contains a number of standard fields such as the coordinate system, scale, filename, and date.

The location and appearance of each standard field is determined by a parameter in a Planform (.pfd) file. There is a Planform file for each paper size you can print to.

To change the appearance of a plot, you must edit the Planform file for the paper size you will print to. Planform filenames are of the form wxh.pfd, where w represents the width, in millimeters, of the paper, and h represents the height in millimeters. For example:

• A4 size is 210 x 297 mm. To change the appearance of plots on A4 paper, edit the 210x297.pfd file.

• (US) Letter size is 215.9 x 279.4 mm. To change the appearance of plots on Letter paper, edit the 215x279.pfd file.

Each paper size is represented by two Planform files: one for the portrait (tall) orientation, and one for landscape (wide) orientation. For example, settings for plotting onto US Letter paper in landscape format are stored in the file 279x215.pfd.

Planform files are located in the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\PFOffice\Config.

Click... to...

Zoom In zoom in to the preview window. There are three levels of zoom. This button is disabled if you are already at the maximum level.

Click on the previewed page to zoom in to the next level, centered on the point where you clicked. A magnifying glass pointer indicates when this is possible.

Zoom Out zoom out of the preview window. There are three levels of zoom. This button is disabled if you are already at the minimum level.



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Once you have identified the Planform file you want to customize, you can open it in Microsoft Notepad and do either of the following:

• Hide fields

• Change the logo graphic displayed on a plot

Hiding Fields on a Plot

You can hide a field that normally appears on the plot by commenting out the parameter in the Planform file that defines its location. To comment out a parameter, insert a semicolon ( ; ) before the first letter of the parameter name.

For example, the location of the application name, GPS Pathfinder Office, is defined by the value of the parameter Application in the [Frame] section. To hide the application name, comment out this parameter as follows:

;Application=(0.153,0.036).



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Table 1.3 shows the parameters you can comment out, and the fields that they represent.

To hide fields on a plot:

1. Open Microsoft Notepad.

2. From the File menu, select Open.

The Open dialog appears.

3. Change drive and folder if necessary to move to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\GPS PFOffice\Config.

4. From the Files of Type field, select All Files.

Table 1.3 Parameters to comment out

Section Parameter Field

[Frame] Border 1 The outer border of the page

[Frame] Border 2 The inner border of the page

[Frame] Title The title of the plot

TIP: You can also hide the title by leaving the Plot Title field in the Plot Map dialog blank.

[Frame] North Arrow The arrow indicating the direction of north relative to the plotted data

[Frame] Scale The scale ratio and scale marker.

[Frame] File Value The name of the data file, or the text “Multiple files" if more than one file is open

[Frame] Date Value The current date

[Frame] Application The text "GPS Pathfinder Office"

[Frame] Logo The text "Trimble"

[Coord System] Cursor The coordinate system

[PWMF] Extents The graphic or logo



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5. Select the .pfd file that corresponds to the paper size you want to print to, and click Open.

For information on selecting the correct Planform (.pfd) file, see Customizing the Fields on a Plot, page 59.

The selected file opens in Microsoft Windows Notepad.

6. Check that the Name parameter in the [Planform] section shows the paper size and orientation you want to use.

7. Comment out any of the parameters listed in the table above to hide the corresponding fields on the plot.

8. From the File menu, choose Save.

9. From the File menu, choose Exit.

Microsoft Notepad closes.

You can use the Preview button in the Plot Map dialog to check the results of your changes.

B Tip – Changes to the Planform file have no effect in the printed or previewed plot if the Plot Map window is already open. To view changes, close the Plot Map dialog and open it again.

Changing the Logo on a Plot

By default, the Trimble logo appears in the bottom right corner of the plot. You can replace this logo with your own graphic or logo by editing the Planform file that defines which graphics file to use and where to place it.

The Planform file contains a number of parameters that define the location of fields on the plot. These parameters have a list of numbers as their value. For example:

Scale=(0.107,0.026,0.147,0.046)

File Value=(0.153,0.046)



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The numbers represent the coordinates of the field, measured in meters from the bottom left corner of the paper. The parameter value is of the form (L1, B1, L2, B2), or (L1, B1), where:

• L1 is the distance of the left edge of the field from the left edge of the paper

• B1 is the distance of the bottom edge of the field from the bottom edge of the paper

• L2 is the distance of the right edge of the field from the left edge of the paper

• B2 is the distance of the top edge of the field from the bottom edge of the paper

Note – If the field contains a single line of text, such as the File Value field, only the bottom left coordinate is required. The width and height are determined by the text value and the font and size you selected with the Set Font button.

For example, the value that defines the coordinates of the graphic displayed below is (0.145, 0.025, 0.195, 0.075):

The left edge of the graphic shown is 145 mm (0.145 m) from the left edge of the paper, and its right edge is 195 mm (0.195 m) from the left edge. Its bottom edge is 25 mm (0.025 m) from the bottom of the paper its top edge is 75 mm (0.075 m) from the bottom of the paper.



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To change the appearance of the logo graphic on a plot:

1. In a graphics program, create a .wmf file with your logo or design.

The Windows MetaFile (.wmf) format is a vector format, so a .wmf file can be resized or scaled without affecting its print quality.

2. Open Microsoft Notepad.

3. From the File menu, select Open.

The Open dialog appears.

4. Change drive and folder if necessary to move to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\PFOffice\Config.

5. From the Files of Type field, select All Files.

6. Select the .pfd file that corresponds to the paper size you want to print to, and click Open.

7. For information on selecting the correct Planform (.pfd) file, see Customizing the Fields on a Plot, page 59.

8. The selected file opens in Microsoft Notepad.

9. Check that the Name parameter in the [Planform] section shows the paper size and orientation you want to use.

10. At the end of the file, add the following section:

[PWMF]

Filename=

Extents=

11. In the Filename parameter, enter the location and name of the .wmf file you created; for example, Filename=c:\program files\common files\trimble\pfoffice\config\logo.wmf.

12. In the Extents parameter, enter the coordinates of the location where you want to place the logo graphic, for example, Extents=(0.153,0.027,0.186,0.031).

13. From the File menu, choose Save.



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14. From the File menu, choose Exit. Microsoft Notepad closes.

You can use the Preview button in the Plot Map dialog to check the location and size of the logo graphic. If the logo is not in the right place or is at the wrong scale, open the Planform file again and edit the values in the Extents parameter.

B Tip – Changes to the Planform file have no effect in the printed or previewed plot if the Plot Map window is already open. To view changes, close the Plot Map dialog and open it again.

1.2.10 Exit

Select File / Exit to close the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

If your data file is still open and there are unsaved changes in it, you are asked whether you want to save those changes. Click Yes to close the data file and save the changes.

When this process is completed, the GPS Pathfinder Office software closes.

The window layout is saved if Options / Save Window Layout on Exit is selected. The same window layout appears the next time you start the GPS Pathfinder Office software.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Edit Menu

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1.3 Edit MenuThe Edit menu groups commands for editing text in fields and for searching for a feature or note. The editing commands are only available when there is an editable field in the active dialog.

B Tip – It is often quicker to edit text using keyboard shortcuts.

1.3.1 Undo Text Edit

Undo, or [Ctrl]+[Z], cancels or reverses the previous text edit.

1.3.2 Cut Text

Cut Text, or [Ctrl]+[X], removes the selected text from its current location and stores it in the clipboard so that you can paste it elsewhere.

1.3.3 Copy Text

Copy Text, or [Ctrl]+[C], copies the selected text to the clipboard so that you can later paste it elsewhere.

1.3.4 Paste Text

Paste Text, or [Ctrl]+[V], adds the contents of the clipboard into the field at the position marked by the cursor.

1.3.5 Delete Text

Delete Text, or [Delete], deletes the selected text.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Edit Menu 1

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1.3.6 Copy Window

Use Copy Window to copy the active window to the clipboard. The Map, Time Line, Feature Properties, and Position Properties windows can all be copied. The window can then be pasted into another application, for example, a Microsoft Word document.

B Tip – If you are unsure which window is currently active, select the Window menu. The bottom portion of the menu lists the windows currently open, and a check indicates the active window.

Note – The information copied with the Copy Window command differs from the contents of a file created using the Plot Map command. The Copy Window command copies the contents of the window only; whereas the file created using the Plot Map command contains the file title, the coordinate system and zone of the plot, the name of the open data file, and a scale bar of the map, in addition to the contents of the window.

1.3.7 Find Feature

Use Find Feature to search for a feature, for example, when the particular feature you are looking for is not obvious on the map or time line, or when there are many features. You can limit the search to features of a particular type, and apply a test to an attribute you specify. Only features that pass the test are found.

B Tip – Turn on View / Auto Pan To Selection, so that the map and time line automatically pan to display the feature you find.



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Select Edit / Find Feature. The following dialog appears:

Use the fields and option buttons in this dialog to characterize the feature you are looking for, and so narrow down the search. For example, the dialog above will search for the first parking lot in the data file with a surface type that is asphalt.

Feature Select the type of feature (for example, Parking lot or tree) you are searching for from the drop-down list that appears when you click .

Attribute Use this field to select the attribute you want to apply a test to. The default, and the first entry in the list you can select from, is <No test>. This allows a search for all occurrences of the feature you selected, regardless of their attributes and attribute values. Selecting <No test> disables the following two fields.

Test You can use this field to specify a test. The GPS Pathfinder Office software only finds features that pass the test, narrowing down the search for the feature you want. The options available depend on the attribute type. The test is not case-sensitive.

The following option is available for text attributes:

• Containing Selects features whose attribute contains the text in the Value field.



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The following options are available for menu attributes:

• Equals Selects features with the attribute value specified in the Value field.

• Not equals Selects features that do not have the attribute value specified in the Value field.

The following options are available for numeric, date, and time attributes:

• Equals Selects features with the attribute value specified in the Value field.

• Not equals Selects features that do not have the attribute value specified in the Value field.

• Less than Selects features with a lesser attribute value than that specified in the Value field.

• Greater than Selects features with a greater attribute value than that specified in the Value field.

Value Enter a value for the test into this field, or select a value from the list, if the selected attribute is a menu attribute.

Search This group provides the following options for defining the beginning point or the direction of the search:

Select... to...

From Start start from the beginning of the data file. This is the default when you first search for a feature. Once the first occurrence of a feature is found, the option For Next is selected.

For Previous proceed backwards from the currently selected feature.



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Find and Close Click Find to carry out the search as you have specified. If a match is found, the feature is highlighted on the map and/or time line and appears in the Query Feature dialog. Click Close to close the dialog, leaving the found feature highlighted.

If a match is not found, the message Did not find a matching xxx feature appears, where xxx stands for the feature entered in the Feature field.

1.3.8 Find Note

Find Note lets you find a note that contains a particular portion of text.

Select Edit / Find Note. The following dialog appears:

Containing Enter the text portion belonging to the note you are looking for into this field (the search is not case-sensitive).

For Next proceed forwards from the currently selected feature.

From End start from the end of the data file and proceeds backwards. Once the last occurrence of the feature is found, the option For Previous is selected.

Select... to...



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Search This group provides the following options for defining the beginning point or the direction of the search:

Find and Close Click Find to carry out the search as you have specified. If a match is found, the note is highlighted on the time line and displayed in the Query Feature dialog. Click Close to close the dialog, leaving the found note highlighted.

If a match is not found, the message Did not find a note containing <text> appears.

1.3.9 Delete Features

Use the Delete Features dialog to delete (or restore) a particular group of features. You can limit the type of feature, and apply a test to an attribute that you specify. Only features that pass the test are deleted.

B Tip – Deleting features is useful when you are transferring data files back to a data collector for update. When you delete a feature it is flagged as deleted. Features that are flagged as deleted are not transferred back to the data collector. This reduces the size of the file that is transferred to the data collector and lets you send only the data that you require for update.

Select... to...

From Start begin from the beginning of the data file. This is the default when you first search for a note. Once the first note is found, the option For Next is selected.

For Previous proceed backwards.

For Next proceed forwards.

From End begin from the end of the data file and proceeds backwards. Once a note is found, the option For Previous is selected.



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When you select Edit / Delete Features the following dialog appears:

Use the fields and buttons in this dialog to select the feature(s) you want to delete. For example, the settings in the dialog above will delete all sign features that have a Condition attribute value that is equal to Repair.

Feature Select the type of feature (for example, sign or tree) that you want to delete (or restore) from the list that appears when you press . This contains all feature types contained in the open data file.

Attribute Use this field to specify the attribute that you want to apply a test to. All possible attributes for the selected feature appear in the list. The default entry in the list is <No test>. This will delete all occurrences of the feature you selected, regardless of their attributes and attribute values. Selecting <No test> disables the Test and Value fields.

Test Use this field to specify the test that will be applied to the attribute value. The GPS Pathfinder Office software only deletes (or undeletes) features that pass the test. The options available depend on the Attribute type. The test is not case-sensitive.

The following options are available for menu attributes:

Choose... to...

Equals delete (or undeletes) features with the attribute value specified in the Value field.

Not equals delete (or undeletes) features that do not have the attribute value specified in the Value field.



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The following options are available for numeric, date, and time attributes:

The following options are available for text attributes:

Value Enter a value into this field, or select a value from the list, if the attribute is a menu attribute.

Delete Click this button to carry out the delete as you have specified. If there are features that pass the specified test, the following dialog appears:

Choose... to...

Equals delete (or undeletes) features with the attributes value specified in the Value field.

Not equals delete (or undeletes) features that do not have the attribute value specified in the Value field.

Less than delete (or undeletes) features with a lesser attribute value than that specified in the Value field.

Greater than delete (or undeletes) features with a greater attribute value than that specified in the Value field.

Choose... to...

Containing delete (or undeletes) features whose attributes contains the text in the Value field.

Not Containing

delete all features whose attributes do not contain the text in the Value field.



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This dialog indicates the number of features that passed the test. Click Yes to delete these features. When the features are deleted they will disappear from the Map and Time Line views. Click No to return to the Delete features dialog.

If the file does not contain any of the features that you specified, the following dialog appears:

Undelete This button is used to carry out the undelete that you have specified. If there are features that pass the specified test, the following dialog appears:

This dialog indicates the number of features that passed the test. Click Yes to undelete these features. When the features are undeleted they will reappear on the Map and Time Line views. Click No to return to the Delete features dialog.

If the file does not contain any features that you specified, the following dialog appears:



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1.3.10 Delete Block of Positions

Use this function to delete a block of positions from the open data file. When you select Edit / Delete Block of Positions, the cursor changes to over the map window.

Drag the cursor across the map window until you produce a rectangle that contains the data that you want to delete. When you release the mouse button, the following message appears:

Click Yes to delete the selected block of positions.

B Tip – When applied to averaged vertices, the Delete Block of Positions function performs the same action as the Delete Vertex and Positions command in the Position Properties dialog.

Note – Block delete does not change the positions associated with quickmarks as displayed on the Map window or Position Properties dialog at the time of using Block Delete. To regenerate the quickmark position based on the remaining positions after Block Delete, select Options / Quickmark Settings. After the Quickmark Time Limit (if required) click OK to reprocess the quickmarks.

1.3.11 Undelete All Positions

Undelete All Positions restores all deleted positions in the open data file. Positions can be restored at any time.



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1.3.12 Select

Select has the same effect as clicking on the Select tool; the pointer is always an arrow, and clicking on an item in the map or time line selects that item. For more information, refer to Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – View Menu 1

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1.4 View MenuThe View menu contains commands affecting the display of information. You can open the Map and Time Line windows to display your data graphically, configure the display and specify what it will show.

1.4.1 Map

Use this command to display the Map window. If you displayed it in your last session, and Save Window Layout on Exit (under the Options menu) was checked, it will automatically be displayed on start-up, but will not contain any data until you load background files, open a data file, or open a waypoint file.

Select View / Map. The Map window appears:

The Map window is the primary means of viewing the data. It provides a plan view of the area. The map can display the features you have collected, the waypoints in the current waypoint file, and any number of background maps.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – View Menu

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You can zoom in or out and pan the display. You can also select features and waypoints from the map to view information about them, or edit them. For more information, refer to Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.

Note – Displaying the Map window with a very large amount of data may appear to be slow to refresh when redrawing the display.

Title Bar If there is information displayed in the Map window, the title bar displays a scale and the distance across the center of the map. For example, the map displayed above has a scale of 1:25000 and a distance of 2,500 meters across the center of the Map window.

Note – If the map is displaying information in the latitude/longitude coordinate system, the distance shown in the title bar is the distance across the map at the lowest latitude, which is nearest to the Equator.

Averaged vertices

In the GPS Pathfinder Office version 2.80 software you can now view and edit averaged vertex positions. An averaged vertex is a group of positions within a line or area feature that are averaged and displayed as a single position.



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Displaying features

Table 1.4 indicates how features are displayed. The display of a feature differs, depending on whether or not it is selected.

Displaying waypoints

Waypoints are displayed using the symbol configured in the Waypoint Layer dialog. Select View / Layers / Waypoints to configure the symbol. When the waypoint is selected, a square with a thick line is displayed around the symbol.

Displaying background files

Layers in background files can be displayed or hidden by selecting View / Layers / Background, highlighting the appropriate layer, then selecting or deselecting View as appropriate.

Table 1.4 Display of features on the map

Feature State Display Explanation

Point Not selected The symbol is the symbol specified in the View / Layers / Features dialog. The position of the symbol is the averaged position for the point feature. If you have a mixture of corrected and uncorrected positions for a point feature, only the corrected positions will be used to calculate the averaged position for display on the Map.

Selected The square is the color specified as the highlight color in the Control Panel.

Line or Area Not selected The line is the thickness and color specified in the View / Layers / Features dialog.

Selected The line is the color specified as the highlight color in the Control Panel.

Not joined A series of dots is displayed. The dots are the thickness and color specified in the View / Layers / Features dialog. To view averaged vertices, which are displayed as larger dots, a line or area must be displayed as not joined.



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Note – Large bitmaps (for example, .tif files with a height or width greater than 32,767 pixels) may not display correctly as background files. Raster files, which initially seem to load as background files, may appear on the map display as a blank screen with limited coordinate extents. If this occurs, make the image smaller before trying to display it again.

For more information about background file formats, see Chapter 1, GPS Pathfinder Office Software.

1.4.2 Time Line

Use this command to display the Time Line window. If you displayed it in your last session, and Save Window Layout on Exit (under the Options menu) was selected, it will automatically be displayed when you start the GPS Pathfinder Office software, but will not contain any data until you open a data file.

Select View / Time Line. The Time Line window appears:

The Time Line window provides an alternative view of your data. It displays the features and notes you have recorded in the current data file along a time axis. It does not display waypoints.

You can zoom in or out and pan the display. You can also select features and notes from the time line to view information about them, or edit them. For more information, refer to Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.



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Features and notes in the current data file are displayed on the Time Line window as follows:

Each feature symbol has a time bar below it, which shows the time period during which the feature was collected. Items are displayed at three different height levels:

• Notes are at the highest level.

• Nested features are in the middle, above the line or area feature that nests them.

• Ordinary features are at the lowest level.

Displaying features

The Time Line window displays features differently depending on whether or not the feature is selected. Table 1.5 shows the different ways that the information may be displayed.

Table 1.5 Display of features on the time line

Type State Display Explanation

Point Not selected A symbol is displayed above the time bar. The symbol is the symbol specified in the View / Layers / Features dialog.

Selected A square with a thick line is displayed around the symbol. The square is the color specified as the highlight color in the Control Panel.



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Displaying notes

Notes are displayed using the symbol configured in the Note Layer dialog. Select View / Layers / Notes to configure the symbol. When the note is selected, a square with a thick line is displayed around the symbol.

1.4.3 Layers

Use this command to specify what you want to view in the Map and Time Line windows. All information is grouped into layers, which can be turned off or on. All notes, for example, form a layer, as does each feature defined by the data dictionary. By turning layers off or on, you can view only those items that you are interested in. The default setting lets you view all layers.

Use these commands to configure the display of the corresponding information type; for example, use Features to configure the display of features. The configuration is remembered between sessions.

Line Not selected A thin line is displayed above the time bar. The line is the color specified in the View / Layers / Features dialog.

Selected A thick line is displayed. The line is the color specified as the highlight color in the Control Panel

Area Not selected A rectangle is displayed above the time bar. The rectangle is the color specified in the View / Layers / Features dialog.

Selected A thick border is displayed around the rectangle. The border is the color specified as the highlight color in the Control Panel

Table 1.5 Display of features on the time line (Continued)

Type State Display Explanation



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Features Layer

Use this command to determine which features are displayed, and how they are displayed. Each feature specified in the data dictionary is grouped into a layer. For example, if your data dictionary defines the feature tree, you can turn its layer off, so that tree features are not displayed in the Map or Time Line windows. An additional layer, Not In Feature, is for any positions you logged between features in the field. It appears at the top of the list of features and behaves like a line feature layer.

Select View / Layers / Features. The following dialog appears:

This multi-select dialog gives you control over the display of feature layers. You can:

• show or hide any particular feature layer

• select several features and show or hide them all

• select several point features and change them all to the same symbol

• select several line and area features and change them all to the same line style

A second level of control allows you to override the individual settings and quickly turn all features on or off.



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List window In the Features Layers dialog, the list window contains the features defined by the data dictionary for the current data file. Each row displays the symbol and name of a feature. A check mark in the Show column indicates that the feature layer will be shown.

Show Select the check box beside each layer to turn the layer of the selected feature or features on. A check mark appears in the Show column. Clear the check box to turn the layer of the selected feature or features off. The check mark beside each selected feature disappears.

View This option lets you override the feature layer settings in the List window. You have the following options:

Note – You can still find or edit a feature when its layer is not being displayed in the Map and Time Line windows.

OK Click this button to return to the previous dialog. A sample line with the properties that you selected now appears beside the line or area feature(s).

Note – The line styles chosen are remembered between sessions and stored in Feature.bin. This file is stored in \Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\PFOffice\Config and you can copy it, for example, to provide other users with your line styles.

Cancel Click this button to close the Features Layers dialog without making any changes.

Choose... To...

As Above display only the features with a check mark (the feature layers that are turned on)

All display all features, whether they have a check mark or not

None display no features, whether they have a check mark or not



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Symbol This button appears when a point feature or a number of point features are selected. (The Line Style button appears when one or more line, area, or Not In Feature layers are selected.) Click Symbol to select a different symbol for the selected feature(s). The following dialog appears:

This dialog contains a library of pre-defined symbols. The title bar shows the name of the point feature(s) that the dialog configures. The first three symbols are the default symbols for point features, notes and waypoints, respectively. A thick border indicates the currently selected symbol.

To choose a symbol, click on it. Alternatively, use the arrow keys to move the dotted border to a symbol, and press the spacebar. The thick border moves to the symbol.

Click OK to save the change and return to the previous dialog. The symbol you chose now appears beside the selected point feature(s).

Clicking Cancel closes the dialog without saving any changes you made.



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Note – The symbols and line styles chosen are remembered between sessions and stored in Feature.bin and Symbols.bmp. These files are stored in \Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\PFOffice\Config and you can copy them, for example, to provide other users with your symbols.

B Tip – You can design your own symbols. For more information, refer to Editing Symbols in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.

Line Style This button appears when one or more lines, areas, or Not In Feature layers are selected. (The Symbol button appears when a point feature or a number of point features are selected.) Click Line Style to change the line style. The following dialog appears:

The title of the dialog indicates which feature the dialog configures. The dialog contains a palette of colors which you can choose from. A thick border indicates the currently selected color. A sample line next to the Join check box shows you the current style.

To select a color, click on it. (Double-clicking selects the color and returns you to the previous dialog.) Alternatively, use the arrow keys to move the dotted border to a color, and press the spacebar. The thick border moves to the color.

B Tip – To quickly access the Line Style dialog, right-click on the feature in Map view and select the appropriate Layer Style command from the menu that appears.



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Thickness To alter the line thickness (or the size of the points if the line is not joined), select a different line from the drop-down list. The sample line shows the thickness that you selected. The thickness will be applied to all items in the current feature layer(s).

Join To represent the feature by a series of dots at the logged GPS positions, clear the Join check box.

Note – To display averaged vertices in a line or area feature, the Join box must be cleared. Averaged vertices are displayed as a larger dot symbol, which makes it easy to distinguish them from normal positions, as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2 Averaged vertices display

Help (Features Layers) Click Help to view help on the Features Layers dialog.

Notes Layer

This command lets you view or hide the notes in your current data file.

Select View / Layers / Notes. The following dialog appears:

View This check box determines whether notes are displayed. If the box is selected, notes appear on the time line. If it is not selected, notes do not appear.



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Note – You can still edit notes when the Note layer is hidden.

Symbol Click this button to change the symbol representing a note. (The current symbol appears to the left of the button.) For more information, see Features Layer, page 83.

Waypoints Layer

This command lets you view or hide the waypoints in your current waypoint file.

Select View / Layers / Waypoints. The following dialog appears:

View This check box determines whether waypoints are displayed on the map. If the box is selected, waypoints appear. If it is not selected, all waypoints are hidden.

Note – You can still create and edit waypoints when the waypoint layer is hidden.

Symbol Click this button to change the symbol representing a waypoint. (The current symbol appears to the left of the button.) For more information, see Features Layer, page 83.



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Background Layer

This command lets you configure the display of background files in the Map window.

Select View / Layers / Background. The following dialog appears:

This dialog lists the names of the layers formed from all loaded background files and indicates their format.

Use this dialog to:

• show or hide any particular background layer

• select several layers and show or hide them all

A second level of control allows you to override the individual settings and quickly turn all layers on or off.



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A background file produces a single layer or a series of layers, depending on the file format, as shown in Table 1.6.

List window This window displays the layers from the loaded background files.

A check mark in the Show column indicates that the layer will be shown.

The current symbol or line style for items in the layer appears to the left of the layer name. It is assigned by the software, if the background file cannot hold such information. Otherwise the area is left blank.

The Layer Name column shows the name of a layer, if the background file contains layer information. Otherwise, for example, if the format is TIF, SHP, or BMP, the layer name is the file name.

The Format column displays the file extension of the background file from which the layer comes. This indicates the file format. For more information on background file formats, see Chapter 1, GPS Pathfinder Office Software.

• Show - Select the check box beside each layer to turn on the selected layer(s). A check mark appears in the Show column. Clear the check box to turn off the selected layer(s). The check mark beside the layer(s) disappears.

Symbol Click this button to change the symbol associated with each feature in the current layer. The symbol you choose appears in the Background Layers dialog alongside the layer name.

Note – You cannot change the symbol for raster and DXF files; these files have their own symbol information.

Table 1.6 Formation of background layers

File format Layers

DXF A layer is formed from each DXF layer

SSF, COR, or PHS A layer is formed from each feature type

TIF, SHP, or BMP A layer is formed from each file



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View The options in this group let you override the settings in the list box above:

Display These options let you display the background files in the colors specified in the file or in a single color.

Note – Raster files are not affected by the Display options.

Choose... To...

As Above display only the layers with a check mark (the layers that are turned on).

All display all layers, whether they have a check mark or not.

None display no layers, whether they have a check mark or not.

Choose... To...

Colors From File display the background using the colors specified in the background file

Single Color display the background in one color. The color for disabled text is used. (You can change this color in the Windows Control Panel.)



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1.4.4 Precisions

Use this command to control the display of precision circles around points in the Map window.

Select View / Layers / Precisions and the following dialog appears:

Select the View check box to turn on the precision circles.

Select the line color and thickness to make circles easier to see.

Click OK to confirm your options and close the Precisions dialog.

Precision estimates are calculated using a complex algorithm that takes into account the DOP values, number of satellites, receiver type, and some other factors for each GPS position.

Note – Precision circles appear only when precision estimates have been computed for the currently selected file. Precision estimates are calculated by the Trimble Data Transfer utility when a data file is transferred, and the Differential Correction utility. If the data file does not contain precision estimates, run the Check SSF Files utility to generate them. If the precision circles are not visible at the present scale of the Map window, zoom in on points.



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1.4.5 Pan

This command is the menu equivalent of the Pan tool. Use it to pan across the Map or Time Line window, so that you display a different part of it. For more information, refer to Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.

When you pan across an image that is stored on an Internet map server, the current image remains in the Map view. The new image replaces the current one when it is received from the map server.

If the software has problems accessing the Internet map server while you are viewing an image, an error message appears. To continue viewing the image, click Yes. If you click No, the image is not displayed and the program stops trying to connect to the map server. To restore the connection, return to the Load Background Files dialog, make sure the correct URL is selected, and click OK.

1.4.6 Auto-Pan to Selection

This command ensures that the map and time line always display the selected item.

Select View / Auto-pan to Selection to display or remove the check mark beside the command.

When the check mark is displayed, the Map and Time Line windows pan to keep the selected item within the window whenever it reaches the window border.

B Tip – Turn this option on when scrolling through features in the Feature Properties window, positions in the Position Properties window, or waypoints in the Waypoint Properties window. The map and time line will automatically pan to show any item that you select.

When you auto-pan across an image that is stored on an Internet map server, the current image remains in the Map View. The new image replaces the current one when it is received from the map server.



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1.4.7 Zoom

Select View / Zoom and a submenu of commands for altering the scale of the Map or Time Line windows appears.

These commands are the menu equivalents of the Zoom In, Zoom Out, and Zoom Extents tools. You can only select View / Zoom / Extents or View / Zoom / Previous if the Map or the Time Line window is the active window. For more information, refer to Zooming in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.

When you use the Zoom commands on an image that is stored on an Internet map server, the current image remains in the Map view. The new image replaces the current one when it is received from the map server.


1.4.8 Scale (View)

Select View / Scale and the following submenu of commands appears:

Scale / Map lets you change the Map window and Scale / Time Line lets you change the Time Line window. These commands are not available when the respective windows contain no data or are not displayed.



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1.4.9 Map Scale

Select View / Scale / Map. The following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to set the Map window scale and center.

Scale You can use this field to specify a scale for the Map window. Select a value from the drop-down list or enter a value. If you defined a width, the Scale field already has a value.

The format of the Scale field is defined by Options / Style of Display.

Width You can use this field to specify the ground distance displayed across the map. If you defined a width, the Width field already has a value.

Center At You can specify the center point of the map as a pair of coordinates. This is an alternative to panning the map using the Pan tool.



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1.4.10 Time Line Scale

Select View / Scale / Time Line and the following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to specify the time span and start time for the Time Line window.

Duration Use this field to specify a duration for the time line. The larger the value the longer the time span displayed in the Time Line window. Pick a value from the drop-down list or key in any value.

Start From This group lets you specify a start time for the time line. The time and date you enter determine the time displayed at the left-hand edge of the Time Line window.

1.4.11 Refresh

Use the Refresh command if the display in the Map or Time Line windows has become unclear.

Select View / Refresh to redraw the Map and Time Line windows on the screen.

When you refresh an image that is stored on an Internet map server, the current image remains in the map view until the newly requested image is received.

When you refresh an image that is stored on an Internet map server, the current image remains in the map view. The new image replaces the current one when it is received from the map server.



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1.4.12 Smart Averaging

A point feature position is the best possible result of an average of all readings taken for that point. Individual readings within an area known as the precision circle are assigned weightings. The best readings are favoured with a higher weighting, which contributes more to the average than a lower weighting.

Smart averaging does not apply to line or area features.

Note – Make sure the PPRT option of your data collector is switched on to ensure all positions are included in smart averaging.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Data Menu

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1.5 Data MenuThe Data menu contains commands for querying and editing collected data. The Create Feature dialog lets you add features to the data file. The Feature Properties window lets you review and edit the data, while the Waypoint Properties dialog lets you create, edit, and delete waypoints. The Position Properties window lets you examine individual (GPS) positions in a data file. The Measure tool lets you measure between points on the map.

The Create Feature dialog lets you add new features to the open data file.

Select Data / Create Feature. The following dialog appears:

Select Feature This window provides a list of all the features in the open data file’s data dictionary. If there are more features than can be displayed at once, use the arrow buttons to scroll up or down the list to find the one you want.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Data Menu 1

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Attributes From This option allows you to specify the source of the attribute values for the new feature.

OK Click this button to create a new feature of the type selected. The Enter Attributes dialog appears.

Close Click this button to close the Create Feature dialog.

Help Click this button to access the online help system.

Auto-incrementing

When you use the Create Feature dialog, auto-incrementing of attribute values is not available. To manually add an incrementing value:

1. Look through the features in the open data file to find the last auto-incremented value used.

2. Enter the next value of the auto-incrementing sequence into the Enter Attributes dialog.

Note – If you chose Not Permitted in the Field Entry dialog, you will not be able to manually add an auto-incrementing value.

Choose... to obtain attribute values from...

Defaults the defaults specified in the data dictionary.

Selected the selected feature. If you are creating a new feature of a different type to that currently selected in the data file (or no feature is selected), the attributes from the data dictionary defaults are used instead.

Last Entered the last feature of the same kind that you created. If you are creating a new feature and have not created that feature in the data file before, the data dictionary defaults are used instead.



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1.5.1 Enter Attributes Dialog

Select a feature and click OK in the Create Feature dialog. The following dialog appears:

The Edit Attributes dialog allows you to edit or enter attribute values for the feature. You can also enter positions manually for the feature.

The line below the control bar indicates whether it is a point, line, or area feature that is being created. The feature name is also given. For example, the previous dialog shows Point feature: Sign.

Attribute List This window displays the attributes and values of the feature in two columns. If the feature has more attributes than can be shown at once, use the arrow buttons to scroll up or down the list to find the one you want.

Previous and Next Buttons Use the Previous and Next buttons (or up-arrow and down-arrow if the list is selected) to move through the list of attributes and select the one you want to edit.

Position Count This field displays the number of manual positions that have been logged for the feature.



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Attributes Tab

When you highlight an attribute in the attribute list, the Attributes tab displays that attribute. Its controls vary depending on the type of attribute selected.

If the attribute is a menu attribute, it appears as a list window containing the possible choices, for example:

The default setting is highlighted. If there are more options than can fit into the list window, scroll bars are present.

To choose a menu option, click on it, type its first letter, or move the highlight using the arrow keys, then press [Enter]. The option you chose appears in the Value column.

If the attribute allows you to enter text or a number, an arrow button appears to the right of the field. You can either enter a new value or select a value from the list that appears when you click the down arrow.

Note – If you enter a number with more decimal places than are specified by the data dictionary, it is rounded up or down. For example, if three decimal places are specified and you enter 10.5648, it is rounded to 10.565.



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Manual Positions Tab

The Manual Positions tab allows you to enter positions for the feature you are creating.

Latitude, Longitude, and Altitude (MSL) Enter the coordinates of the position into these fields. You can key values in or select a position from the map. If you use the latter method, the fields are automatically filled in.

Note – Values that you key in must be in terms of the currently selected coordinate system.

B Tip – If you normally use one coordinate system and want to enter positions from a map that uses a different coordinate system, switch to the map’s coordinate system, enter the position, then switch back to your normal coordinate system. Because the GPS Pathfinder Office software projects all waypoints back to the WGS-84 datum, positions can be used in any coordinate system defined for that area.

The Altitude field displays MSL (Mean Sea Level) or HAE (Height Above Ellipsoid), depending on the setting in Options / Coordinate System.

North and East may replace Latitude and Longitude, depending on the coordinate system (specified in Options / Coordinate System).

Add Click this button to save the position defined in the dialog to the feature currently being created.

Delete Last Click this button to delete the last position that was added to the feature being created.



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Add from Map Select this check box to enable you to select any position simply by clicking on the map. When you click on the map, cross hairs appear and their coordinates are entered into the dialog. If you have clicked on a GPS position or an existing feature, the value that appears in the Altitude field will be the altitude value of that position or feature. If you have clicked elsewhere on the map display, the altitude value will be zero. This is because the map is two-dimensional, not three-dimensional. Each time you click on the map, the position is added to the feature. When the Add from Map check box is selected, the Add button is not available.

Offset Button Click this button in the Feature Properties dialog to edit the feature’s offset values. The following dialog appears:

The dialog title includes the name of the feature. The fields in the dialog may vary from that shown above, depending on the feature type and on the offset format chosen. For more information, see Offset Distance Format Field You can define an offset as slope distance and inclination, or as horizontal and vertical distance, as shown in Figure 1.4., page 137.

Figure 1.3 shows some of the fields that may appear. All fields are described below.

Figure 1.3 Offset Formats



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Bearing The bearing is the angle between north and a line from the observer to the feature. The field name contains T or M, depending on whether north is true or magnetic.

Slope Distance The slope distance is the length of a straight line from the observer to the feature.

Inclination The inclination is the angle between a horizontal line and a line from the observer to the feature. When the feature is higher than the observer, the inclination is positive.

Horizontal Distance The horizontal distance is the length of a horizontal line from the observer to a vertical line through the feature.

Vertical Distance The vertical distance is the distance from the feature to a horizontal line from the observer. When the feature is higher than the observer, the vertical distance is positive.

Direction The direction indicates whether the feature is to the left or to the right, looking along the direction of collection.

1.5.2 Feature Properties

The Feature Properties window lets you view information on a feature or note in the data file. You can also:

• edit attributes

• edit feature offsets

• edit the text in notes

• delete features

• delete notes

B Tip – To view and optionally delete individual (GPS) or averaged vertex positions belonging to a feature, use the Position Properties window. The Feature Properties window cannot delete the GPS positions of a feature.

Note – You cannot edit or delete features if more than one file is open. To edit or delete features, open only the file that you want to change.



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To display the Feature Properties window, select Data / Feature Properties, click the Feature Properties tool, or double-click any feature or note in the map or time line. The following window appears:

The buttons at the top of this window control selections in the map or time line view:

The Feature Properties window is described in the following sections.

• Editing Attributes, page 108, explains how to edit the attributes of a feature in the Feature Properties window.

• Displaying or Editing a Note, page 109, describes the controls that appear if you select a note.

Click... to move to...

First the first feature

< the previous feature

> the next feature

Last the last feature

Delete deletes the currently selected feature in the Map or Time Line view



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1.5.3 Displaying Feature Information

There are three tabs on the Feature Properties window: Summary, Attributes, and Precisions.

Summary

The Summary tab displays important information about the current feature. This information varies depending on whether the current feature is a point, line, or area feature. However, for all feature types, the filename, status, and offset fields are displayed.

The Filename field displays the name of the file in which the current feature is stored. This information is useful when multiple files are open.

The Status field displays the current feature's status. This indicates whether the data is new, imported, or has been updated. Click Status on the Summary tab to display the Status dialog.

The Offset field displays the offset information for the current feature. Click the Offset button on the Summary tab to display the Offset dialog.

For point features, the number of positions that have been averaged to calculate the current feature's position is displayed in the Positions field. In addition, the standard deviation of the positions is displayed in the Std Deviation field.

For line features, the 2D and 3D line lengths are displayed. The Line Length (2D) field displays a value calculated by using 2D coordinates. This value should be the same as the length that you would get by measuring off the Map window. The Line Length (3D) field displays a value calculated by using 3D coordinated variations in altitude. The values displayed in the Line Length fields are displayed in the units selected for distance in the Units dialog.



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For area features, the 2D area value and the 2D and 3D perimeter values are displayed. The Area (2D) field displays the area value calculated using 2D coordinates. This value should be the same as the area you would get by measuring off the Map window. The Perimeter (2D) field displays the perimeter calculated by using 2D coordinates. This value should be the same as the distance you would get by measuring off the Map window. The Perimeter (3D) field displays the perimeter value calculated by using 3D coordinates. Variations in altitude are taken into account. The values displayed in these fields are displayed in the units selected for distance and area in the Units dialog.

Attributes

The Attributes tab allows you to edit the attributes of the current feature. For more information, see Editing Attributes, page 108.

Precisions

The Precisions tab displays the precision values for the current feature. For a point feature, the vertical and horizontal precisions are displayed. For a line or area feature, the mean horizontal and vertical precisions and the horizontal and vertical precisions for the worst position are displayed.

Precision estimates are calculated using a complex algorithm that takes into account DOP values, the number of satellites, receiver type, and some other factors, for each GPS position.



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1.5.4 Editing Attributes

To edit attributes, select the Attributes tab in the Feature Properties window. The Attributes tab displays the selected attribute value, and allows you to edit it.

Attributes tab

When you highlight an attribute in the attribute list, the Attributes tab displays that attribute. Its controls vary, depending on the attribute type.

If the attribute is a menu attribute, it appears as a list box containing the possible choices, for example:

The default setting is highlighted. If there are more options than can fit into the list window, scroll bars are present.



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To choose a menu option, click on it, type its first letter, or move the highlight using the arrow keys, then click Enter. The option you chose appears in the Value column.

If the attribute allows you to enter text or a number, a drop-down arrow appears to the right of the field. You can either enter a new value or select a value from the list that appears when you click the arrow button.

Note – If you enter a number with more decimal places than are specified by the data dictionary, it is rounded up or down. For example if three decimal places are specified and you enter 10.5648, it is rounded to 10.565.

1.5.5 Displaying or Editing a Note

To display a note, double-click on any note in the Time Line window. The Feature Properties window displays one box, containing the text of the note:

Note Text Click on this area to begin editing the current note.



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1.5.6 Status Dialog

Click Status in the Summary tab of the Feature Properties window to display the Status dialog.

Use this dialog to manually change the status of the feature.

Table 1.7 describes the three possible values for the status of a feature.

Table 1.7 Feature status values

Value Description

New A new feature is one that has been added to a data file in the most recent data collector session. A new data file will only contain new features.

Imported An imported feature is one that previously existed in a data file and has not been edited or updated in the most recent data collector session.

Updated An updated feature is one that previously existed in a data file, but has been edited or updated in the most recent data collector session.



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1.5.7 Offset Dialog

Click Offset in the Summary tab of the Feature Properties window. The following dialog appears:

For more information on the fields in this dialog, see Offset Button Click this button in the Feature Properties dialog to edit the feature’s offset values. The following dialog appears:, page 103.

Note – Offsetting irregularly shaped line or area features by large distances, relative to the length of the feature, may cause unexpected results.

Precision values for line or area features that have an offset applied may be exported as 0.0.



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1.5.8 Position Properties

The following window lets you view information on (GPS) positions, and optionally delete individual positions, in the data file.

Note – You cannot delete positions if more than one file is open. To delete positions, open only the file that you want to change.



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The buttons at the top of the Position Properties window control selections in the map view:

When an averaged vertex is selected, the Delete button in the Position Properties window becomes a drop-down menu, as shown in the following dialog:

Click... to move to…

First the first position.

<< the previous feature.

< the previous position.

> the next position.

>> the next feature.

Last the last position.

Delete deletes the currently selected position. The drop-down arrow is unavailable unless the selected position is an averaged vertex.



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The options in this menu are:

Once either the Delete Vertex Only or Delete Vertex and Positions command has been selected, the commands shown below become available when you select an averaged vertex position:

Latitude and Longitude These fields display the coordinates of the current position. Latitude and Longitude may be replaced by North and East, depending on the current coordinate system.

Altitude This field displays the altitude of the position above the selected reference height (mean sea level or ellipsoid). Positions that are arbitrary locations on the map do not have an altitude.

Click... to...

Delete Vertex Only delete only the vertex and not the positions that it is composed of. Once the vertex is deleted, the individual positions are displayed.

Delete Vertex and Positions

quickly delete the entire vertex and all of its positions.

Click... to...

Undelete Vertex Only

restore the vertex.

Undelete Vertex and Positions

restore both the vertex and all of its positions.



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Summary Tab

Select the Summary tab on the Position Properties window to display the following summary information about the position:

Date and Time These fields show when the position was recorded.

Vertex This field show how many positions make up the averaged vertex position contained within a line or area feature.

Position Table 1.8 shows the types of position which may appear.

Table 1.8 Position types

Value Description

Average of n The position of this point feature is calculated as the average of n computed GPS positions.

n of m The position is part of an area or line feature consisting of m positions. Each averaged vertex position is counted as a single position.

Quickmark The position is a quickmark, interpolated from the GPS positions recorded immediately before and after it.

Failed Quickmark The position is a quickmark that has failed. The GPS positions before or after lie outside the Quickmark Warning Interval.

Not in feature The position is not part of a feature. It indicates where you went between features.

Map location The coordinates are for a location on the map where you clicked. The location is represented by a cross. This location is not recorded in the data file.



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Horiz. Precision This field displays the horizontal precision estimate for the position.

Status This field shows how the position was calculated—more than one method may have been used. Table 1.9 shows these methods.

Non-GPS The position is not a GPS position; it could have been imported from a GIS, for example.

Deleted The position has been deleted. (No position is displayed on the map.)

Waypoint The position is a waypoint.

Table 1.9 Methods of calculating points

Value Description

2D The position was calculated by a receiver in 2D mode using a supplied altitude.

3D All three dimensions of the position were calculated by the receiver.

Mixed The position is a mixture of 3D and 2D calculations.

Uncorrected The position has not been differentially corrected.

Differential The position has been differentially corrected by the Differential Correction utility.

Carrier phase The position was carrier phase processed in the Differential Correction utility.

P-code generated The position was calculated using P-code or Y-code (military receivers only).

Non-GPS The position is not a GPS position; it could have been imported from a GIS, for example.

Real-time differential The position has been differentially corrected in real time.

RTK The position has been collected using RTK roving techniques.

Table 1.8 Position types (Continued)

Value Description



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Filename This field displays the name of the file from which the selected position comes.

Precisions tab

Select the Precisions tab on the Position Properties window to display the following information about the position’s estimated precision:

A position can have an estimated precision if it has been:

• collected using a GPS Pathfinder RTK system

• differentially corrected using the Differential Correction utility (version 2 or later)

• downloaded using the Trimble Data Transfer utility (version 2.10 or later).

Position estimates can also be generated using the Add Precision Records option in the Check SSF Files utility.

RTK Fixed The position has been collected as an RTK fixed position.

RTK Float The position has been collected as an RTK float solution.

Real-time WAAS The position has been differentially corrected using Real-time WAAS.

Table 1.9 Methods of calculating points (Continued)

Value Description



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Table 1.10 shows the information that is displayed in the Precisions tab.

DOPs tab

Click the DOPs tab on the Position Properties window to display the following DOP information:

The DOPs tab displays the PDOP, HDOP, VDOP, and TDOP values for the selected position.

It also lists the satellites that were used in calculating the GPS position.

Table 1.10 Precisions tab information

Value Description

North The error of the position in the northerly direction from the position's displayed coordinate.

East The error of the position in the easterly direction from the position's displayed coordinate.

Altitude The error of the position in the vertical direction from the position's displayed coordinate.

Ellipse major axis

The major axis to define the shape of the position's error ellipse. The major axis is the largest horizontal error from the position's display coordinate.

Ellipse minor axis

The minor axis to define the shape of the position's error ellipse. The minor axis is the smallest horizontal error from the position's display coordinate.

Ellipse orientation

The orientation of the error ellipse. The orientation defines the angle between north and the major axis.



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1.5.9 Waypoint Properties

Use the Waypoint Properties window to create waypoints and edit or delete the waypoints in the current waypoint file. (To choose an existing waypoint file or create a new one, select File / Waypoints.)

Select Data / Waypoint Properties, or the Waypoint Properties tool, or double-click on a waypoint on the map. The following dialog appears:

The right-hand side of the dialog displays information about the currently selected waypoint. The Edit button is highlighted, so that you only need to click Enter to edit the waypoint.

If a waypoint is selected on the map, it is also selected in the Waypoint Properties window.

Select Waypoint This list window contains the waypoints in the current waypoint file. The waypoint currently selected on the map is highlighted and information about it is displayed in the body of the dialog. If no waypoint is selected on the map, the first waypoint in the waypoint file is displayed. The waypoint selected in this list is also selected on the map.

Edit Click this button to edit the currently selected waypoint. The Edit Waypoint dialog appears.

Create Click this button to create a new waypoint. The Create Waypoint dialog appears.



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Delete Click this button to delete the currently selected waypoint. You are asked to confirm that you want to delete the waypoint.

Close Click this button to close the Waypoint Properties window.

1.5.10 Create Waypoint Dialog

The Create Waypoint dialog appears when you click Create in the Waypoint Properties window:

Use this dialog to create a waypoint. Enter a position and give it a name.

The lower panel contains read-only information on the currently selected coordinate system, zone, and datum. Coordinate values that you key in must be in terms of this system.

Name The GPS Pathfinder Office software provides a default waypoint name based on the scheme DDHHMMSS, where:

• DD is day

• HH is hour

• MM is minutes

• SS is seconds



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The time reference used is UTC time. You can overwrite this name, using up to 12 characters.

Note – You can save a waypoint that has no name, but this is not recommended, as the name enables you to identify the point later.

Latitude, Longitude, and Altitude Enter the coordinates of the waypoint into these fields. You can key values in or select a position from the map. If you use the latter method, the fields are automatically filled in.


B Tip – If you normally use one coordinate system and want to enter waypoints from a map that uses a different coordinate system, switch to the map’s coordinate system, enter the waypoints, then switch back to your normal coordinate system. Because the GPS Pathfinder Office software projects all waypoints back to the WGS-84 datum, positions can be used in any coordinate system defined for that area. Although the actual coordinates of a waypoint change when the coordinate system is changed, the physical position of the waypoint on the earth’s surface is preserved.

The Altitude field displays HAE (Height Above Ellipsoid) or MSL (mean sea level), depending on the setting in Options / Coordinate System.

North and East may replace Latitude and Longitude, depending on the coordinate system (specified in Options / Coordinate System).

Pick From Map Select this check box to enable you to select any position simply by clicking on the map. When you click on the map, cross hairs appear and their coordinates are entered into the dialog.

If you click on the map close to a GPS position, the cross hairs snap to it.

Note – The cross hairs do not represent a waypoint. You need to click Save in the Create Waypoint dialog to create the waypoint.



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If you click on an arbitrary position, the altitude is zero unless the cursor snapped to a GPS position. This is because the map is two-dimensional, not three-dimensional.

Save Click this button to save the waypoint as defined in the dialog to the end of the current waypoint file.

Before saving, the GPS Pathfinder Office software checks that the fields are filled in correctly. It prompts you to fix any problems.

Close Click this button to close the Create Waypoint dialog. The Waypoint Properties window is displayed and the waypoint you created is highlighted.

If the current waypoint has not been saved, you are asked whether you want to save it before closing the dialog.

1.5.11 Edit Waypoint Dialog

In the Waypoint Properties window, select the waypoint you want to edit and click Edit. The following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to edit the waypoint you selected in the Waypoint Properties window.

For information on the fields and buttons in the dialog, see Create Waypoint Dialog, page 120.



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Save Click this button or press [Enter] to save the edits made and close the dialog.

Cancel Click this button or press [Esc] to cancel the edits made and close the dialog. You are asked for confirmation.

1.5.12 Measure

This command lets you measure distances and areas on the map. You can measure the distance between two points, or the distance along a route. To measure the distance along a route and not merely the distance as the crow flies, you measure a series of straight-line distances between points along the route. The approximate route distance is the sum of these distances. You can also measure the area enclosed by a set of points.

Select Data / Measure, or click the Measure tool, and the cursor changes to a cross with a small ruler:

The cursor has this form only when it is over the map window.

The status bar changes to show the measurement details:

To measure the distance between two positions:

1. Click on the map at the start position.

2. Move the mouse towards the position you want to measure to. The status bar displays the distance and bearing from the position you clicked on to the cursor location.

3. Click on the end position. Distance and bearing freeze and display the total distance and bearing between the positions.

4. Double-click, press [Esc], or select another tool to end the measurement.



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To measure a route:

1. Click on the map at the start of the route.

2. Move the mouse to the end of the first straight-line section.

3. Click again. The status bar displays the distance and bearing of the line.

4. Move the mouse to the end of the next line.

5. Click again. The Distance field shows the route distance (sum of all lines measured) and the Bearing field displays the bearing from the previous position to where you clicked.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have reached the end point.

7. Double-click, press [Esc], or select another tool to end the measurement.

In this way, you can find out the approximate distance of a route by measuring a set of straight lines that approximate it.

Note – To obtain the length of a line feature, select Data / Feature Properties and select the line feature. Line Length displays the length of the feature.

To measure an area:

1. Click on the map at the start of the area.

2. Move the mouse to the end of the first straight-line section and click on it.

3. Move the mouse to the end of the second straight-line section and click on it. Once three positions have been clicked on, the status bar displays the area of the enclosed region formed by joining the last point back to the first. The Distance field displays the region’s perimeter.

Continue clicking with the mouse until you have traversed the entire area.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Utilities Menu 1

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1.6 Utilities MenuThe Utilities menu provides access to the utilities that are a part of the GPS Pathfinder Office software. These utilities perform a variety of functions as described below.

Restricted access to files

If you are a client user running the GPS Pathfinder Office software on a network, you may find you cannot use some files because they have restricted read and write access. If you have problems when trying to work with these files, or if you receive an error message, please contact your system administrator.

1.6.1 Batch Processor

Select this command to start the Batch Processor utility.

The batch processor is designed to increase your productivity by automating repetitive tasks that must be performed each time you come back from the field. You can come back from the field at the end of the day, start the Batch Processor running, and go home. When you arrive the next morning, your data has been downloaded from your data collector, differentially corrected, formatted for your particular GIS system, and possibly even imported and processed by your GIS software, depending on the power of its own batch or macro language.

For more information, see GPS Pathfinder Office User Guide - Volume 3.

1.6.2 Data Transfer

Select this command to start the Data Transfer utility.

The Data Transfer utility enables you to transfer files between a data collector and your office computer.



1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Utilities Menu

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1.6.3 Differential Correction

Select this command to start the Differential Correction utility.

The Differential Correction utility allows you to differentially correct field data to improve its accuracy.


1.6.4 Export

Select this command to start the Export utility.

The Export utility provides functionality for exporting files into a variety of GIS and CAD formats.


1.6.5 Grouping

Select this command to start the Grouping utility.

If your data collector does not support data dictionaries, or for some reason you do not want to work with data dictionaries, GPS positions can be grouped into features that are recognized by the GPS Pathfinder Office software, using the Grouping utility.


1.6.6 Combine Data Files

Use this command to start the Combine utility.

The Combine utility combines two or more data files into a single data file. It combines (or concatenates) all records from each input file.




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1.6.7 Data Dictionary Editor

Select this command to start the Data Dictionary Editor utility.

The Data Dictionary Editor utility allows you to create and edit data dictionaries for use in data collection projects.


1.6.8 QuickPlan

Select this command to start the QuickPlan software.

QuickPlan helps you plan and schedule data collection sessions.

For more information, see Chapter 3, The QuickPlan Utility.

1.6.9 Other Utilities

Select Utilities / Other to display a submenu of less frequently used utilities. The following submenu appears:

SSF Record Editor

The SSF Record Editor utility allows you to view, filter, and edit a Standard Storage Format (.ssf) file.

Note – Data files created by Trimble Pathfinder mapping products are in the SSF format. Not all SSF format files carry an .ssf filename extension. Other extensions include .cor, .phs, and .wpt.

The SSF Record Editor allows you to view SSF format files in detail. The ability to alter the coordinates of a GPS position record is intentionally omitted. You can use the editor to delete or undelete a position, but you cannot change the coordinates of that position.



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C Warning – Use the SSF Record Editor utility with caution. Deleting certain record types may make the file unusable. Trimble recommends that you edit features, attributes, and positions using the graphical GPS Pathfinder Office environment.


Check SSF Files

The Check SSF Files utility checks a data or almanac file in SSF or COR format for invalid or corrupt position records. The Check SSF Files utility looks at all records in the file and checks that values are valid and in the correct sequence, that the necessary information and variables are present, and that files are complete.


Configuration Manager

The Configuration Manager is used to create a configuration file that can be sent to one or many data collectors. A configuration file contains commands that set, and optionally lock, many of the settings on a GeoExplorer 3. This provides supervisors with extensive control over data collection operations carried out in the field.


Connection Manager

The Connection Manager monitors a selected serial port. When it detects that a Trimble data collector has been connected to that serial port, it will automatically transfer the data files from the data collector to the office computer, and optionally process them using the current Batch Processor settings.



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Coordinate System Manager

The Coordinate System Manager allows you to modify the geodetic information used in the GPS Pathfinder Office software. This information, which consists of coordinate system, zone, ellipsoid, datums, and local site definitions, may be created, edited, or deleted.

Since geodetic data is of a highly technical and specialized nature, you should only attempt to edit it if you understand the significance of each piece of data and know what you are doing.

The GPS Pathfinder Office software provides a graphical environment for creating local sites. See Create Local Site, page 150, for more information.


Import

The Import utility lets you convert GIS format files into the Trimble SSF format so that you can update the GIS information in the field. You can transfer the imported .ssf files to a GeoExplorer 3 or to the ASPEN field computer, then update and validate your information. You can also add new features.


SSF to RINEX

The SSF to RINEX utility allows you to convert Trimble SSF format files into Receiver Independent Exchange (RINEX) format.




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Text Conversion

The Text Conversion utility converts text strings in data files from the ASCII character set used by DOS to the ANSI (ISO 8859) character set used by Microsoft Windows, and vice versa.

You need this utility if you use extended or national characters in features, attributes, attribute values, and notes. Characters in the ANSI character set display correctly in the GPS Pathfinder Office software. If characters do not appear correctly in the GPS Pathfinder Office software, use the Text Conversion utility to convert from one character set to another.


System Report

The System Report utility lets you create a text file describing your computer’s configuration. If there is a problem with your computer, you may need to supply this file (Report.txt).


Uninstall

The Uninstall utility removes the GPS Pathfinder Office software from your computer's drives.

Note – Your settings and project folders containing your data files are never removed during the uninstall process.

C Warning – Ensure that all parts of the GPS Pathfinder Office suite of applications have been closed before you run Uninstall. Failure to do so will prevent those parts from being uninstalled. This includes the Project Changer and the Connection Manager, which appear in the status area of the taskbar.



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To remove the GPS Pathfinder Office software:

1. Click . Select Programs \ GPS Pathfinder Office \ Uninstall.

2. The following dialog appears:

Click No to cancel the removal process, leaving all your files in place.

Click Yes to completely remove the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

3. A series of dialogs, similar to the following, may appear.

Most of the shared files are used by the GPS Pathfinder Office software and other Trimble products.

Click Yes or Yes To All to completely remove shared files.

Click No or No to All if you are unsure (and do not mind a few extra files remaining on your computer's drive).



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4. The following dialog may appear:

Click Yes to remove all the shared files and continue the removal process.

Click No to leave the shared files in place and continue the uninstall process.

5. When the removal process is complete the following dialog appears:

6. Click OK to close the dialog.



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Some elements may not be removed. This can occur when programs in the GPS Pathfinder Office suite (like Project Changer and Connection Manager) are still running, or when more than one installation was performed before running Uninstall.

Note – Installation information is stored in a separate log file (called DelsL1.isu, DelsL2.isu, DelsL3.isu, and so on) every time an installation is performed. The Uninstall utility uses the last of these files when it removes GPS Pathfinder Office software. If you wish to remove all GPS Pathfinder Office software installed in multiple installations, double-click each log file (found in the application folder). The Uninstall utility starts and removes the GPS Pathfinder Office software recorded in the log file.

Project Changer

Use the Project Changer utility to change the project folder when the main program of GPS Pathfinder Office is not running.

Note – The Project Changer is not available while the GPS Pathfinder Office software is running.

The Project Changer icon appears in the status area of the taskbar.

How to use Project Changer

Click the Project Changer icon to access its menu.

B Tip – Double-click the Project Changer icon to quickly open the current project folder. Hold the pointer over the Project Changer icon for a moment to see the name and location of the current project.

The Project Changer utility is installed during a standard installation, and a shortcut is placed in \Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Options Menu

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1.7 Options MenuThe Options menu groups together commands for configuring the GPS Pathfinder Office software. Each command is described in the following sections.

1.7.1 Units

Many fields in the GPS Pathfinder Office dialogs and windows contain numeric values; you can specify the units for displaying or entering these values.

Select Options / Units. The following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to choose units, as well as the formats for display of offsets and bearings. The default values and options are illustrated above. Units for coordinates and heights, and the reference for altitudes, are specified in Options / Coordinate System.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Options Menu 1

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B Tip – Let the GPS Pathfinder Office software convert your data into the configured units. Simply enter the value followed by the abbreviation for the units it is in. For example, if meters is the configured unit, and you enter 10 ft, it is converted to 3.048 m. This applies only to fields that contain distances, offsets, heights, or coordinates.

Distance Field This field specifies the unit for distances (used when measuring). When a distance value appears in a dialog, an abbreviation for the unit used appears alongside. The default is kilometers. Table 1.11 shows the available units and their abbreviations.

Table 1.11 Distance field units

Unit Abbreviation

Kilometers km

Meters m

Nautical Miles nm

Miles mi

Yards yd

Feet ft

US survey feet USft

Inches in



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Area Field This field specifies the unit for areas, which are displayed when you query an area feature. An abbreviation for the unit used appears alongside the area value. The default is hectares. Table 1.12 shows the available units and their abbreviations.

Velocity Field This field specifies the unit for velocities. The default is kilometers per hour. Table 1.13 shows the available units and their abbreviations.

Offsets Field This field specifies the unit for offsets from features. This unit is also used to display standard deviations. The available units are the same as for the Distance field. The default is meters.

Table 1.12 Area field units

Unit Abbreviation

Square meters m2

Hectares Ha

Square kilometers km2

Square feet ft2

Acres acres

Square miles mi2

Table 1.13 Velocity field units

Unit Abbreviation

Kilometers per hour km/h

Meters per second m/s

Miles per hour mph

Knots kt

Feet per second ft/s



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Offset Distance Format Field You can define an offset as slope distance and inclination, or as horizontal and vertical distance, as shown in Figure 1.4.

Figure 1.4 Defining offsets

Choose the option that suits your method of working.

The default is horizontal and vertical distance.

Precisions Field This field specifies the unit for the display of precision values. When a precision value appears in a dialog, an abbreviation for the unit used appears alongside. Precision values are displayed in the Position Properties and Feature Properties dialogs, and can be exported as attributes. The default is meters. Table 1.14 shows the available units and their abbreviations.

Table 1.14 Precision field units

Unit Abbreviation

Meters m

Centimeters cm

Millimeters mm

Yards yd

Feet ft

US survey feet USft

Inches in



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Confidence Field This field specifies the statistical confidence level with which to display precision values. The specified confidence level determines the precision values displayed in the Position Properties and Feature Properties dialogs, the size of the precision circle on the Map window, and the precision values to be exported as attributes. The default is 68% precisions. The available confidence levels are:

• 68% Precisions

• 95% Precisions

• 99% Precisions

North Reference Field When measuring distances on the map, the bearing between points is computed with reference either to true or magnetic north, as determined by the configured North Reference. The default is true north. Table 1.15 shows the available units and their abbreviations.

Table 1.15 Reference field options

Option Description

True Bearings are referenced to true north. This is useful if you are navigating relative to a background map.

Magnetic Automatic Declination

Bearings are referenced to magnetic north. This is best if you are navigating with the assistance of a magnetic compass.

The GPS Pathfinder Office software will ascertain the magnetic declination for your position from its own table.

Magnetic Manual Declination

Bearings are referenced to magnetic north. This is best if you are navigating with the assistance of a magnetic compass.

You must enter the magnetic declination into the Manual Declination field. You can ascertain the value for your area from most topographical maps.



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1.7.2 Coordinate System

The GPS Pathfinder Office software requires that you specify how coordinates should be interpreted in a number of situations. For example, in order to display collected GPS positions in relation to a background map, the GPS Pathfinder Office software must be able to relate GPS latitude and longitude coordinates to north and east coordinates on the map. It is also critical that the GPS Pathfinder Office software interprets coordinates correctly when you:

• enter waypoint coordinates

• print or plot the Map

• export coordinates to a GIS, CAD package or database

• import waypoints from a file

• enter manual positions

You can instruct the GPS Pathfinder Office software to interpret coordinates, either by selecting a coordinate system and an associated zone, or by selecting a local site. For an introduction to the concepts of coordinate systems and zones (and the associated concepts of a datum, an ellipsoid, and a geoid), see the Datums and Coordinate Systems section of the Mapping Systems General Reference. For a more detailed description of these terms, see the Coordinate System Manager Help.

You can typically use one of the pre-defined coordinate systems and zones that are supplied with the GPS Pathfinder Office software. However, in certain circumstances the coordinates computed by the GPS Pathfinder Office software may not exactly match those of your existing data, or your existing data may use coordinates which do not correspond to any published coordinate system. In these circumstances, you can ensure that coordinates computed by the GPS Pathfinder Office software match your requirements by creating and using a local site definition. A local site can be regarded as a coordinate system which is customized for a particular (typically small) area. See Create Local Site, page 150 for details of how to create a local site.



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The Options / Coordinate System command allows you to specify how the GPS Pathfinder Office software should interpret and display coordinates in the Map window.

Select Options / Coordinate Systems. The following dialog appears:

This dialog also appears if you do any of the following:

• Click Change in the Select Background Files dialog.

• Select the Coordinate System tab of the Export Setup dialog in the Export utility.

• Click Change in the Reference Position dialog in the Differential Correction utility.

• Import waypoints from an ASCII file.



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The Coordinate System dialog allows you to specify how the GPS Pathfinder Office software should interpret coordinates for the Map window, for the selected background file(s), for export of data to a GIS, CAD package or database, for a base file’s reference position, or for waypoints imported from an ASCII file. You do this either by selecting a coordinate system and zone, or by selecting a local site that you have created. A local site is actually created ‘on top of’ a coordinate system and zone, but for your convenience the GPS Pathfinder Office software allows you to simply select a site by name, without having to refer to the underlying coordinate system and zone.

Note – The Coordinate System dialog determines how the GPS Pathfinder Office software interprets existing coordinates (for example, in a background file, an ASCII waypoint file, or a keyed in waypoint). It does not cause the GPS Pathfinder Office software to actually modify the coordinates in a file.

You can change the coordinate system of the Map window at any time, even if a data file is open. Some coordinate systems apply only to a small area, and attempts to display coordinates lying outside this area may result in considerable visual distortion of the Map’s contents, or may fail altogether.

Note – If you select a different coordinate system or zone for the Map window using Options / Coordinate System, any loaded vector files are transformed to fit the new system. This transformation may take some time. Raster files cannot be transformed by the GPS Pathfinder Office software, and are unloaded whenever the map’s coordinate system is changed.

Select By There are two different ways to specify the current coordinate system.

Choose... to...

Coordinate System and Zone

select a coordinate system and optionally a zone within this coordinate system.

Site select a local site.



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Site This field appears if you choose Site in the Select By field. Select a site from the drop-down list containing all the local sites defined using the Coordinate System Manager or using the Options / Create Local Site command in the GPS Pathfinder Office software. For more information on sites, see Create Local Site, page 150.

System This field specifies the coordinate system. The GPS Pathfinder Office software provides over 650 pre-defined coordinate systems and zones, covering most major regions of the world.

Note – You can define new coordinate systems, zones, and sites using the Coordinate System Manager. For more information, refer to the Coordinate System Manager chapter in Volume 3 of this User Guide.

Zone This list contains all the zones belonging to the selected coordinate system. Select the specific zone required for the area in which you are working, or the zone used by your background map, ASCII waypoint file, base reference position, etc. If you select the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, the GPS Pathfinder Office software computes the most likely zone and hemisphere based on your most recently used data file. You should check that these fields are correct, particularly if you work across a UTM zone boundary.

Datum This field is usually read-only, and simply displays the datum associated with your selected coordinate system and zone. However, if you selected the Latitude/Longitude or Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, you must also specify the appropriate datum in order for the GPS Pathfinder Office software to correctly interpret coordinates.

Note – Traditionally, the NAD27 datum was used as the base for UTM coordinates in the United States. In recent years, however, the NAD83 datum has sometimes been used for UTM. You must select the correct datum in order to ensure that the GPS Pathfinder Office software computes and interprets UTM coordinates correctly.



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Coordinate Units This field specifies the units to be used by the GPS Pathfinder Office software when computing or interpreting coordinates. For displaying and exporting coordinates, you will typically use units such as meters, feet, or U.S. survey feet. However, it is not uncommon for background files (particularly those created in Engineering or CAD packages) to express coordinates in units such as millimeters or inches.

C Warning – When indicating the coordinate system for a background file or ASCII waypoint file, you must specify the correct coordinate units in order for the GPS Pathfinder Office software to interpret coordinates correctly.

Altitude Units This field specifies the units to be used by the GPS Pathfinder Office software when computing or interpreting altitudes. If you wish to export, import, or display altitudes, you must specify the correct altitude units.



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Altitude Measured From Altitudes are heights above one of two different base levels, as described in Table 1.16.

Note – You can load alternative geoid models for selection from the list of available geoids using the Coordinate System Manager utility.

OK, Cancel, and Help Buttons

Click OK to confirm your selections and to close the dialog.

Click Cancel to close the dialog without confirming your selections.

Click Help to view help on the Coordinate System dialog.

Table 1.16 Altitude base levels

Option Description

Mean Sea Level (MSL)

OR:Approximate Mean Sea Level

Altitudes are displayed as a height above (or below) the mean sea level. This is the usual altitude reference for printed maps. The GPS Pathfinder Office software computes heights relative to mean sea level using a geoid model. The default geoid model used by the GPS Pathfinder Office software is the EGM96 global geoid model. You can change the geoid model associated with each coordinate system or zone by selecting Other, then choosing the required geoid model from the list of available geoids in the Geoid field. The accuracy of altitudes relative to mean sea level depends on the quality of the geoid model used.

Height Above Ellipsoid (HAE)

Altitudes are displayed as a height above (or below) the current ellipsoid, as determined by your selected coordinate system, zone, and associated datum. Altitudes relative to an ellipsoid are precise, but may be meaningless for your application. For more information on ellipsoids, refer to Chapter 5 of the Mapping Systems General Reference.



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1.7.3 Style of Display

This command lets you configure many of the ways that the GPS Pathfinder Office software displays information on the screen.

Select Options / Style of Display. The following dialog appears:

The default values and options are shown in the dialog.

Null String Whenever there is no value for a particular field, the GPS Pathfinder Office software displays the character string specified in the Null String field.

To alter the display in fields with no value, enter a character string of your choice into the Null String field.

Initial Letter for WPT Files This field determines the first letter of the waypoint filename, which the GPS Pathfinder Office software enters into the FileName field, when you create a new waypoint file. The default is w (for waypoint). You can choose any letter of the alphabet.



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Scale Format This field determines how the map scale is displayed on the Map window title bar and in the Scale Map dialog. Choose one of the following:

Coordinate Order Choose one of the following group to determine which of the north and east fields is displayed on the screen first. If you are using the coordinate system Lat/Long, the options are disabled:

Lat/Long Format Choose one of the following to display and enter latitudes and longitudes. It is only applicable when the coordinate system is Lat/Long. If you chose a different coordinate system, the field is disabled:

B Tip – To enter a latitude or longitude, simply key in the degrees, a decimal point, and the following numbers. You do not need to enter degree, minute, or second symbols. For example, if you type 44.383741 and the format is DD°MM'SS.ss'', 44°38'37.41'' is displayed. If the format is DD°MM.mm', 44°38.3741' is displayed.

Click OK to confirm your choice and close the dialog.

This option... Displays...

1:X a straight ratio, independent of the units used, for example: 1:24000.

1in:Xft a ratio of inches to feet, for example 1in:2000ft.


North/East the northing first, then the easting

East/North the easting first, then the northing


DD°MM'SS.ss'' degrees, minutes, and decimal seconds

DD°MM.mm' degrees and decimal minutes

DD.ddd° decimal degrees



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1.7.4 Quickmark Settings

This command specifies the maximum time allowed between a quickmark and the GPS positions before and after it. (Quickmarks obtain their position by interpolation from the closest GPS positions.) If you decrease the maximum time allowed so that the GPS positions closest to a quickmark lie outside that time, the interpolation fails and the quickmark becomes a failed quickmark. A failed quickmark can be displayed on the Time Line and the Query Feature windows, but not on the map.

Select Options / Quickmark Settings. The following screen appears:

Quickmark Time Limit This field specifies the maximum time between a quickmark and the GPS position before or after it. Select a value from the drop-down list, or key in a value of your own.

If you change this value, the GPS Pathfinder Office software indicates how many quickmarks failed:

Click Yes to display a report of the errors encountered.

Note – When you change the quickmark time limit, quickmarks in open data files are immediately updated, but background data files need to be re-loaded.



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If there is a Windows file association for *.txt files, the GPS Pathfinder Office software runs the file QMLOG.txt directly:

Otherwise, you need to run a text editor such as Microsoft Notepad, and open the file from there.

C Warning – Quickmark positions are interpolated from a specified point or "bounding position". If this bounding position is deleted, either manually or within a block delete, the quickmark is also deleted. However, once an export file containing a quickmark has been generated, the quickmark’s position is permanently created.

1.7.5 Time Zone

Use the Time Zone command to specify your time zone. Your data files store GPS times (which approximate UTC), and the time zone setting enables the GPS Pathfinder Office software to display local times for the data you collected.

Note – The time zone setting is common to the GPS Pathfinder Office software and the QuickPlan utility; set the zone in one and it will apply to the other as well. The QuickPlan utility uses the time zone when calculating satellite availability.



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Select Options / Time Zone. The following dialog appears:

Time Zone Select your zone from the drop-down list. The time difference from UTC appears below. If your field work was done in one time zone, and your office is in another, select the field work’s zone to see what time of day the data was collected.

New Time Zone Use this field to define a time zone, for example, if you are living in an area with a time zone that is different from any of the predefined zones available in the Time Zone drop-down list.

Click New Time Zone. The following dialog appears:

Enter a suitable name into the Time Zone Name field. Enter the zone’s time difference from UTC (GMT) into the Time Zone Offset field (Enter a negative offset if you are west of the Greenwich meridian). Click OK to add the zone to the Time Zone drop-down list and return to the Time Zone Settings dialog. Click OK again to actually select and use your new time zone.



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1.7.6 Create Local Site

A local site is an adjustment to the zone of a coordinate system. The adjustment consists of a translation, scaling, rotation about an origin, and an optional height adjustment. Creating a local site is for advanced users only.

GPS Pathfinder RTK system users will usually want to create a local site in order to calibrate GPS positions they have collected against existing survey marks to derive a vertical and horizontal plane adjustment.

A local site is applied in order to shift GPS positions by a certain value. You may, for example, create a local site because your GPS positions do not overlay perfectly with data in an existing geographic database, or because the coordinate system you use differs slightly from a coordinate system supported by the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

Note – A local site cannot be created when the Coordinate System Manager utility is open. Ensure the Coordinate System Manager utility is closed before creating a local site.

To create a local site, you enter vertices, which are pairs of positions that indicate the direction and magnitude of the shift. You can key in the coordinates of these positions or click on the Map window. The vertices are then used to compute the best possible translation, scaling, and rotation values.

A local site is created from a specific coordinate system and zone; it is linked permanently to that zone. Make sure that the current coordinate system and zone is the same as that of your existing database.

Note – You cannot create a local site using a latitude/longitude projection. This is because a local site is defined in linear units, such as meters, which vary at different latitudes.



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Note – Surveyors may find the following clarification helpful. A local site is the result of plane and height adjustments. The plane adjustment consists of a rotation, translation, and scale change of the mapping plane. The height adjustment defines a plane that is inclined relative to the mapping plane. A mapping plane is an underlying coordinate system that already has defined datum and map projection parameters.

Creating a local site is a simple way to compute the parameters (rotation, translation and scale) associated with a plane adjustment for a localized area (or site). Vectors define the relative movements of positions for known coordinates. A least squares adjustment is then "best fit" solution for the parameters of the plane adjustment.

You can use a local site to adjust GPS positions so that they fit an underlying coordinate system better, for example, when the background image has rectification errors.

Select Options / Create Local Site and the following dialog appears:

Vectors This group contains a list of the vectors that will be used to create the local site.



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The Residual 2D and 3D columns show the residuals in 2 and 3 dimensions once you have added all the vectors and clicked Solve. Each vector has a residual error, which is the distance between the actual known point defined by the vector, and the calculated point based on all the vectors. The difference is displayed in the current distance units; you can use Options / Units to change them.

Figure 1.5 shows this concept graphically.

Figure 1.5 Residual errors

A residual may be high for a number of reasons, for example:

• You entered an incorrect coordinate for the vector

• You entered the vector backwards, that is, you swapped the control position and the GPS position

• The vector is at a distance from the others

• The vector lies in a different direction from the others

If a vector is incorrect, it is usually the vector with the high residual that needs editing.

Add Click this button to add a new vector to the list of vectors. The Create Site Vector dialog appears.



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Edit Click this button to edit the currently selected vector. The Edit Site Vector dialog appears.

Delete Click this button to delete the currently selected vector.

Solve Click this button when all vectors have been added, or if any vectors have been added, edited, or deleted since the last time it was pressed. Solve computes the 2D and 3D residuals and displays them in the Vectors group.

Create Site Click this button to create the site based on the current list of vectors. The Create Local Site dialog appears.

Close Click this button to close the Define Site Vectors dialog.

1.7.7 Create Site Vector Dialog

The Create Site Vector dialog appears when you click Add in the Define Site Vectors dialog:

Use this dialog to create a site vector. A vector consists of a GPS position, which is where the GPS data currently is, and a correct position, which is where it should be in relation to the existing database.

Name The GPS Pathfinder Office software provides a default vector name starting with Vector 1 for the first new vector. You can overwrite this name.



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GPS Position Enter the coordinates of the GPS position which is to be shifted. You can key values in or select a position from the map. If you use the latter method, the fields are automatically filled in.


The Altitude field displays HAE or MSL, depending on the setting in Options / Coordinate System.

Known Position Enter the known coordinates of the location where the GPS position should be in relation to your existing database. You can key values in or select a position from the map. If you use the latter method, the fields are automatically filled in.


The Altitude field displays HAE or MSL, depending on the setting in Options / Coordinate System.

Pick From Map Select this check box to enable you to select any position simply by clicking on the map. When you click on the map, cross hairs appear and their coordinates appear in the dialog.

If you click on the map close to a GPS position, the cross hairs snap to it.

All coordinates entered by clicking on an arbitrary Map location have an altitude of 0.0 m. This is because the map is two-dimensional, not three-dimensional. Coordinates entered by clicking on a position within a feature have the altitude of that position.

Note – If the Pick From Map check box is selected, the coordinate is entered into the set of fields with focus. For example, to pick the coordinate for the Known Position fields, click on the North, East, or Altitude field in the Known Position group before selecting the position in the Map window.

Add Click this button to add the current vector to the list of vectors.

Before adding the vector, the GPS Pathfinder Office software checks that the fields are filled in correctly. It asks you to fix any problems.



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Close Click this button to close the Create Site Vector dialog. If the current vector has not been saved, you are asked whether you want to save it before closing the dialog.

1.7.8 Edit Site Vector Dialog

In the Define Local Site dialog, select the vector that you want to edit and click Edit. The following dialog appears:

Use this dialog to edit the vector you selected in the Define Local Site dialog. For information on the fields and buttons in the dialog, see Create Site Vector Dialog, page 153.

1.7.9 Create Local Site Dialog

When you click Create Site from the Define Local Site Vectors dialog, the Create Local Site dialog appears:

This dialog lets you create a local site based on the current list of vectors.



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Site Name Enter a name for the site in the Site Name field. A name can be any string of characters. A name is required.

Create Click this button to create the local site without applying it to the current coordinate system. Later, when you want to use the site, select Options / Coordinate System to select it.

Create and Apply Click this button to create the local site and make it the current coordinate system. All open data files and GPS-based background files will be shifted by the parameters defined in this site.

1.7.10 Toolbars

By default, the GPS Pathfinder Office software displays four toolbars with a number of tools for common operations:

To hide a toolbar, select Options / Toolbars and the relevant command in the Toolbars submenu. The check mark beside the toolbar command in the Toolbars submenu disappears.

See Basics of Operation in the GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide for a detailed description of the toolbars.

1.7.11 Status Bar

By default, a status bar is displayed at the bottom of the GPS Pathfinder Office application window. It shows you information about the current project.



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To hide the status bar, select Options / Status Bar. The check mark beside Status Bar in the Options menu disappears. For more information, see Basics of Operation in your GPS Pathfinder Office Getting Started Guide.

1.7.12 Save Window Layout on Exit

By default, the positions of windows, icons, and some dialogs are saved when you exit, so that when you start the GPS Pathfinder Office software again, your window layout is the same.

A check mark beside Save Window Layout on Exit indicates that changes will be saved. Select Options / Save Window Layout on Exit to turn this option on or off.

B Tip – When you have a convenient window layout, exit the GPS Pathfinder Office software to save it. The next time you run the GPS Pathfinder Office software, deselect the Save Window Layout on Exit command. The layout you saved now appears whenever you run the software.

1.7.13 Minimize On Use

Select Options / Minimize On Use to automatically reduce the GPS Pathfinder Office main program window to an icon in the Taskbar whenever a utility program is started. Click the icon in the Taskbar to restore the window to its original size. This feature reduces screen clutter.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Window Menu

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1.8 Window MenuThe Window menu provides access to ways of organizing the windows and icons on the desktop. It also lists the currently open windows or dialogs.

You can use the commands on the Window menu to organize your desktop and make a specific window the active window.

1.8.1 Cascade

The Cascade command resizes the windows and dialogs open on the desktop and arranges them in an overlapping pattern from top left to bottom right.

Select Window / Cascade to cascade the windows and dialogs that are open.

1.8.2 Tile

The Tile command moves and resizes the windows and dialogs open on the desktop and arranges them in a tiled pattern.

Select Window / Tile to tile the windows and dialogs that are open.

1.8.3 Arrange Icons

The Arrange Icons command rearranges any icons of minimized windows into a tidy pattern along the bottom of the screen, just above the status bar, for example:

Select Windows / Arrange Icons to organize the icons.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Window Menu 1

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1.8.4 List of Windows

The bottom section of the Window menu shows a list of currently open windows or dialogs. The active window or dialog has a check mark beside it.

You can make a particular window or dialog the active window or dialog by clicking on its name in the Window menu or by pressing the equivalent numeric key. For example, if the Feature Properties window is the fourth on the list, click [4] to make it the active window.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Help Menu

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1.9 Help MenuThe Help menu provides access to the GPS Pathfinder Office software commands, as well as the standard About window.

You can use the help menu commands to learn about the different commands, dialogs, and windows in the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

1.9.1 Contents

Select Help / Contents to display the Contents dialog for the GPS Pathfinder Office Help.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Help Menu 1

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There are two types of icons in the Contents tab: one for pages and another for books. Click a book icon in the Contents tab and click Open to view the pages within the book. Click a page icon in the Contents tab and click Display to view information on that page.

Note – Book icons may contain book icons. For more information on help files, select How to Use Help under the Help menu.

1.9.2 Search for Help on

Select Help / Search for Help on to display the Index tab for the GPS Pathfinder Office Help. Use this tab to search for a topic in the help file.

The Index tab lists all the keywords in the help file. You can use these words to search for help on a particular topic. To display information for a specific topic, type or select one of the keywords. Click Display and the GPS Pathfinder Office Help displays the selected help topic.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Help Menu

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1.9.3 How to Use Help

Select Help / How to use Help to display the standard Microsoft Windows How to Use Help information.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Registration 1

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1.10RegistrationYou can register your copy of the GPS Pathfinder Office software online, or via fax or mail, either at installation time or later through the Help menu of the main program.

To register at installation, select one of the following:

• Register via the Internet (Web access required)

• Register by fax or mail

• Register later (use Help / Registration from main program)

1.10.1 Register via the Internet

Do one of the following in the Online Registration page:

• Click New.

• Click Update Existing Registration* if you are already registered and wish to notify change of details.

The following fields will automatically contain details from the setup process:

– Serial Number

– Version Number

– Customer name*

– Dept./Company or Organization*

Type your details in the remaining fields:

– Street address*

– City*

– State or province (if applicable)

– Zip or postal code (if applicable)

– Country*

When you have completed the form, click Send Registration Now.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Registration

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Note – You can use this form each time you want to update your registration details.

1.10.2 Register by Fax or Mail

Do one of the following in the Register.txt form:

• If this is a new registration, delete Update Existing Registration*.

• If you are already registered and wish to notify change of details, delete New.

The following fields will automatically contain details from the setup process:

• Serial Number

• Version Number

• Customer name*

• Dept./Company or Organization*

• Type in the remaining details:

• Street address*

• City*

• State or province (if applicable)

• Zip or postal code (if applicable)

• Country*

When you have completed the form, print it, and fax it to 408 481 7076 or it mail to:

Trimble Mapping & GIS Systems Marketing645 North Mary AvenuePO Box 3642Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3642USA


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Registration 1

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Note – You can use this form each time you want to update your registration details.

1.10.3 To Register Later

Select Help / Registration from the main GPS Pathfinder Office program.

Select one of the following:

• Via Internet

• Via fax or Mail

Complete and submit the selected form as shown above.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Trimble on the Web

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1.11Trimble on the WebSelect Help / Trimble on the Web to access Trimble Navigation's World Wide Web site.

1.11.1 Internet Setup

The GPS Pathfinder Office software does not install or set up your Internet connection. It simply uses the Internet facilities built into Windows 95 and NT. It is your responsibility to set up Windows for your Internet connection.

Trimble is not responsible for setting up your Internet connection, or for solving any Internet problems that may occur.

For questions or support concerning your Internet connection, please contact your System Administrator or Internet Service Provider (ISP).

There are several steps required to set up Windows for Internet access. The following is not a full description, but merely a starting point. Consult the documentation supplied with Windows and by your ISP for further details.

• You must ensure that the appropriate parts of Windows are installed. For example, Dial-Up Networking is an optional component of Windows that is required for dial-up connections to the Internet. Also, Windows 95 Plus! contains the Internet Jumpstart Kit, which makes it easier to set up access to the Internet.

• If your organization already has permanent Internet access, then contact your System Administrator for help to set up your computer. You will need to set it up for access via a LAN, and probably for access through a proxy server (also known as a firewall). Your System Administrator will need to supply the address and port of the proxy.


GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Trimble on the Web 1

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• If you will be using a dial-up Internet connection, then you will need a modem and an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The ISP will usually give you documentation on how to set up Windows so that you can dial up and connect to the Internet through them.

• Once you have this required information, there are two ways of setting up Windows for Internet access.

The easiest way is to run the Internet Connection wizard, by choosing Start / Programs / Accessories / Internet Tools / Get on the Internet. If this is not installed, an alternative is to directly change the settings by double-clicking the Internet icon in Control Panel.


1 GPS Pathfinder Office Software – Online Support

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1.12Online SupportThe following support services are available:

1.12.1 Trimble Customer Support

Trimble is committed to providing customer support services that complement our world-class GPS products. Our customer support resources include a world wide network of Technical Assistance Centers (TACs) with knowledgeable staff to answer your questions, as well as a variety of electronic resources available 24 hours a day.

1.12.2 Trimble Product Training

The advantage of Trimble's Product Training is that you can become as productive as possible by learning to use Trimble hardware and software to its fullest potential. Trimble offers training world-wide and has training centers in North America, England, New Zealand, and Singapore.

1.12.3 Tips

Trimble TIPs (Technical Information Pages) are available for our customers. Presently, these documents provide answers to common questions about using the following products:

• Mapping and GIS Systems

• Land Survey Systems

• Mining, Construction, and Agriculture

• Marine Survey


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1.12.4 Send Feedback

This Web page provides a method to submit enquires directly to Trimble's Technical Assistance Center (TAC). It provides a form to enter relevant details for enquires ranging from very general enquires about Trimble products through to very specific enquires related to using specific Trimble products.

1.12.5 Base Station List

The Trimble Pathfinder Community Base Station (CBS) list currently provides information on over 200 Trimble base stations throughout the world. The information includes the location and contact details for each CBS site. The list is constantly being updated and a form is provided on this Web page to enable new or unknown CBS sites to be added to the list.

1.12.6 Trimble Mapping and GIS Home Page

This Web page provides the gateway to information about Trimble's Mapping and GIS Systems. Detail is provided about Trimble's complete GPS product line, which provides the accuracy, flexibility, and ease of use required by mapping professionals. Information is supplied about the products available for GIS and mapping applications, as well as insight into ways in which they are being used as every day data collection tools.

1.12.7 Trimble Home Page

This Web page provides the gateway to information about Trimble Navigation's wide range of products, services and applications, which include:

• Surveying roads

• Improving the efficiency of cellular paging networks

• Instantaneously dispatching emergency vehicles


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• Mapping the damage from earthquakes

• Navigating the featureless china desert

• Recording and synchronizing financial transactions around the world

1.12.8 About the GPS Pathfinder Office Software

Use this command to display the About GPS Pathfinder Office dialog. This dialog provides information about the GPS Pathfinder Office software version number, copyright, and licensing information.

Click OK to close the dialog.


C H A P T E R

2
2 Background Files
In this chapter:

■ Introduction

■ Background raster files

■ AutoCAD DXF files

■ ArcView Shapefiles

■ Windows Bitmap files

■ Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

■ Multiresolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID)

■ Tagged Image File Format

■ Trimble SSF files

■ Trimble Fast Backdrop format

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2.1 IntroductionThe Map window can display information such as a street plan or a map or aerial photograph of the area you are working in. This information is displayed as a background and can be provided by files in the following format:

• AutoCAD ASCII DXF

• AutoCAD binary DXF

• ArcView Shapefiles

• Windows Bitmap files (BMP)

• Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

• Multiresolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID)

• Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)

• Trimble SSF Format

• Trimble Fast Backdrop Format

You can load and display a number of files in any combination of file formats at the same time.

The following sections describe these formats and how the GPS Pathfinder Office software processes and displays the information in them. Where particular features of a format are not supported, this is indicated.


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2.2 Background Raster FilesThe GPS Pathfinder Office software supports the following types of raster files:

• Windows Bitmap files (BMP)

• Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

• Multiresolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID)

• Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)

2.2.1 Geo-referencing Raster Files

To use a raster file in the Map window, it must be geo-referenced to its location on the earth. Some GIS programs and utilities can do this.

2.2.2 Geo-referencing Explained

The World coordinates of the area represented by the image must be supplied to the GPS Pathfinder Office software as a separate World file or as part of the file (for example, later versions of MrSID). Geo-referencing information is given in coordinate units and the values must be valid for the appropriate coordinate system. This is set through File / Background / Load Background Files.

Each background image file must be geo-referenced, which means that it must have an associated World file. The World file determines the relationship between the pixels in the raster file and the corresponding real-world coordinates that each pixel represents. A raster file can be geo-referenced in any coordinate system supported by the GPS Pathfinder Office software. The name of this World file must be the same as the image (raster) file but with the appropriate extension.


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2.2.3 Recognized World File Extensions

The GPS Pathfinder Office software recognizes a variety of World file extensions, as shown in Table 2.1.

Structure of the World file

Raster files geo-referenced in different coordinate systems may be added to the list of background files. However, only raster files in the currently configured coordinate system are loaded into the Map window. Raster files cannot be displayed in a coordinate system that is different from their original coordinate system.

Alternatively, you can try to create a World file by hand. A World file is a standard text file that consists of six parameters on separate lines:

• X scale

• X rotation

• Y rotation

• Y scale

• X origin

• Y origin

Table 2.1 World file extensions

Raster Image ExtensionExamples of recognized World file extensions

*.BMP BPW, WLD

*.TIF TFW, WLD

*.TIFF TIFFW, WLD

*.JPG JGW, WLD

*.SID SDW


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where:

X and Y rotation terms are not used by the GPS Pathfinder Office software and should be set to 0.0.

X and Y origin terms are coordinates of the center of the upper left pixel in the area represented by the image. Coordinates are given in appropriate coordinate units.

X scale is the number of coordinate units per pixel and could be calculated as width of area in coordinate units divided by width of the image in pixels.

Y scale could be calculated as height of the area in coordinate units divided by height of the image in pixels. Note that Y scale, in most cases, will be negative as the coordinate system origin for most coordinate systems is bottom left. The origin of the image is set to be the top left corner.

Open the tutorial file Aerial.wld in any text editor to see an example of a World file.

2.2.4 Display of Raster Files

The Map window displays the raster file as follows:

• Raster files always display behind other information in the Map window so the information is not obscured.

• Raster files do not have any layer information. Each raster file loads as a separate layer. You can control the display of these layers in the Background Layers dialog.

• Raster files are not affected by the Single Color option in the Background Layers dialog.

• The Map window displays all the colors in the raster file. However, if your video driver does not support that many colors the image may appear incorrectly.


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• If more than one raster file is displayed at the same time in the Map window, the colors in all but one raster file may appear incorrect, especially for systems set to use a 256-color palette. Because only one palette can be displayed at one time, files with mismatched palettes must all use one of the palettes. The result is that one file may display correctly while the other files appear with incorrect colors.

Note – To avoid color display problems, Trimble recommends using true-color (24-bit) settings. However, the GPS Pathfinder Office software requires more memory and other system resources with this setting selected.

• Your computer has limited resources of memory and the graphic subsystem. Loading large raster files uses large amounts of these resources. When all the resources are used, further loading of raster files is not possible. To avoid this problem, the GPS Pathfinder Office software keeps track of the number of loaded raster files and, if necessary, loads subsequent raster files using the low-memory mode. However, while low-memory mode uses less memory and other resources, it is much slower than normal mode.


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2.3 AutoCAD DXF FilesThe GPS Pathfinder Office software supports the following types of DXF file:

• VAutoCAD Data Exchange Format (DXF) files created by AutoCAD or other compatible products.

• VDXF files created by releases up to and including Release 14.• VDXF files created using a DOS, UNIX, or Macintosh

platform.• VASCII DXF files using a carriage return, line feed, or

combination of both to terminate each line.• VBinary DXF and ASCII DXF file formats.• AutoCAD DXB files, and DXF files with external blocks or file

references are not supported.

2.3.1 Coordinates

The GPS Pathfinder Office software handles coordinates in the DXF file as follows:

• Reads and displays only X and Y values (eastings and northings or longitudes and latitudes). It does not read or display the Z value (altitude).

• Reads and displays only World coordinates. Coordinates mapped in “paper space” are not supported.

• The coordinate system of each file, and the units that these coordinates are in, must be defined when the DXF file is added to the list of background files. If necessary, the GPS Pathfinder Office software will transform the coordinates in the DXF file to those of the currently configured coordinate system. If the currently configured coordinate system is a local site, the site adjustment will not be included in the transformation.

• Multiple coordinate systems in a single file are not supported.


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• The coordinate order specified in Options / Style of Display is ignored when a DXF file is loaded. DXF files always have a fixed coordinate order of east/north or longitude/latitude.

Note – When loading a DXF background file, make sure that longitudes and latitudes are in decimal degrees or radians.

2.3.2 Display

The map displays a DXF file as follows:

• Displays only the feature geometry. It does not display the attributes.

• Draws all lines in the DXF file in a solid line type and changes dotted or dashed lines to solid lines.

• Draws polylines using the line width specified at the start of the polyline.

• Maps the first 15 colors specified in the DXF file to the default AutoCAD colors. Displays additional colors in the window text color (usually black).

• Draws curved polylines as straight lines.

• Does not display 3D face entities.

• Does not display dimension entities.

• Displays text in the Times New Roman font.

• Displays individual points as a dot.

• The colors in the DXF file cannot be changed in the GPS Pathfinder Office software. Use a DXF file editor to change the colors.

• Each layer in the DXF file corresponds to a separate background layer. You can control the display of these layers in the Background Layers dialog.


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2.4 ArcView ShapefilesThe GPS Pathfinder Office software supports Shapefiles created by ArcView version 2 or later.

It displays only the geometry file with the extension .shp. It does not display the index file (.shx) or the attribute file (.dbf). It displays the Shape types points, arcs, polygons, and multipoints.

2.4.1 Coordinates

The GPS Pathfinder Office software handles coordinates in the Shapefile as follows:

• Ignores the coordinate system in the Shapefile.

• Ignores the coordinate order specified in Options / Style of Display. Shapefiles always have a fixed coordinate order of east/north or longitude/latitude.

• Transforms the coordinates in the Shapefile to fit the current coordinate system, if necessary. (You must specify the coordinate system of each file, and the units that these coordinates are in, when you add the Shapefile to the list of background files.) If the current coordinate system is a local site, the site adjustment will not be included in the transformation.

Note – 3D shapefiles created in ArcView version 3.1 cannot be loaded as background files in the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

2.4.2 Display

The map displays the Shapefile as follows:

• Draws lines in a solid line type.

• Displays information in the Shapefile according to the symbols defined in the Background Layers dialog. Select View / Layers / Background to change the symbol or line thickness.


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• Treats each Shapefile as a separate layer. Shapefiles do not have any layer information. You can control the display of these layers in the Background Layers dialog.


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2.5 Windows Bitmap FilesThe GPS Pathfinder Office software supports all the standard Windows bitmap file formats:

• Monochrome bitmap files

• 16-color bitmap files

• 256-color bitmap files

• 24-bit (true color) bitmap files

2.5.1 Compression

RLE (Run-length encoding) compressed files are supported in normal mode, but not in low-memory mode.

2.5.2 Geo-referencing

For information on geo-referencing through a World file, see Background Raster Files, page 173.

2.5.3 Display

For information on how raster (bitmap) files are displayed, see Background Raster Files, page 173.


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2.6 Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)Most baseline, extended-sequential, and progressive JPEG processes are supported in the GPS Pathfinder Office software.

Unsupported ISO (International Organization for Standardization) options include:

• Hierarchical storage

• Lossless JPEG

• Arithmetic entropy coding

• DNL marker

• Non-integral subsampling ratios.

2.6.1 Compression

The GPS Pathfinder Office software does not support lossless JPEG and arithmetic entropy coding.


For more information on geo-referencing through a World file, see Background Raster Files, page 173.

2.6.3 Display



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2.7 Multiresolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID)GPS Pathfinder Office software supports the latest file versions of MrSID, that is 1.0.0 and 1.0.1.

2.7.1 Compression

GPS Pathfinder Office software supports MrSID wavelet compression.


If a geo-referencing World file is not available, the GPS Pathfinder Office software will read and use geo-referencing information from MrSID file metadata, if it exists.


2.7.3 Display



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2.8 Tagged Image File FormatThe GPS Pathfinder Office software supports a variety of TIFF file formats including version 6.

Other format options:

• Tiled TIFF files are supported. Large images display more efficiently if they are tiled.

• GeoTIFF format is not supported. However, GeoTIFF files can be used as normal TIFF files.

• Multiple images within a single TIFF file are not supported. In this case only the first image will be loaded.

• Color components stored in separate “component” planes are not supported.

• Greyscale and color TIFF files are supported.

2.8.1 Compression

GPS Pathfinder Office supports uncompressed TIFF files and the following compression schemes:

• CCITT Group 3 & 4 algorithms

• Packbits algorithm

• ThunderScan 4-bit RLE algorithm

• NeXT 2-bit RLE algorithm

• LogLuv algorithm

GPS Pathfinder Office does not support the following:

• ZIP

• LZW

• PixarLog compressed files


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The GPS Pathfinder Office software does not recognize geo-referencing tags in GeoTIFF files. However, free utilities are available in the public domain for all major computer platforms that can extract geo-referencing data from a GeoTIFF file and create a World file.


2.8.3 Display



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2.9 Trimble SSF FilesThe GPS Pathfinder Office software supports all SSF format files, which typically have .ssf, .cor, or .phs extensions.

2.9.1 Coordinates

The GPS Pathfinder Office software handles coordinates in the SSF file as follows:

All SSF files are stored in the latitude/longitude coordinate system, using the WGS-84 datum. SSF files are transformed into the currently configured coordinate system. If the currently configured coordinate system is a local site, the site adjustment will be included in the transformation.

2.9.2 Display

The map displays information in the SSF file according to the symbols defined in the Background Layers dialog. Select View / Layers / Background to change the symbol or line thickness.

The map treats each feature type in the SSF file as a separate layer. You can control the display of these layers in the Background Layers dialog.

SSF background files cannot be queried or edited in the same way as SSF foreground files. They are for display only. To query or edit a SSF format file, open the file with File / Open.


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2.10Trimble Fast Backdrop FormatThe first time that a vector format background file is loaded, an FBK file is automatically created. In subsequent sessions, the FBK file is loaded instead of the original file. This has the following advantages:

• Loading speed can be increased by up to eight times.

• Display speed can be doubled.

• FBK files use approximately a quarter of the memory required by the original vector file.

• FBK files use less disk space than the original vector file.

• If a coordinate system transformation is required to display the vector file in the Map window, transformed coordinates are saved in the FBK file so that the transformation does not have to be repeated.

An FBK file becomes invalid if the following events occur:

• The currently configured coordinate system is changed.

• The original vector format file is modified in any way.

In these cases, the FBK file will be automatically recreated.

Usually, the original file appears in the list of background files and the FBK file is automatically loaded if it exists. You can, however, load FBK files directly into the list of background files. FBK files are created in the \Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\PFOffice\FBK folder but you can move or copy them to other locations. Note that if you load an FBK file explicitly it is not updated if the original vector format file is modified.

If an FBK file is loaded explicitly, another FBK file is not created for it. If you select a different coordinate system, the FBK file is rewritten.


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2.10.1 Display

An FBK file inherits the display capabilities of its host vector file format. For example, if the original file used to create the FBK file was in DXF format, the FBK file will have the display capabilities as described for DXF files. See the appropriate place in this section for a list of display capabilities.

Note – FBK files created by version 1.12 or lower cannot be displayed directly as background images.


C H A P T E R

3
3 The QuickPlan Utility
In this chapter:

■ Introduction

■ Overview

■ File menu

■ Session menu

■ Graphs menu

■ View menu

■ Options menu

■ Help menu

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3.1 IntroductionThe QuickPlan utility is a Trimble software product designed to help you plan and schedule GPS field sessions. Use the QuickPlan utility to:

• create descriptions of field sessions

• create descriptions of sites where measurements are to be made

• create descriptions of obstructions to visibility at each site

• modify any of the above descriptions

• graph satellite visibility in a variety of ways, and display other session data in a variety of forms

• determine times when a required number of satellites will be available at any site or all sites

3.1.1 When and Why to Use the QuickPlan Utility

Mission planning is usually the first phase of managing a surveying project. Its objective is to define all significant aspects of the project so that it can be performed effectively and efficiently under all foreseeable conditions.

The QuickPlan utility is most often used near the end of the mission planning phase, after you have decided what information your survey must produce and what surveying procedures you will use. It usually follows site reconnaissance, during which you note the size and position of any obstructions that may affect satellite visibility at each survey or reference mark.

The QuickPlan utility can help you to:

• predict satellite availability at each mark

• experiment with satellite selection, almanacs, time zones, site visibility obstructions, and elevation masks


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• determine the best observation periods for a given session, given any necessary constraints on PDOP and on the hours during which the field crew can work

• visualize satellite availability through tables and graphical representations

3.1.2 Updating the Almanac

The almanac is a set of data that is used to predict satellite orbits over a moderately long period of time (about a month).

The QuickPlan utility needs an almanac of no more than about a month old to produce reasonably accurate results: if your computer does not have one, it is important to obtain a current almanac before using The QuickPlan utility.

Trimble’s Series 4000 receivers and GPS Pathfinder receivers acquire the current almanac from satellites during regular operations, and maintain this in memory. You can download the almanac from a Series 4000 receiver to your computer by transferring the ephemeris and storing it in an .eph file. You can download the almanac from a GPS Pathfinder receiver to an .ssf file. The QuickPlan utility can also read almanac information in the Yuma ASCII format.

To tell how old your most current ephemeris file is:

1. Get a listing of files with the extension .eph or .ssf in the \Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\Almanacs folder.

The default file name for an almanac is Almanac.ssf or Current.eph. You may, however, have chosen to name your ephemeris files differently when you transferred them to your PC.

2. Look for the file with the most recent date.


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Three ways to obtain an almanac

There are three ways to download an up-to-date almanac:

• Transfer data files and/or an ephemeris file from a Series 4000 GPS receiver, using the Trimble Data Transfer utility.

• Transfer an almanac file from a GPS Pathfinder receiver or datalogger.

• Download a current ephemeris file from Trimble's World Wide Web site at www.trimble.com. This method is usually used only if no receiver is available.

Updating the almanac used by the QuickPlan utility

When you transfer an almanac from a receiver or datalogger using the Trimble Data Transfer utility, it will be stored in the \Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\Almanacs folder by default. The QuickPlan utility automatically chooses the most recent almanac file in this folder; normally you do not need to do anything more to make sure that only the latest almanac file is used.

If you wish to use an almanac file other than the one that the QuickPlan utility chooses automatically, select Options / Almanac. The QuickPlan utility displays the Load File with Almanac dialog.

1. From the List Files of Type drop-down list in the lower left corner of the dialog, select either EPH files (*.eph) or SSF files (*.ssf).

2. Select the drive and folder that contain the EPH or SSF file.

3. Select the file.

4. Click OK.

The QuickPlan utility opens the selected file and loads the almanac from it.


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3.2 OverviewThis section discusses the concepts central to the operation of the QuickPlan utility. It covers sessions and points, and describes the main menu commands.

3.2.1 Sessions and Points

The concepts of sessions and points are central to the operation of the QuickPlan utility.

• A session is a period of time during which you plan to make observations. To be defined in the QuickPlan utility, a session must begin and end on the same day in whatever time zone you are planning in (local time or GMT). The purpose of planning is to let you schedule your observations so that the satellites you need are available throughout a session long enough for you to complete your work.

• A point is a place where you plan for observations to take place. It is equivalent to a mark or a station in GPS surveying terminology. For planning purposes, an approximate point position is sufficient. An error of 1º in the coordinates causes an error of no more than four minutes in the predicted rise and set times of a satellite.

You must define a point for every mark to be observed in the survey, even if you are entering approximate point positions that are so close together that they are equivalent. This is because the properties of each point include a description of the obstructions visible from that point, and predicting the effects of these obstructions on satellite availability is an important part of the function of the QuickPlan utility.


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3.2.2 Starting the QuickPlan Utility

Before you can start the QuickPlan utility, Microsoft Windows must be running on your computer and the GPS Pathfinder Office software must be installed. Start the QuickPlan utility from within the GPS Pathfinder Office software or start it directly from Windows.

To start the QuickPlan utility from the GPS Pathfinder Office software:

• Select Utilities / QuickPlan from the menu bar.

To start the QuickPlan utility from Windows:

1. Click .

2. Select Programs / GPS Pathfinder Office <version> / QuickPlan.

3.2.3 Defining the Session in the QuickPlan Utility

When you start the QuickPlan utility, you must define a session before you can use the program main menu. The procedure you must follow is described in the following sections and is the same as the procedure for defining a new session with the Session / New Session command.

Note – It is possible to reach the main menu without defining a session. However, most of the commands in the main menu will not be available.



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3.2.4 Step 1: Selecting a Date

The first dialog that the QuickPlan utility displays is the Select Date dialog:

Select the date on which a session will be conducted. The QuickPlan utility computes satellite visibility for that date.

To select a date:

1. Use one of the following methods:

• Click one of the following: Today, Tomorrow, or Day After Tomorrow.

• Click a date in the calendar. Click Prev Month or Next Month, if necessary, to display the required month.

• Enter the Julian date in the lower left corner or the calendar date in the lower right corner.

2. Click OK to close the dialog.

For more details on the Select Date dialog, see New Session, page 208.



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3.2.5 Step 2: Defining a Point

When you close the Select Date dialog, the QuickPlan utility displays the Edit Point dialog:

Select or define a point (a mark) at which observations will be made. The QuickPlan utility computes satellite visibility for that point.

To select a point, do one of the following:

• Click World Map to display a map of the world, then use the mouse to select a point on the map.

• Click Cities to display a world-wide or local list of cities, then select a city from the list.

• Click Keyboard to open a dialog, then define a point by entering its latitude, longitude, and other properties.

Once you have selected a point:

1. Click OK in the world map, city list, or dialog to return to the Edit Point dialog.

2. Click OK in the Edit Point dialog to close it and proceed.

For more details on Edit Point, see Editing an Existing Point, page 213.



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3.2.6 Step 3: The Status Dialog

When you close the Edit Point dialog the QuickPlan utility displays the Status window:

For more information, see Options Menu Commands, page 238.

Note – The satellite and almanac information appears in the Status dialog after you work with the Options / SVs... commands.

At this point the main menu bar for the QuickPlan utility becomes accessible.

Main Menu Bar Many of the commands that you can select from the main menu bar display dialog boxes and other windows in the main window of the QuickPlan utility.



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The main menu commands and functions are listed below:

3.2.7 What Next?

Once you reach the main menu, you are ready to begin planning. You have already defined one session and one point, and have added the point to the session.

• Use Session / Edit Session to define and add additional points.

• Use Session / New Session, if necessary, to define additional sessions and add points to them.

After you have defined the sessions and points you need, experiment with different observation schedules and session parameters:

• Session / Edit Session lets you vary the schedule.

• The Options menu commands let you vary parameter settings such as the elevation mask.

Select... to...

File Print graphs, optimal observation time lists, and observation reports; exit the QuickPlan utility.

Session Create and modify sessions and points within sessions.

Note You can select different dates within a single planning session by opening the Select Date dialog, and you can select different points by opening the Edit Point dialog. These dialog boxes are accessible through the Session / New Session and Session / Edit Session commands.

Graphs Create and display graphs of satellite data.

View Resize, zoom, and pan graphs. The View menu is available only when at least one graph window is open.

Options Select available satellites, time zone, program status, elevation mask, and almanac.

Help Display information about how to use the program.



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• Options / Auto Time controls the minimum required observation period, the minimum required number of satellites, and the PDOP mask.

The commands listed below display and print information that can help you define the best plan for your needs:

Select... to...

Graph / Number of SVs and PDOP

find observation periods that offer the best combination of satellite availability and low PDOP.

Graph / Elevation determine how many satellites (and which ones) will clear site obstructions at any time.

Graph / Azimuth find safe observation periods for a site in which an entire part of the sky is obstructed. At any time, satellites with azimuths in that part of the sky may be unavailable.

Graph / Number of Satellites

make preliminary studies of satellite availability; help you find observation times when many satellites will be available.

Graph / Satellites find observation periods when particular satellites are available. This is helpful if you know which satellites you want to observe.

Graph / PDOP select a set of satellites to observe. You can enable and disable specific satellites and see the effect on PDOP.

Graph / Skyplot visualize satellite paths and their relations to obstructions.

Options / Show Status

put graphic displays in context by providing data about the ephemeris file, time zone, etc. This helps you avoid making plans based on obsolete or inappropriate data.

Options / Auto Time compute and display list of optimal observation times, given specified criteria.



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There are essentially two ways to use the QuickPlan utility:

• You can let the program do the planning. Enter appropriate parameter settings then select Options / List Times. A list of observation times that meet the criteria you have specified will be produced.

• You can do the planning yourself. Use any combination of commands to display information that helps you visualize satellite availability over the period of time when the observations must be made, and decide on a plan.

A practical approach usually combines both techniques. You can use Options / List Times to get a list of suitable times, then produce various graphs to help you decide, within those times, what schedule of observations best suits your needs.


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3.3 File MenuThe File menu has three commands for printing various types of information:

Use the Print Graph, Print Auto Time, and Print Report commands to print graphs and reports.

Each command is available only when the QuickPlan utility is displaying the type of information that command is meant to print. For example, Print Graph is available only when the QuickPlan utility is displaying one or more graphs.

It is a good habit to activate the window or dialog you want to print by clicking it before you select a Print... command. If several graphs are open, for example, click the one you want to print before you select Print Graph. Otherwise Print Graph prints the graph you opened most recently—which may or may not be the one you want.

Note – See your Microsoft Windows online help for more information concerning printing features, and naming and saving files in Windows.

3.3.1 Print Graph

You can print a graph only when that graph is displayed in the QuickPlan window.

To print a graph:

1. Display the graph in the QuickPlan window.

2. Click in the graph’s window to activate it.


3 The QuickPlan Utility – File Menu

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3. Select File / Print Graph to open a standard Print dialog:

4. Click OK to print the selected graph.

You may be able to speed up printing of graphs by reducing the resolution of your printer. Resolution control is a function of the Windows printer driver and is not supported by the drivers for all types of printers.

To see if your printer driver supports resolution control:

1. Click on a graph.

2. Select File / Print Graph.

3. Select the Print Quality drop-down box.

If Print Quality offers a choice of resolutions, you can speed up printing by selecting a lower resolution.

Changing the resolution in the File / Print Graph command affects only the printing operation you start with that command.



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To permanently change the resolution of the printer:

1. Open the Printers dialog by selecting Settings / Control Panel / Printers from the Windows Start menu.

2. In the Printers dialog, double-click the icon of your printer driver, or select the icon of your printer driver and select Open from the File menu.

3. In the Printer window select Properties from the Printers menu.

4. Set the print quality option on one of the tabs. (Not all printers offer a print quality option.)

Any changes you make last until you make another change and affect all Windows applications.

3.3.2 Print Auto Time

The Print Auto Time command prints the contents of the ListTimes dialog—a list of optimal observation times for the current session.

To print the ListTimes dialog:

1. Select Options / Auto Time. The Auto View Time Selection dialog appears.

2. Fill in the fields with the values you want. Click OK to display the ListTimes box.



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3. Select File / Print Auto Time. This presents the AutoTime List Destination dialog, which prompts you to choose whether to print the ListTimes box to the printer or an ASCII (text) file:

4. Click the appropriate button to close the dialog and proceed.

To print the report to a printer

If you click Printer in the AutoTime List destination window, the QuickPlan utility opens a standard Print dialog.

Click OK to send the list to the printer. When you click OK the Report Format dialog appears, prompting you to select the report format:

1. To insert breaks between constellation changes, select the Dividing Lines check box. Clear the check box to insert no breaks.



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2. Click Fonts to display the Font dialog. This dialog lets you select the font type, style, size, and color of the output. (All of these choices are subject to limits on the capabilities of your printer. The Font dialog contains the following fields:

3. Click OK in the Report Format dialog to print the report.



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To print the report to an ASCII file

If you click ASCII-File in the AutoTime List destination window, the QuickPlan utility opens a standard Save As dialog:

1. Use the Drives and Folders lists to choose the destination of the file.

2. Use the Save File as Type list to specify the file type. The default is REP (a QuickPlan report file).

3. Type the name of the file into the File Name edit box.

4. If you do not add an extension to the file name, it defaults to a value that depends on the type of file you are saving. The default type for a QuickPlan report file is *.rep.

5. Click OK to write the report to the file.



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3.3.3 Print Report

To print a satellite visibility report:

1. Use the Options / Show Report command to display the report.

Once the report is visible, the File / Print Report command becomes available.

2. Select File / Print Report to open the Report Destination dialog:

3. Click Printer to write the report to the printer or ASCII-File to write it to a file.

The procedure for printing a satellite visibility report is the same as the procedure for printing an auto time list. For more information, see Print Auto Time, page 203. Similarly, the procedure for writing a satellite visibility report to a file is the same as the procedure for writing an auto time list to a file.

3.3.4 Exit

Select File / Exit to exit the QuickPlan utility.


3 The QuickPlan Utility – Session Menu

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3.4 Session MenuThe Session menu has three commands. This section describes the commands, along with dialogs and other elements used in the commands. Some of the dialogs and other elements are shared by more than one command.

Note – Because the QuickPlan utility does not save information from run to run, you must create a new session before it will let you use the main menu. In effect, it selects Session / New Session for you when you start the program. You may use Session / New Session to define additional sessions, but remember that none of the sessions you create will be saved.

3.4.1 New Session

Use this command to describe each session that will be conducted in the course of the project.

To create a new session:

1. Select the Session / New Session command. (When you start the QuickPlan utility, the program performs this step for you.)

– If you have not yet created or edited a session in this run, the program opens the Select Date dialog. Select a date for the session and click OK. (For more information, see Changing a Session’s Date and Time, page 225.)

– If you have created or edited a session in this run, the program assigns the new session the same date as the last one you created or edited. You can change this date later in the procedure if necessary.

– If you have not yet defined any points, the program opens the Edit Point dialog to let you define the first point. (For more information, see Edit Point, page 212.) If you have defined points, the program skips this step. You can define additional points later in the procedure if necessary.


The QuickPlan Utility – Session Menu 3

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Figure 3.1 shows details of the Add New Session dialog:

Figure 3.1 The Add New Session dialog

The program automatically assigns the session a four-digit session ID consisting of the day of year and a unique digit to distinguish different sessions created on the same day.

2. Change the contents of the Session Name text box if you want to change this session name. You may use an alphanumeric session ID up to nine characters long.

3. Add each point at which observations will be made: double-click on the point in the All Points list, or highlight it in the All Points list and click Add. (For more information, see Adding and Deleting Points in a Session, page 224.)

Session date and time

Define points

Set session time

Edit selected point’scurtainEdit selected point

Session name

Points in session

Define new point

Set receiver ID(Plan only)

combined curtainDisplay session’sSet session date



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When defining a new session:

– To add a point that has not yet been defined, first define it by clicking Create. This displays the Edit Point dialog.

– You can define curtains for the point that is selected in the n Points list. (The n represents a number; the label of the list box tells how many points are in the list.)

Note – A curtain is any obstruction that blocks satellite signals from a GPS receiver located at a particular point. A point’s curtains are part of the definition of that point

– Click Curtain to run the Curtain Editor. For more information, see Curtain Editor, page 227.

4. Click Date to open the Select Date dialog and select a date for the session.

5. Click Time to open the Enter Start & Stop Times dialog and specify the session’s start and stop times. For more information, see Changing a Session’s Date and Time, page 225.

6. Click OK to close the Add New Session dialog.

3.4.2 Edit Session

Use this command to change the date, time, and set of points in a session, and to edit the properties of points.

1. Select the Session / Edit Session command:

The QuickPlan utility displays the Choose a Session dialog. This box contains a list of session IDs.



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The list ordinarily contains just one entry: the session ID of the session that you created at the start of the run:

2. Double-click the session you want to edit, or select the session and click OK.

The QuickPlan utility closes the Choose a Session dialog and displays the Edit Session dialog (not shown here, but very similar to the Add New Session dialog).

Use the dialog as follows:

– To create a new point, click Create. For more information, see Creating a New Point, page 213.

– To edit the properties of an existing point, highlight the point in the n Points list and click Edit Pt. For more information, see Editing an Existing Point, page 213.

– To define or edit the curtains for the selected point, click Curtain. For more information, see Curtain Editor, page 227.

Note – You can display the session’s combined curtains by clicking Combined Curtains (For more information, see Displaying a Combined Curtain, page 234.)

3. When you are finished, click OK to close the Edit Session dialog.



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3.4.3 Edit Point

To edit a point:

1. Select the Session / Edit Point command. The QuickPlan utility opens the Choose a Point dialog.

2. Double-click the point you want to edit, or highlight it and click OK. The QuickPlan utility opens the Edit Point dialog:

3. Click World Map, Cities, or Keyboard, depending on the procedure you want to use to edit the point.

4. Make your changes. (All three procedures are described in the following sections.)

5. When you return to the Edit Point dialog, click OK to close the dialog and complete the editing operation.

B Tip – You can also edit a point by highlighting the point from the list on the left side of the Add New Session or Edit Session dialog, then clicking Edit Pt.



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3.4.4 Session Menu Dialogs

The following sections describe dialogs that the commands in the Session menu may display. The dialogs are described separately from the commands as many of them are used by more than one command.

3.4.5 Creating a New Point

To include a point in a session, you must first create (define) the point.

The QuickPlan utility maintains a temporary database of points: this database is not saved when you exit the QuickPlan utility.

To create a point from the Add New Session or Edit Session dialog, click Create. The QuickPlan utility opens the Add New Point dialog.

To define a point:

1. Click one of the following:

– World Map to define the point by clicking on its position on a map

– Cities to define the point by selecting the name of a near by city from a list

– Keyboard to define the point by entering its coordinates and other properties on the keyboard

2. Use the appropriate procedure to define the point. (Procedures are described in the following sections.)

3. Click OK to create the point and close the Add New Point dialog.

3.4.6 Editing an Existing Point

You can edit (redefine) a point, using one of the following procedures:

• Highlight the point in the list on the left side of the Add New Session dialog (if you are creating a new session) or the Edit Session dialog (if you are editing one). Click Edit Pt.



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• Select the Session / Edit Point command from the main menu. The QuickPlan utility opens the Choose a Point dialog. Double-click the point you want to edit, or highlight the point and click OK.

The Edit Point dialog opens. It shows the name and coordinates of the point you selected.

To edit the point you selected:

1. Click one of the following:

– World Map to redefine the point by clicking on its position on a map

– Cities to redefine the point by selecting the name of a nearby city from a list

– Keyboard to redefine the point by editing its coordinates and other properties on the keyboard

2. Use the appropriate procedure to edit the point, as described in the following sections.

3. Click OK to create the point and close the Edit Point dialog.



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3.4.7 Creating or Editing a Point with the World Map

If you go far afield, you will probably find that the world map is the most convenient means of defining points for your sessions:

All of the procedures for adding or editing a point lead to the Edit Point dialog, from which you can open a world map by clicking World Map.



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World Map opens the Select Pt dialog, which displays the map in a Mercator projection. There is a panel of buttons on the right and a status bar at the bottom. The dialog has two variations: one displays a Mercator projection, the other a global view.

In the map, a colored block marks the city nearest the selected point. Major political boundaries are shown in several colors to make them easier to distinguish. The coordinates of the mouse cursor are shown in an inset box at the upper right.

In a Mercator projection, the status bar shows the map scale. In the example shown, each segment of the scale bar represents 5000 km. (The scale is subject to the usual distortions inherent in a Mercator projection.) The inset box at the right end of the status bar shows the name of the city nearest the selected point.



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To define a point:

1. Click on the point.

The inset coordinates freeze at the point you clicked on. The coordinates of the point are defined as the coordinates at the mouse, not as the coordinates of the nearest city. The point may, however, be given the name of the city. For more information, see the description of the Take City check box in the next table.

B Tip – If you make a mistake, click the mouse button again. This frees the colored block to follow the mouse cursor around the map.

When you have frozen the coordinates, the QuickPlan utility enables the Magnify and Demagnify buttons. You can use these buttons to zoom in on an area of interest (to magnify it) and to zoom out again (demagnify). Zooming in makes it possible to define a point more precisely than the world map would allow.

2. When you have defined the point to your satisfaction, click OK.

The QuickPlan utility defines the point and closes the Select Pt dialog.

The controls to the right of the map are described below:

Click... to...

Redraw redraw the map.

Mercator or Globe change the map projection.

About display an About box describing the origins of the information in the map.

Magnify and Demagnify (in the Mercator projection only)

display a smaller part of the world at a greater magnification, and a larger part of the world at a lesser magnification. These buttons are enabled only when a point is selected. They redisplay the map roughly centered on that point.

Redraw redraw the map at its largest (global) scale; thus, it might be called Demagnify all the way.



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You can also use the mouse, as described below:

Note – Political boundaries have changed since the world map was created, and continue to change. Trimble will update the map periodically in an attempt to keep it as current as possible.

Left, Right, Up, and Down (in the global view only)

rotate the map in the indicated directions to display different parts of the world.

Rivers display major rivers on the map. If you clear this box, rivers will not display.

Take City make the QuickPlan utility name the point the same as the nearest (highlighted) city. If you clear this box, the QuickPlan utility will not name the point; if you want the point to have a name, you must edit it from the keyboard.

OK accept the point definition you have made and close the Select Pt dialog.

Cancel close the Select Pt dialog without defining the point.

In both map views... to...

Click select point; change mode from moving to fixed.

Double-click magnify map, centered on the current point.

In Mercator Projection Only ... to...

Double right-click demagnify map, centered on the current point.

[Shift] + click redraw the map at current magnification, centered on the point where you clicked.

[Ctrl] + click redraw map at the original (global) scale.

Click and drag zoom in to an area defined by the drag (the points where you click the mouse button and release it become diagonally opposite corners of the map).

Click... to...



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3.4.8 Creating or Editing a Point with the City List

The city list is a convenient means of defining a point if you are planning a session in or near a listed city. It is also useful as a means of locating an area whose place on the world map is unknown to you. You can use the city list to define the point at the nearest city, edit the point with the world map, zoom in on the region around the city, and locate the true position of the point.

All of the procedures for adding or editing a point lead to the Edit Point dialog.

To create or edit a point with the City List:

1. In the Edit Point dialog, click City List to open the Select City dialog:

Select City can display either of two lists of cities: a world list or a local list. (The local list is initially a list of cities in the United States, but can be changed. For more information, see Editing a City List, page 220.)

2. Click either World or Local to select a list.



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3. Double-click the city you want, or highlight the city and click OK.

Either action makes the QuickPlan utility define a point at the coordinates defined for that city.

B Tip – You can also select a city by typing the first part of its name into the Select City box. The QuickPlan utility highlights the first city name that begins with the same letters. If you entered CA, for example, the QuickPlan utility would highlight Cairo; add an N and it would highlight Canberra instead.

The name of the point is the name of the city. If the Take Country Name Also box was selected, the name of the point is the name of the city followed by the name of the country, state, or province in parentheses, for example:

– San Francisco (CA)

– Cape Town (South Africa)

3.4.9 Editing a City List

You can edit the city lists: add the city names you need and, if you like, remove those you do not.

There are two ways to edit the city lists:

• Edit the files that contain the lists with a text editor.

• Edit the list with the world map.

These are explained next.

3.4.10 Editing a City List with a Text Editor

The city lists are stored in \Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\Plan folder. The world list is kept in a file named City.wor, the local list in a file named City.loc.



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You can use any editor that handles unformatted ASCII files. A city list looks like the following when edited in Microsoft Notepad:

If you add cities to either file, make sure that the city list remains in alphabetical order and that the information is placed into the file in the format shown in Table 3.1.

3.4.11 Editing a City List with the World Map

You can add a city to either city list from the world map in the Select Pt dialog. You cannot use this technique to edit or delete a city list entry.

See Creating or Editing a Point with the World Map, page 215 for instructions on using the world map to create or edit a point in a session.

Table 3.1 City list format

Field Column

Name 1–21

State/Province 22–43

Minutes of longitude 44–50

Minutes of latitude 51–57



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To add new cities to the world map:

1. Open the Select Pt dialog (which contains the map).

2. Make sure that the Mercator map projection is displayed.

3. Magnify the map sufficiently to be able to locate the city with reasonable precision.

4. Click the left mouse button on the location of the city to fix the point on the map.

5. Hold down [Ctrl]+[Shift], and right-click. The QuickPlan utility displays the Value Input dialog:

6. Enter the city name, including the state, province, or country name in parentheses.

7. Click OK.

The QuickPlan utility opens a message box which prompts you to select the list to which the city is to be added.

8. Click Yes to add the city to the local list or No to add it to the world list.

The QuickPlan utility adds the city to the appropriate list and closes the message box.



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3.4.12 Creating or Editing a Point through the Keyboard

If you know the coordinates of the points that you wish to observe, click Keyboard in the Edit Point dialog to enter them through the keyboard.

You can also use this technique to set several properties of a point that are not accessible through the world map or the city list, such as the height and the station ID of the point.

The keyboard displays a new dialog (also called Edit Point).

To use the dialog, fill in the fields as appropriate. You must supply a name, a latitude, and a longitude. The other fields are optional.



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The fields in the dialog are described in Table 3.2.

3.4.13 Adding and Deleting Points in a Session

To add or delete points in a session, use one of the following:

• The Add New Session dialog (if you are creating a new session)

• The Edit Session dialog (if you are editing an existing session).

The method is the same in each case.

Add New Session is shown in this documentation. For more information, see New Session, page 208; Edit Session is not shown, but is very similar.

To add a point:

1. If the point does not appear in the All Points list on the right side of the dialog, create it as explained in Creating a New Point.

2. Double-click the point in the All Points list, or highlight the point in the All Points list and click Add.

The QuickPlan utility adds the point to the n Points list on the left side of the dialog.

Table 3.2 Edit Point dialog – Station identification and station position fields

Field Includes the following information...

Name The point’s name, as it appears in the world map and in the QuickPlan utility’s other dialogs. It is limited to 20 characters. It can be a station name.

Latitude and Longitude

The coordinates of the point. Note that the quadrant (north/south or east/west) is specified by clicking the buttons to the right of the coordinate numbers, not by entering a letter with the number.

Height Height of the point above the ellipsoid, in meters.



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To delete a point:

1. Highlight the point in the n Points list on the left side of the dialog box.

2. Click Remove Pt.

3.4.14 Changing a Session’s Date and Time

You must specify a session’s date and time when you define the session with the Add New Session dialog. You may specify a different date and time when you edit the session with the Edit Session dialog.

To specify the date:

1. Click Date. The QuickPlan utility displays the Select Date dialog:

2. Select the date using one of the following methods:

– Click Today, Tomorrow, or Day After Tomorrow. (These buttons are based on the date settings of your computer, so make sure that the computer’s date is correctly set.)



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– Click the date in the calendar in the middle of the dialog. If the date is not in the current month, click Prev Month or Next Month to display the appropriate month.

– Type the day of year into the Date (Julian) field. The QuickPlan utility assumes that the date is in the current year.

– Type the date itself into the Date field. Use the date format selected in the Control Panel in Windows (International dialog, Date Format field).

3. Click OK.

To specify the time:

1. Click Time. The QuickPlan utility displays the Enter Start and Stop Times dialog:

2. Enter the start time for the session in the form hh:mm.

3. Enter the duration of the session or its stop time in the form hh:mm. (Whichever field you fill in, the QuickPlan utility automatically fills in the other.)

4. Click OK.



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3.4.15 Curtain Editor

A curtain is any obstruction that blocks satellite signals from a GPS receiver located at a particular point. A point’s curtains are part of the definition of that point.

The QuickPlan Curtain Editor lets you define the curtains (station obstructions) that affect each point in a session. The QuickPlan utility takes the curtains into account when it computes satellite availability.

You can create and edit curtain definitions from the Add New Session dialog or from the Edit Session dialog. The steps you follow are the same.

To create and edit curtain definitions:

1. Highlight a point in the Points list.

2. Click Curtain to run the curtain editor.



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3.4.16 Curtain Editor Window

The Curtain Editor window appears

The curtain editor displays curtains from the perspective of a spot above the observation point. The display resembles a graph in polar coordinates.

Directions are as on a conventional map; for example, up represents north. The distance of a point from the origin represents its elevation. The outermost circle represents the horizon (elevation 0º); the middle circle is 30º; and the inner circle is 60º. In addition, the standard value of the elevation mask (15º) is marked by a circle drawn with a broken red line.

Each curtain is represented by a sequence of lines that trace the upper edge of the curtain. The obstructed area is shaded.



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There are two types of curtains:

• A single curtain is defined by a left boundary and a right boundary. Its sides are vertical; its top is a straight line.

• A continuous curtain is defined by a left boundary, a right boundary, and any number of internal boundaries. Its sides are vertical; its top is a zigzag line from the left boundary, through each internal boundary, to the right boundary.

In both cases left and right are defined from the perspective of an observer at the origin: from left to right means clockwise, or in order of increasing azimuth values.

The Sky Coords box in the upper right part of the window displays the coordinates of the mouse cursor, and also lets you define curtains by editing boundary coordinates through the keyboard.

A status message often appears at the bottom of the window (but is not shown here); the message tells you what the QuickPlan utility is doing or suggests what you should do next.



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3.4.17 Defining a Curtain with the Mouse

The easiest way to define a curtain is to draw it with the mouse. To do this you must understand how the curtain editor represents the mouse cursor.

The mouse cursor of the curtain editor has three possible states. These are shown in Table 3.3:

To define continuous curtains:

1. Click on the position of the curtain’s left boundary in the curtain diagram. The mouse cursor changes from +1 to +2.

2. Click on the curtain’s first internal boundary, then its second, third, and so on, up to and including its right boundary.

3. To complete the curtain, press [Esc] or right-click. The mouse cursor changes from +2 to +.

To define a second curtain for the same point, select the Edit / Edit Continuous Curtains command. Then define the second curtain just as you defined the first.

To define single curtains:

1. Select the Edit / Edit Multiple Single Curtains command. The +1 mouse cursor appears.

2. Click on the curtain’s left boundary. The +2 mouse cursor appears.

3. Click on the curtain’s right boundary. The curtain editor completes the curtain and displays the +1 cursor again.

Table 3.3 Curtain editor mouse cursor

Cursor Meaning

+1 Ready to define a curtain’s left boundary. When you start the curtain editor, the mouse cursor is in this state.

+2 Ready to define a curtain’s right boundary.

+ Neutral; not ready to define a boundary.



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4. To define another single curtain, return to step 2.

5. To stop defining curtains, press [Esc] or right-click. The mouse cursor changes from +1 to +.

3.4.18 Defining a Curtain with the Keyboard

You can define curtains by entering the coordinates of their boundaries through the keyboard. This is a more precise method than drawing curtains with the mouse. You may find it more natural if you are entering curtain descriptions that were recorded as lists of boundary coordinates during site reconnaissance.

Each coordinate of a curtain is described by an azimuth and an elevation. Coordinates of this kind are called sky coordinates.

To define a curtain with the keyboard:

1. Enter the sky coordinates of the curtain’s left boundary in the Sky Coords box. Click OK.

2. Enter the sky coordinates of the first internal boundary, then the second, third, and so on. After entering each pair of coordinates, click OK.

3. Enter the sky coordinates of the right boundary. Click OK.

Note – The Sky Coords list displays the coordinates of the mouse cursor as you move the mouse. Therefore, you can use the mouse to enter moderately accurate boundary coordinates by watching the box.



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3.4.19 Defining a Curtain with the Magnetic Bearing Option

If you are using compasses in the field, the QuickPlan utility supports magnetic bearings in the Curtain Editor to construct the curtains.

1. Select Options / Azimuth/Bearing...A (or B, if bearings were last used) in the Curtain editor dialog:

A new dialog for Curtain Input appears:

2. Select either Azimuth or Bearing for your obstruction direction input.



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3. You may also input a declination, if the azimuths or bearings are relative to the magnetic pole.

For bearing input, note the Sky Coords dialog in the upper right of the Curtain Editor window. A curtain may be specified by azimuth and elevation, where each approximate angle point is entered manually.

If you use the mouse, note the change in quadrants in the Sky Coords dialog as you move the mouse around the curtain field. Click on angle points for your curtain, and right-click to end the curtain.

4. Click OK when you have finished entering your information.

3.4.20 Reading a Curtains Elevation

To read the elevation of a curtain, move the cursor to the azimuth you want to read, press [Shift], and move the mouse slightly. The cursor will snap to the top of the curtain at that azimuth, and you can read azimuth and elevation from the Sky Coords dialog.

You can adjust the mouse position by moving it in a circle around the center of the curtain diagram. The mouse cursor will follow the curtain around the diagram.

3.4.21 Correcting an Error

If you make a mistake while defining a curtain, you can correct it.

To correct an error made while defining a curtain:

1. Complete the curtain.

2. Select Edit / Undo.

The curtain editor undoes the curtain definition you entered.

3. Enter the curtain correctly and proceed.



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If you make an extensive mistake and want to discard all of the current point’s curtain definitions, select Edit / Clear. The curtain editor asks you to confirm your intentions, then clears (deletes) all curtains for that point.

3.4.22 Saving Curtain Definitions and Exiting

To save a curtain definition, do one of the following:

• Click Save Curtain.

• Select File / Save.

The new curtain definition for the point is “saved” in the sense that the program will use it in satellite availability computations later in the same run. It is not saved permanently. When you exit the QuickPlan utility, any curtain definitions that you have created are lost.

To leave the curtain editor:

• Select File / Exit.

C Warning – If you select File / Exit without first selecting File / Save, the Curtain Editor exits and discards your work. The curtain’s prior definition, if any, is retained. The curtain editor does not prompt you to confirm that you want to discard your work.

3.4.23 Displaying a Combined Curtain

A combined curtain is a combination of the curtains defined for all of the points in a session.

The combined curtain display is a useful planning tool because the receivers at all points in a survey should collect data simultaneously; therefore a curtain that interferes with observations at any point will affect the usefulness of observations at every point. Observations should proceed only when the combined curtain shows that a sufficient number of satellites is visible.



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To display the combined curtain for a point:

1. Highlight that point in the Points list of the Add New Point dialog or the Edit Point dialog.

2. Click Combined Curtains.

The QuickPlan utility opens the Combined Curtains window. This window is similar to a Curtain Editor window, but has no menu and does not allow you to enter a curtain definition.

To close a combined curtain display, do one of the following:

• Click the close box in the top right corner of the Combined Curtains window.

• Click the system box in the top left corner of the Combined Curtains window; select Close from the resulting drop-down menu.



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3.4.24 Summary of Curtain Editor Commands

This section briefly describes each of the commands in the menus of the Curtain Editor.

File Menu Commands

The File menu contains the following commands to save and clear curtain definitions, and to exit the curtain editor:

C Warning – If you have edited the curtain definition since you last saved it, File / Exit discards your changes. It does not prompt you for confirmation first.

This command... Does this...

New Prompts you to confirm your intentions, then deletes all curtain definitions. This change will not become permanent until you save. File / New and Edit / Clear are equivalent.

Save Saves the current point’s curtain definition.

Note – The QuickPlan utility saves curtain definitions for use later in the same run, but does not save them in a database; it discards them when you exit.

Print Curtain Prints the current point's curtain definition.

Exit Makes the curtain editor return control to the dialog that invoked it.



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Edit Menu Commands

The Edit menu contains the following commands for defining curtains:


Undo Undoes the last curtain definition you entered.

Continuous Curtains

Lets you define a continuous curtain. To define the curtain, click on the left boundary, then at each internal boundary from left to right, then at the right boundary. Complete the curtain by right-clicking or by pressing [Esc].

Multiple Single Curtains

Lets you define a series of single curtains. To define each curtain, click the left mouse button at the left boundary, then at the right boundary. You may terminate single-curtain mode by clicking the right mouse button or by pressing [Esc].

Clear Prompts you to confirm your intentions, then deletes all of the current point’s curtain definitions. However, the deletion will not become permanent until you save. Edit / Clear and File / New are equivalent.



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Options Menu Commands

The Options menu contains the following commands that change settings in the Curtain Editor:

Grid Snaps

Whenever you enter a curtain boundary with the mouse, the curtain editor snaps the boundary’s coordinates to the nearest intersection on the snap grid. For example, if the pitch of the snap grid is set to 5º azimuth and 10º elevation, a curtain boundary entered with a mouse click at 26º azimuth, 16º elevation is recorded as 25º azimuth, 20º elevation.


Azimuth/Bearing... Opens a dialog that lets you define the use of Azimuth or Bearing for your observation directions input.

Grid Changes the pitch of the display’s grid. This command cycles the grid through three states:

First time: Sets azimuth grid at 30º intervals, elevation grid at 15º intervals.

Second time: Sets azimuth grid at 5º intervals, elevation grid at 10º intervals (plus broken red line at 15º).

Third time: Resets azimuth grid at 90º intervals, elevation grid at 30º intervals (plus broken red line at 15º).

You can also select this command by pressing [G].

gridSnaps Opens a dialog that displays and lets you change the pitch of the snap grid of the curtain editor (see Grid Snaps below).



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You can effectively turn off the snap grid by setting the pitch to azimuth 1º, elevation 1º (the initial setting), as shown in the following dialog:

Note – The snap grid is not the same as the visible grid set by the Options / Grid command. Their functions are different and their pitches are independent of each other.

Help Menu Commands

The Help menu of the curtain editor is identical to the Help menu on the QuickPlan main menu bar.


3 The QuickPlan Utility – Graphs Menu

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3.5 Graphs MenuThe Graphs menu produces the QuickPlan utility’s graphical displays and controls their appearance. The Graph commands fall into several groups, each of which is described below:

Command Function – control appearance of graphs

Tile Arranges the open windows vertically, filling the screen in one column. Each window is as wide as the screen, and all windows are of equal height.

Tile 2 Column Arranges the open windows vertically, filling the screen in two columns. Each window is half as wide as the screen, and all windows are of equal height.

Close All Closes all open graphs in the QuickPlan window. (To close individual graphs, use the View / Close command.)

Command Function – control the time Interval shown in graphs

Time Locked Alternately sets and releases time interval locking among the graphs in the QuickPlan window. When time intervals are locked, all of the graphs show the same time interval; when you change one, the QuickPlan utility automatically changes others.

Command Function – control the resolution of graphs

Resolution Lets you set graphs for:

Min Resolution Max Resolution

Set Resolution Graphs with finer resolution show more detail, but take much longer to draw. Set Resolution lets you set resolution to a specific value. Even if you select Min Resolution, resolution becomes finer as you zoom in on the graph.

Command Function – display graphs

Number of SVs and PDOP

Number of available satellites and PDOP plotted against time.

Elevation Satellite elevations plotted against time.


The QuickPlan Utility – Graphs Menu 3

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3.5.1 Notes on Graphs

All of the graphs present information for the last point added or edited in the session. Open displays are updated when curtains are added or removed from a session station, and when the set of enabled satellites is changed. Therefore, the displays always reflect the conditions of the current session.

Most of the graphs plot one or more properties of satellites on the vertical axis against time on the horizontal axis. The time interval shown is initially the interval between the session’s start and stop times. If the session’s start and stop times are not defined, the time interval is the entire day of the session.

Azimuth Satellite azimuths plotted against time.

Number Satellites

Number of available satellites plotted against time.

Satellites Which satellites are available at a particular time.

PDOP, HDOP, VDOP, GDOP, and TDOP

Separate displays plotting the respective types of dilution of precision (DOP) against time.

SkyPlot Satellite tracks through the time interval being plotted, showing elevations and azimuths in polar coordinates.

Command Function – display graphs



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The QuickPlan utility uses color to distinguish different types of information in many of the graphs. The colors listed in Table 3.4 are standard in displays that plot a number of available satellites against time.

If you do not have a color monitor you may use the View / Force Monochrome command to make the QuickPlan utility display the graphs with distinctive patterns instead of colors. The conventions used to display graphs in monochrome are described in Force Monochrome, page 258.

3.5.2 Other Related Features

The Status window can help you interpret graphs. It shows the current values of several important QuickPlan parameters. The window is described in Show Status, page 271.

The View menu has several commands that control the time interval displayed in a graph: Redraw, Mag, Demag, and Pan. View Menu, page 256, describes these commands.

Table 3.4 Standard color display for graphs

Color Meaning

Red < 4 SVs

Yellow 4 SVs

Green 5 SVs

Dark Green 6 SVs

Dark Cyan 7 SVs

Light Cyan 8 SVs

Blue 9 SVs

Dark Magenta 10 SVs

Magenta 11 SVs



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Time ruler slides provide a means of controlling the time interval of a graph with the mouse. They are described in Using the Time Ruler Slides, page 260.

Note – In connection with changing a graph’s time interval, note the effect of the Graph / Time Locked command (described previously). When you change one graph’s time interval, it can make the QuickPlan utility change every other graph automatically.

3.5.3 Tile

Tile rearranges the graphs in the QuickPlan window to fill the window in a single column. Each display is as wide as the window and all are the same height:



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Each time that you create a new graph, you can re-tile the display so that all of the graphs are visible.

3.5.4 Tile 2 Column

Tile 2 Column rearranges the graphs in the QuickPlan window to fill the window in two columns. Each display is as half as wide as the window and all are the same height:

Each time that you create a new graph, you can re-tile the display so that all of the graphs are visible.



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3.5.5 Close All

Close All closes all of the graphs in the QuickPlan window.

To close a single graph, click the close button in the window’s upper right corner.

3.5.6 Time Locked

Time Locked alternately sets and releases time interval locking among the graphs in the QuickPlan window. When time intervals are locked, changing the time interval of one graph causes the QuickPlan utility to set all other graphs to the same time interval:



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When a check appears next to Time Locked in the Graphs menu, time interval locking is set. When no check appears, time interval locking is released.

3.5.7 Resolution

The Resolution command controls the resolution of the graphs.

When you select this command, the QuickPlan utility opens a submenu next to the command name in the menu:

You can select:

Min Resolution This option sets minimum resolution. This makes the graphs look somewhat coarse, but makes the QuickPlan utility display them more quickly.

Max Resolution This option sets maximum resolution. This makes the graphs look sharper, but makes the QuickPlan utility display them significantly slower.

Set Resolution This option lets you enter a resolution setting between 0 (the minimum) and 100 (the maximum). This lets you choose the best compromise between resolution and speed.

When you select Set Resolution, the QuickPlan utility opens a dialog that prompts you to enter a resolution setting. Enter a number between 0 (the lowest resolution) and 100 (the highest) and click OK:

Note – When you print a graph, the maximum resolution is always used, regardless of the resolution setting.



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3.5.8 Number SVs and PDOP

Number SVs and PDOP displays a graph of the total number of visible satellites and the PDOP for the given satellite constellation, both plotted against time:

This graph is a composite of the Number Satellites graph and the PDOP graph.

PDOP (position dilution of precision) is the best overall measure of the precision obtainable from measurements taken with a given satellite geometry. A PDOP of 4 or less yields excellent precision. A PDOP between 5 and 7 is acceptable; a PDOP of 7 or more is poor.



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3.5.9 Elevation

Elevation plots the elevation of each visible satellite over time:

The elevation mask is displayed on the graph as a dashed horizontal line. This makes it easy to compare a satellite’s elevation to the mask value. You can use the Options / Elevation Mask command to change the mask’s value.

The graph also displays the combined curtains (a composite of any curtains that you have defined for stations in the session). Satellite tracks that are obstructed by the combined curtains are represented by thicker lines. This lets you see when obstructions prevent a satellite from being visible at all stations.



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3.5.10 Azimuth

Azimuth plots the azimuths of visible satellites against time. The vertical axis represents the azimuth of a satellite (0º to 360º).

Azimuth is particularly useful for examining the visibility of satellites over time in certain quadrants of the sky. This is important when obstructions may block out large portions of the satellite window in specific quadrants.

If, for example, the northeast and southwest quadrants of the satellite window are blocked by obstructions, you might try to find satellites that rise in the northwest and travel overhead to the southeast.

You can also use the Azimuth graph to see when satellites pass due north from the current point. This causes the azimuth to change from 360º to 0º, represented by a vertical drop in the line on the graph.

Another, perhaps more intuitive, way to view both elevation and azimuth with respect to a point is via a skyplot. This graphical representation is discussed in SkyPlot Graph, page 254.



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3.5.11 Number Satellites

Number Satellites plots the number of available satellites against time, as shown in Figure 3.2:

Figure 3.2 Number satellites

If the # SVs Receiver Can Track option is set (see Number of SVs Receiver Can Track, page 274), the setting is shown by a broken line across the graph. If one of the bars extends above this line, at that time more SVs will be visible than the receiver can track.

You can use the Number SVs and PDOP graph to plot both the number of available satellites and PDOP against time.

Not able to survey: Fewer than 4 SVs Optimal survey period: More than 4 SVs

Marginal survey period: 4 SVs



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3.5.12 Satellites

Satellites plots available satellites against time. Each healthy satellite present in the almanac is graphed when it rises above the local horizon, as shown in Figure 3.3.

Figure 3.3 Satellites

Note that satellites may rise and set once or twice during a day. In this case, breaks in tracking are represented by gaps in the satellite availability bar chart.

SV 26 sets 9 SVs are visible SV 9 rises, then sets SV 26 rises again



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3.5.13 PDOP HDOP VDOP GDOP and TDOP Graphs

These graphs plot several Dilution of Precision metrics against time, as shown in Figure 3.4:

Figure 3.4 Plots of dilution of precision metrics against time

Graph... What it plots

PDOP Position Dilution of Precision, the best general measure of the precision obtainable from a particular satellite geometry.

HDOP Horizontal Dilution of Precision

VDOP Vertical Dilution of Precision

GDOP Geometric Dilution of Precision

TDOP Time Dilution of Precision

(green, cyan, blue, or magenta) of SVs (red or yellow)Low PDOP, adequate number of SVs High PDOP, marginal number



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A DOP value of 4 or less yields excellent positions. A DOP between 5 and 7 is acceptable; a DOP of 7 or more is poor.

The DOP graphs use the QuickPlan utility’s standard color coding to represent the number of satellites. Therefore, the optimal times for observation are times with a low DOP that are represented in green, cyan, blue, or magenta (not in red or yellow).

Some older GPS Pathfinder receivers have tracking modes in which only the four satellites that yield the best PDOP are used for positioning. The QuickPlan utility does not support this mode directly, but you can get a similar effect by setting the number of SVs the receiver can track to 4. For more information, see Number of SVs Receiver Can Track, page 274. The QuickPlan utility uses only the four SVs with the highest elevations at any time.

You can plot the number of available satellites together with PDOP in the Number SVs and PDOP graph.

A sample TDOP graph is shown:



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3.5.14 SkyPlot Graph

SkyPlot produces a polar graph that plots the paths of available satellites throughout the graph’s time interval, with each satellite’s elevation represented by the radial dimension, and its azimuth represented by the angular dimension. Figure 3.5 shows the result, which is roughly equivalent to showing the satellites’ paths as they would appear to an observer looking down from a place that is directly above the current survey point and far beyond the orbits of the GPS satellites.

Figure 3.5 Skyplot graph

The background of the plot is divided into three primary circles at the horizon (0º), 30º, and 60º. Note that the horizon is the extreme outside circle. The zenith (90º) is at center of the graph. The elevation mask is also displayed.



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The Skyplot representation is particularly useful because it is the same as the representation used to show curtains. The Skyplot shows the current survey point’s curtains as well as the satellite paths. Where a satellite’s path is obstructed by a curtain, it is represented by a thicker line.

Each SV’s number is drawn at the end of its sky track.

As with all of the other graphs available within the QuickPlan utility, the SkyPlot graph can be zoomed in time by using the time ruler slides. Note that unlike most of the other graphs, the Skyplot’s time line is not a label on one of the graph’s axes; it simply describes the time interval represented by the graph.


3 The QuickPlan Utility – View Menu

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3.6 View MenuThe View commands are available when graphs are displayed on the screen. The View commands control the graphical displays presented by the Graphs commands and influence their appearance.

This section describes the View commands and several related features, such as use of the time ruler slides.

3.6.1 Redraw

View / Redraw redisplays the selected graph with its time interval set to match the current session. If you have not defined start and stop times for the session, the Redraw command displays the entire day of the session.

There are two ways to redraw a graph:

• Select View / Redraw from the menu bar.

• Select the graph and then press [R].

3.6.2 Mag

View / Mag restricts the time interval represented by the selected graph. In effect, the graph is magnified. Each time you select Mag, the graph’s time interval is roughly halved. The start and end times both change, while the center point remains the same.

There are three ways to magnify a graph:

• Select View / Mag from the menu bar.

• Select the graph and then press [M].

• Select the graph and double-click.


The QuickPlan Utility – View Menu 3

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3.6.3 Demag

View / Demag expands the time interval represented by the selected graph. In effect, the graph is demagnified. Each time you select Demag, the graph’s time period is roughly doubled. The start and end times both change, while the center point remains the same.

There are three ways to demagnify a graph:

• Select View / Demag from the menu bar.

• Select the graph and then press [D].

• Select the graph and right double-click.

3.6.4 Pan

View / Pan centers the selected graph on a specified time.

There are two ways to use the Pan command:

• Click on a point over the desired time on the graph, then select View / Pan.

• Click on a point over the desired time on the graph, then press [P].

3.6.5 Close

Close closes the selected graph.

There are three ways to close the graph:

• Select View / Close from the menu bar.

• Click the close icon in the upper right corner of the graph’s window frame.

• Select the graph, then press [C].

To close all open graphs, select Graphs / Close All.



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3.6.6 Force Monochrome

If you do not have a color monitor, the color coding used in many of the QuickPlan utility’s graphs is not useful. You can use the Force MonoChrome command to make the QuickPlan utility present these displays with distinctive crosshatched patterns instead of colors. The following diagrams illustrate the difference between the two types of displays.


The QuickPlan Utility – View Menu 3

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View / Force Monochrome is available only when one or more graphs are open; it affects all open graphs and all graphs subsequently opened during the same run of the QuickPlan utility. If you select View / Force Monochrome repeatedly, the graphs alternate between colors and patterns.

The patterns take on special significance in a few of the graphs:

• Number SVs and PDOP

• Number Satellites

• PDOP

In these graphs, patterns represent a measure of quality based on the number of visible satellites. Figure 3.6 shows the patterns and their meanings.

Figure 3.6 Satellite display in Force MonoChrome mode

The other graphs use black lines to represent satellite location and availability. The Satellites graph uses a hatching pattern for its bar chart, but the pattern has no special significance.



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3.6.7 Using the Time Ruler Slides

You can control a graphical window’s time interval with the time ruler slides. These are the arrows at each end of the graph’s time scale, as shown in Figure 3.7.

Figure 3.7 Time ruler slides

To restrict the time interval of a graph:

1. Drag one of the time ruler slides toward the center of the graph.

2. Release the slide at the time when you want the interval to begin (for the left-hand slide) or end (for the right-hand slide).

To expand the time interval of a graph:

1. Attempt to drag one of the time ruler slides away from the center of the graph.

2. The slide does not actually move, but the QuickPlan utility expands the time interval to begin earlier (for the left-hand slide) or end later (for the right-hand slide).

Note – If you hold the left mouse button down as you move the mouse cursor around a graph, the time value at the cursor position is displayed in the graph title.

You can also control the time interval of a graph with the Redraw, Mag, Demag, and Pan commands described earlier in this section.

Left-hand time ruler slide Right-hand time ruler slide


The QuickPlan Utility – Options Menu 3

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3.7 Options MenuThe Options menu controls the settings of several options that affect various aspects of the QuickPlan utility’s operation. These commands are described below:


Auto Time Creates a list of optimal observation times, given the specified PDOP mask, session time, and available satellites.

List Times Lists the optimal observation times computed by Options / Auto Time.

SVs Enables or disable individual satellites.

Almanac Loads almanac data from a specified ephemeris file.

Time Zone Specifies the time zone for the current session.

SV Sample Rate Specifies the sample rate for satellite azimuth and elevation; indicate that the QuickPlan utility should compute satellite visibility at intervals of n minutes in the almanac.

Show Status Shows the Status message box. This box shows the satellites used for computations, the current almanac, the time zone, the sample rate, and the elevation mask.

Report Type Changes the type of report displayed when you select Options / Show Report. The report may be Azimuth Elevation Table or Constellation Changes Only.

Show Report Displays a text report on satellite availability.

Elevation Mask Changes the elevation mask: the lowest elevation at which you plan to collect data.

# SVs Receiver Can Track Sets the maximum number of satellites your receiver(s) can track.


3 The QuickPlan Utility – Options Menu

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3.7.1 Auto Time

Auto Time calculates optimal times for making observations. It considers the other option settings you have specified, such as the times during which observations can be performed and minimum number of satellites required, and the curtains you have defined for the points in the current session.

Auto Time opens the Auto View Time Selection dialog:

This dialog lets you set several parameters that affect the calculation of optimal times. They are described in Table 3.5.

Table 3.5 Options in the Auto View Time Selection dialog

Auto Time Selection Controls...

Number Sats The minimum number of satellites required. (The default, shown above, is the recommended value.)

Working Hours The time period during which observations must be performed.

PDOP A limit on acceptable PDOP values during observations. Only values less than the limit are acceptable. The default (7) is the maximum recommended limit.



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Once you have calculated the optimal observation times, you can display them with the Options / List Times command and print them with the File / Print Auto Time command.

3.7.2 List Times

List Times opens the List Times window, which displays the optimal observation times calculated by Options / Auto Time:

You can close the List Times window by clicking the close icon at the right end of its title bar. This does not affect the calculated observation times; you can reopen the List Times window by selecting Options / List Times without recalculating the optimal observation times first.

Minimum Observation Time Shortest acceptable duration of conditions for valid observations. (Appropriate values depend on the type of field procedure to be used.)

Auto Recalc If this box is selected, the QuickPlan utility recalculates the optimal observation times whenever you change a setting that could affect them. If the List Times box (described below) is displayed, it immediately reflects the recalculated times. All open graph windows reflect the recalculated times as well.

If this box is cleared, the observation times are recalculated only when you select Options / Auto Time.

Table 3.5 Options in the Auto View Time Selection dialog (Continued)

Auto Time Selection Controls...



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You can also print the list of optimal observation times by selecting the File / Print Auto Time command. You must select Options / Auto Time before you print the list of times, but the List Times box need not be open when you print it.

3.7.3 SVs

The SVs command displays a toolbar that you can use to select and deselect individual satellites, as shown in Figure 3.8. This is useful for updating the status of a satellite if it has gone from healthy to unhealthy (or vice versa) since the almanac was collected.

Figure 3.8 SVs toolbar

Selected satellites are assumed to be available for use in observations. They are represented on the tool bar by colored buttons that appear to be pressed in. The color of each button corresponds to the color used to plot and code that satellite in the QuickPlan utility’s graphs.

Each button represents one SV.Colored buttons “pressed down” representselected SVs.Grey buttons represent deselected SVs.

Select all SVsDeselect all SVs

Update open graph windows



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Deselected satellites are assumed to be not available for use in observations. They are represented on the toolbar by grey buttons that appear to stand out from the toolbar, and their numbers are followed by the letter X.

If a satellite was unhealthy when the almanac was collected, the QuickPlan utility automatically deselects it. Other satellites are selected. You can change the status of any satellite from Selected to Deselected and back by clicking its button.

You can also control satellite status with the wide buttons at the bottom of the toolbar:

• All: Selects all satellites

• None: Deselects all satellites

• Graph: Updates all open graphs to reflect which satellites are now selected and deselected

The toolbar has no OK and Cancel buttons because it is intended to remain open while you work. However, you can close it by clicking the close icon in the right corner of its title bar.

Note – Enabling and disabling satellites affects the observation times computed by the Options / Auto Time command. Before you change the set of enabled and disabled satellites, be sure to select the Auto Recalc feature in Auto Time so that the QuickPlan utility will recalculate the optimal observation times automatically.

3.7.4 Almanac

As satellite orbits change, new satellites are launched, and old satellites become unhealthy, you must periodically update the almanac that the QuickPlan utility uses to predict satellite availability. Trimble recommends updating the almanac on a regular basis—at least once a month.



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To update the almanac you must acquire a current version with a GPS receiver. If your receivers are used regularly this requires no effort, since a receiver collects almanac data whenever it is used. Otherwise, log satellite measurements for about 15 minutes to get a current almanac.

Once the receiver has a current almanac, you must download the information to your computer and store it in an EPH file (if you have a Series 4000 receiver) or an SSF file (if you have a GPS Pathfinder receiver with datalogger). You can do this in the course of regular download and check-in operations. For more information on this topic, see Three ways to obtain an almanac, page 192.

Once you have downloaded a current almanac, this will be automatically used when you next run the QuickPlan utility (provided it is in the \Program Files\Common Files\Trimble\Almanacs folder). To use an almanac that has been saved to a different folder, or to use an almanac other than the most recent, use the Options / Almanac command to select that almanac’s ephemeris file for use in the QuickPlan utility. The command opens the Load File with Almanac dialog:

Select the appropriate ephemeris file and click OK.



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3.7.5 Time Zone

The time zone that you define for your project area affects the graphical displays. You must set the QuickPlan utility’s time zone correctly for the project area to for the QuickPlan utility to compute correct satellite availability times.

The Options / Time Zone command allows you to:

• check the time zone setting

• modify an existing project’s time zone

• add a new time zone into the library

• delete a time zone from the list

Select Options / Time Zone to display the Time Zone dialog:

In addition to the observation location, the Time Zone dialog shows the name of the selected time zone and the time difference from GMT (difference between local time and GMT). The QuickPlan utility checks the selected time zone against the longitude of each point in the session. If any point is more than two hours away from the selected time zone, the QuickPlan utility displays a warning message. Note that this calculation does not consider changes due to daylight savings time.



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To select a different time zone:

1. Click the arrow next to Zone Name to open the drop-down list of time zones.

2. Click the appropriate time zone to select it. Notice that the Time Difference from GMT changes accordingly.

3. Confirm that the time difference from GMT is correct.

4. Click OK to set the time zone and close the Time Zone box.

To modify an existing time zone:

1. Select the time zone to be modified from the list:

2. Make the changes in Time Difference from GMT:

a. Place the cursor in the appropriate box—hours or minutes—and use the buttons provided to change the time. (To enter the time from the keyboard instead, highlight the time to be changed and then type in the new time.)

b. Specify the correct sign. East longitudes are generally positive and west longitudes are generally negative.

3. Click Modify.

4. Click OK to accept the changes.

Not all time zones are predefined in the QuickPlan utility’s files.



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To add a new time zone:

1. Type a new time zone name in the Zone Name text box.

2. To enter the appropriate time difference from GMT:

a. Place the cursor in the current time box (hours or minutes) or highlight the time.

b. Use the up or down arrows to change the displayed time or enter the time from the keyboard.

c. Specify the correct sign. East longitudes are generally positive and west longitudes are generally negative.

3. Click Add to add this new time zone to the list of currently defined zones.

To delete an existing time zone:

1. Select the time zone from the list.

2. Click Delete.

There is no confirmation of this action. The time zone is removed from the list of available zones.

3. Click OK to close the Time Zone box.

Note – If you do your project planning in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), use the same procedure but set the time zone to Greenwich Std. Be sure to recalculate optimal observation times after changing the time zone, or enable the Auto Recalc feature of the Options / Auto Time command so that the QuickPlan utility recalculates observation times automatically when you change the time zone.



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3.7.6 Sample Rate

SV Sample Rate opens a dialog that lets you set the sampling interval for satellite visibility calculations. For example, if the sampling rate is 2 minutes, the QuickPlan utility computes the visibility of each satellite at intervals of 2 minutes throughout the session being planned:

The SV sample rate can range from 2 to 10 minutes. A faster sampling rate makes the visibility computations more precise, but also makes them take longer.

For very long survey sessions (several hours or more) use the slowest sampling rate (10 minutes). For very short survey sessions (1 hour or less), use the fastest sampling rate (2 minutes) for an accurate view of the satellite availability.



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3.7.7 Show Status

Show Status opens the QuickPlan utility’s Status window. Once this is open, it remains open until you exit the QuickPlan utility or until you explicitly close it.

The QuickPlan utility opens the Status window automatically when you create or edit a session: you need never select Options / Show Status unless you have closed the Status window.

The Status window displays information about:

• The selected point and the current session: point name, point coordinates, and session date.

• Important QuickPlan options: elevation mask, ephemeris file name and date collected, time zone, sampling rate, and set of selected satellites.



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3.7.8 Report Type

Report Type opens a dialog that lets you select the type of report that the Options / Show Report command produces:

The command opens a dialog with two option buttons:

• Azimuth Elevation Table: Selects a report that shows the azimuth and elevation of each visible satellite at the time increment specified by Options / SV Sampling Rate.

• Constellation Changes only: Selects a report that shows each unique constellation of satellites, the time or rise and time of set for each constellation, and the PDOP at the time of rise and the time of set.

To use the dialog, click the appropriate button then click OK.

Two types of reports are shown:



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3.7.9 Show Report

Show Report displays a report on constellation changes of the type specified by the Options / Report Type command. The types of reports are shown in the previous diagrams.

The QuickPlan utility calculates satellite availability for the interval specified by Options / SV Sample Rate. If you set a 10-minute sample rate, the QuickPlan utility reports on constellation changes at 10-minute intervals, although the changes might actually occur at times in between.

The constellation change report always displays satellite visibility for the entire day for the current session. It does not use the start and stop times.

To print the report, use the File / Print Report command. The QuickPlan utility automatically generates the visible report when you create or open a session.



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3.7.10 Elevation Mask

Elevation Mask opens a dialog that lets you set the elevation mask that the QuickPlan utility uses to compute satellite availability:

The default (and the recommended value for most types of work) is 15º. The minimum value is 0º, the maximum value 90º.

If the elevation mask is set too low, your receivers will waste memory storing measurements from low-elevation satellites whose signals are probably not useful. If these measurements are not discarded in postprocessing, they will expose your observations to atmospheric distortions and interference from distant obstructions.

If the elevation mask is set too high, it will unnecessarily reduce satellite availability.

3.7.11 Number of SVs Receiver Can Track

The Options / # SVs Receiver Can Track command opens a dialog that lets you set the maximum number of satellites your receiver(s) can track. Use this command if you are working with receivers that do not have enough channels to track as many satellites as may be visible.



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The dialog contains a drop-down list of values that have been selected in the past.

You can open the drop-down list by clicking the down-arrow and then select a value, or you can type a value into the box that heads the list.

Click OK when you are finished.

When this # SVs is set to Not used (the default), the QuickPlan utility’s graphs and reports show as many SVs as are available or visible.

When the option is set to a numeric value (n between 4 and 12), certain graphs and reports show the n SVs with the highest elevations at any given time.

This command affects the following graphs and reports:

• Number of SVs and PDOP graph

• Number Satellites graph

• PDOP, VDOP, HDOP, and GDOP graphs

• Azimuth Elevation report and Constellation Change report


3 The QuickPlan Utility – Help Menu

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3.8 Help MenuThe Help menu has two commands. Select:

• Index to access Help

• About for information on the QuickPlan utility


Index
Symbols
.cor 33

.cor files 21

.phs 33

.phs files 21

.ssf 33

.ssf files 21

A

Add from Map option 103Add Web map 32almanac

obtaining 192updating 191, 192

altitudemeasuring 144

Altitude units 143ArcView Shapefiles 179Area field 136ASCII import 49attributes

editing 108AutoCAD DXF files 177Auto-incrementing 99Auto-pan to selection 93Averaged Vertices 78

B

backgroundlayer 89

background files 29displaying 79raster 173

base stations 169BMP files 173, 181

C

changing the logo on a Plot 62Confidence field 138Coordinate System 139Coordinate system of selected file(s) 32Coordinate units 143Create Local Site dialog 155Create Site Vector dialog 153Create Waypoint dialog 120creating

features 98local sites 150waypoints 119

customer feedback 169customer support 168customizing the fields on a Plot 59


Index

D

default folder for projects 25deleting 71

block of positions 75features 71

displayingbackground files 79feature information 106features 79, 81information 145map view 77notes 82, 109precision circles 92raster files 175waypoints 79

displaying background files 29Distance field 135

E

Edit Site Vector dialog 155Edit Waypoint dialog 122editing

notes 109waypoints 119

editing attributes 108elevation masks

setting 273Enter Attributes dialog 100

F

FAQs 168feature information

displaying 106features 67, 71

creating 98displaying 79, 81

displaying information 106finding 67

feedback 169fields

customizing on a plot 59hiding on a plot 60

file extensions, world 173files

.cor 21

.phs 21

.ssf 21ArcView Shapefiles 179AutoCAD DXF 177Joint Photographic Experts Group

(JPEG) 182Multiresolution Seamless Image

Database (MrSID) 183opening 20opening as read-only 21raster 174Tagged Image File Format 184Trimble Fast Backdrop format 187Trimble SSF 186Windows bitmap 181world 174

finding 67notes 70

Frequently Asked Questions 168FTP site xv

G

georeferencingraster files 173

graphsazimuth 249dilution of precision 252elevation 248force monochrome 258number satellites 250


Index

Number SVs and PDOP 247resolution 246satellites 251SkyPlot 254tile 243tile in 2 columns 244time interval 260time locked 245time ruler slide 260

H

Help menu 162Help, context-sensitive xivhiding fields on a Plot 60how to use online Help 162

I

Importing waypoints from an ASCII file 49initial letter for WPT files 145Internet map wizard 32Internet setup 166

J

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) 182

JPEG files 173, 182

L

Layersin map or time line views 82

layersbackground 89notes 87waypoints 88

loading background files 29local sites

creating 150logo

changing on a plot 62

M

Map scale 95Map window (view) 77mapping and GIS Home Page 169measuring

altitude 144MrSID files 173, 183Multiresolution Seamless Image Database

(MrSID) files 183

N

North Reference field 138notes

displaying 82, 109editing 109finding 70layer 87

Null String field 145


Index

O

Offset dialog 111Offset Distance Format field 137Offsets field 136online Help xivopening files 20

P

Pan command 93Phase Processor software 21Plot

changing the logo 62customizing fields 59hiding fields 60

Plot Map 52positions

deleting blocks of 75undeleting 75view information 112

Precision circlesdisplaying 92

Precisions field 137printing

QuickPlan reports to ASCII files 206satellite visibility reports 206

product training 168Project Changer 133Project Folders dialog 27Projects 23

default folder for 25

Q

Quickmarksettings 147time limit 147

QuickPlan 190city list 219curtain editor 227defining 194edit session 210global view 216Mercator projection 216new session 208observation times 262options 261reports 273session 193setting elevation masks 273starting 194using 200world map 215

R

raster files 173displaying 175georeferencing 173

readme.txt file xivread-only files 21registering your software 163release notes xivreports

satellite visibility 206restricted access to files 19, 129

S

satellitesnumber to track 274sample rate 270

searching for help on a topic 161selecting background files 29Session Menu dialogs 213SkyPlot graph 254


Index

Smart Averaging 97starting QuickPlan 194Status dialog 110style of display 145support service 168SV sample rate 270

T

Tagged Image File Format 184technical information Pages 168TIFF files 173, 184tile graphs 243, 244Time Line scale 96Time Line window (view) 80time locked graphs 245time zone 148TIPs 168Toolbars 156training 168Trimble customer support 168Trimble Fast Backdrop format files 187Trimble Home Page 169Trimble Navigation’s World Wide Web

site 166Trimble SSF files 186

U

undeletingall positions 75

update notes xivupdating the almanac 191

V

Velocity field 136view information

positions 112

W

waypoint filesinitial letter 145

Waypointslayer 88

waypoints 46creating 119displaying 79editing 119importing from an ASCII file 49

Web map wizard 32Web map, selecting layers 42Windows bitmap files 181world file extensions 173world files 174World Wide Web 166World Wide Web site xiii


Index


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Documents

GPS Pathfinder Office User Guide Vol 1