Mapping Missionsand

Geographic Positioning Systems

April 4th, 2009

Norwegian and American scientists traversed across some of the least known parts of East

Antarctica.

A vehicle pulled a large living module for the scientists across the East Antarctic Plateau. The 20 steel drums underneath the living module did not supply enough fuel for the entire traverse.

http://traverse.npolar.no/norwegian-american-ipy-traverse/

GPS devices were used to locate fuel depots on the route of the

traverse..

A network of GPS satellites orbiting Earth can be used to guide expeditions

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:ConstellationGPS.gif

GPS devices use the microwave portion

of the electromagnetic spectrum to communicate with the network of

satellites.

http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/GPS72_OwnersManual.pdf

GPS devices can indicate:

The coordinates of a location The elevation at a location In what direction you are going

(Heading) In what direction you should be

going (Bearing) How fast you are moving How far you have traveled And much more

Getting Started with a Garmin GPS

Power On/Off

The PAGE button will switch off initial warning message and toggle among the various screens.

The ROCKER. scrolls up and down through options.

When you are inside a building, you can use the Simulator to become familiar with the Garmin 72 pages and data fields.

The Simulator Mode Turn on the GPS Press ENTER to clear a warning

statement. Press MENU. Start Simulator will be highlighted Press ENTER You will see some recently acquired

data that includes Latitude, Longitude, and Elevation.

Use the PAGE button to view different screens.

The GPS Information Page will indicate how many satellite signals you are

receiving, your coordinates, and your elevation.

Latitude and Longitude angles originate at the center of Earth

and describe the coordinates of a location..

Earth Science: The Challenge of Discovery; D.C.Heath and Co. 1991

Latitude and Longitude Systems

Coordinates for locations can be expressed as Degree, Minutes, and Seconds. This system is used on USGS Topographic maps

For example: 41º 20’ 37” N, 71º 56’ 17” W

There are other ways to indicate coordinates. Meteorologists often indicate the location of Atlantic Ocean hurricanes in Degree Decimal form.

For example: 22.76 N, 59.45º W

You can change how Latitude and Longitude is expressed while in the

simulator mode. Press MENU. Press MENU again. Use the ROCKER to highlight “setup”. Press ENTER Use the ROCKER to move to the right of the Units

Tab to highlight the Location Tab. Press ENTER. Use the ROCKER to highlight your choice. You

may need to scroll up to some options. Press ENTER Press PAGE

This procedure is described on Page 5 of GPS Basics.

A procedure to establish North Reference is also on Page 5.

When you go outside, you need to turn on your GPS unit and wait

until you receive at least 4 satellite signals.

Directions for turningon the Garmin GPS are on page one of GPS Basics.

You need to name and save the location

of your base station, two fuel depots, and a final destination as “waypoints”

This process is described on Page One of GPS

Basics.

You can toggle to the GPS Information Page

to record hard copy data in a journal.

Data includes: Latitude Longitude Elevation Accuracy Date Time

After reaching your final destination you can use GOTO to navigate back to

a fuel depot or your Base Station.

2. Use the ROCKER. to highlight the waypoint that will be your destination.

1. Press GOTO to display the waypoints stored in the GPS

.

3. Press ENTER to select the waypoint that you want to GOTO.

This is described on Page Three of GPS Basics

Data Fields on the Pointer Page can indicate

Bearing toward and Distance to Base Station

One Data Field can indicate Bearing

Another Data Field needs to indicate Distance to Next.

See Page 4 of GPS Basics to change displays in Data Fields.

Heading and Bearing on the Pointer Page when using

GOTO

The Black Arrow on the compass indicates a bearing to your selected waypoint. That is the direction you should be going.

The Line at top of Compass dial shows the direction you are actually going (heading).

Heading and Bearing are measured in degrees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass_rose

Heading and Bearing can describe your movements on the UMass

Campus

http://www.umass.edu/visitorsctr/Campus_Map/

Today’s Mapping Mission Go to the area between

Hasbrouck Lab and the Campus Center.

Obtain enough satellite signals for 3D navigation.

Refer to the Mapping Mission document for the mission parameters

Mark, name, and save the location of a base station. See GPS Basics/

Establish, save and name the locations of two fuel depots and your final destination.

Use the GPS Information Page to collect and record data for fuel depots and your final destination.

Once you are at your final destination, use the GOTO to get bearing and distance to your Base Station.

Navigate to the base station.

Locate Another Team’s Fuel Depots

(if time permits) Trade journals and GPS units with another

team. Choose one of the following strategies to

locate a fuel depot.

Option 1: Use the GPS Information page to navigate to the coordinates previously recorded in a journal. The coordinates on the GPS Information page will change as you move.

Option 2: Use the GOTO function and the Pointer Page to guide you to the location of a fuel depot that has previously been named and saved as a waypoint. The bearing arrow will guide you.

Applications of GPS technology include

Mapping a watershed Ground truthing remote sensing

data Constructing a displacement vector

diagram that describes a route Any suggestions for

Additional applications? Introducing students to using GPS?