Using GPS

1. Using GPS November 26, 2010 WMCI

2. WHAT IS GPS? • The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a navigation and precise-positioning tool. • Developed by the Department of Defense in 1973, GPS was originally designed to assist soldiers and military vehicles, planes, and ships in accurately determining their locations world-wide. • Today, the uses of GPS have extended to include both the commercial and scientific worlds. • Commercially, GPS is used as a navigation and positioning tool in airplanes, boats, cars, and for almost all outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, and kayaking. • In the scientific community, GPS plays an important role in the earth sciences. • Meteorologists use it for weather forecasting and global climate studies; and geologists can use it as a highly accurate method of surveying and in earthquake studies to measure tectonic motions during and in between earthquakes.

3. HOW DOES GPS WORK?

4. Three distinct parts make up the Global Positioning System. We will look at the first only: • The first segment of the system consists of 24 satellites, orbiting 20,000 km above the Earth in 12-hour circular orbits. • This means that it takes each satellite 12 hours to make a complete circle around the Earth. • In order to make sure that they can be detected from anywhere on the Earth's surface, the satellites are divided into six groups of four. • Each group is assigned a different path to follow. This creates six orbital planes which completely surround the Earth.

5. These satellites send radio signals to Earth that contain information about the satellite. • Using GPS ground-based receivers, these signals can be detected and used to determine the receivers' positions (latitude, longitude, height.)

6. WAAS? • WAAS stands for Wide Area Augmentation System, a set of satellites that broadcast additional signals to supplement those from the basic GPS satellites. • A GPS that can receive WAAS signals is accurate to better than 3 metres, 95% of the time (compared to a typical accuracy of 15 metres without WAAS.) • WAAS works best with an unobstructed sky view (on open land or water.) • WAAS signals are currently available only in the US and Canada.

7. TYPES OF GPS RECEIVERS • VEHICLE • Have a large screen • built-in battery (short life) • Easily installed/removed (unless built-into dash) • Can use software to add POI • Great for road trips • HAND-HELD • Small • Usually use replaceable batteries • Can use a “power cord” • Can use software to add POI • Good for lessons, outdoor activities…

8. HOW SHOULD I GET STARTED IN GPS? • If you have never used a GPS receiver, keep in mind that they have never been easier to use and have never been more affordable. • Are you allergic to technology? If so, the Wilderness Supply Company sells instructional DVD's specific to a model of GPS and offer courses in using them!

9. WHAT ARE SOME BASIC GPS LESSONS? • Latitude/longitude • Finding a route • Retracing a route • Making waypoints • POI (points of interest) • Using trip data • Geocaching

10. WHERE CAN I FIND GPS LESSONS? • There are plenty of websites with lessons: • http://lovinfifth.com/gps/GPS-activities.htm • http://www.gis2gps.com/GPS/lessonplans/gpsplans.htm • http://www.uwstout.edu/faculty/jamesk/Invasive_Plant/1.7_GPS.pdf • http://sciencespot.net/Pages/classgpslsn.html • http://www.ion.org/satdiv/education/lesson9.pdf • www.me.vccs.edu/nsfgrant/hs/GPS%20Lesson%20Plan.doc • http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=174249 • http://www.aea1.k12.ia.us/technology/gps.html • http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/gpsschool.htm

11. COMMON GPS QUESTIONS • How do I change the voice? • How do I make a waypoint using lat/long.? • How do I add pictures onto my GPS? • Where’s the power button? (hint – it’s marked “power” or looks like a circle with a vertical line). • How do I get local time displayed? • How do I get speed limits displayed?

12. How do I change the voice? When using a Garmin car GPS the voice setting is relatively easy to change. Just follow these steps: • Click “tools” • Click “setting” • Click “language” • Click “voice”, then scroll up/down list and select. • Click “ok” when done!

13. Making a waypoint from latitude/longitude - car GPS To find a place using coordinates: • On the menu page, select WHERE TO? – coordinates • Touch FORMAT to set coordinates format. • Touch each box to change the information. • Enter the coordinates for your destination and touch “NEXT”. • Touch “GO” • Tip: to find coordinates, check out this!

14. Making a waypoint from latitude/longitude – handheld GPS You can manually enter location coordinates to create a waypoint. This method is used by taking lat/long data from a position on a chart: • Make a new waypoint by pressing MARK. • On the Waypoint Page, highlight the LOCATION field, and press ENTER to open the on-screen keypad. • Use the ROCKER to enter location coordinates. Highlight OK, and press ENTER when finished.

15. Adding Pictures • Method One: • Copy JPEG photos to a SD memory card and insert the card into your GPS. • You may keep the SD card in your GPS or just insert the card when you want to view photos. • From the home screen click on the settings, which is the wrench icon. • Click on the Picture Viewer icon and your photos should be there. • Method Two: • Plug your GPS into a USB cable and drag photos to the directory of your GPS. • The GPS needs to be recognized by your computer as a mass storage device, for files/images to be transferred. • Be warned though, there is a limited amount of space!

16. Displaying Local Time • GPS units operate on UTC time. UTC is the Universal Coordinated Time or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). • You can input a local offset (or difference) from UTC so that the unit will display your local time. • This option is located under the unit's operational setup. A chart is provided in the owner's manual to help you select the appropriate offset for your area.

17. Speed Limits • The GPS receiver in your car determines your car's speed, heading and co-ordinates. • In its memory it has the co-ordinates of all accident black spots, school zones and speed enforcement areas. • Even the co-ordinates of spots where regularly are posted mobile speed cameras can be found! • The catch? • This is (so far) only available in the United States. Sorry Wayne, you’ll have to slow down on your own.

18. WHAT IS GEOCACHING? • Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. • A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. • Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache.

19. GEOCACHING AND YOU • Three useful websites for getting started in geocaching are: • http://www.mbgeocaching.ca/ • http://www.geocaching.com/ • http://www8.garmin.com/outdoor/geocaching/

20. Garmin and Geocaching • GEOCACHE ICONS: • use the geocache icon to view the list of cache locations downloaded from your computer or created by you. • A geocache location is a waypoint with a special symbol. • When a geocache is found your GPS will mark the cache as an entry into its calendar. • TO FIND A GEOCACHE: • Press FIND • Highlight the GEOCACHE icon and press ENTER • Use the ROCKER to highlight a geocache on the list and press ENTER. • Highlight the GO TO button and press ENTER. • Cache location downloads are available at: http://www8.garmin.com/outdoor/geocaching/

21. Geocaching in the Gladstone Area • There are several geocaches in the Gladstone area (two are IN Gladstone) that can be found at: • https://my.garmin.com/geocaching/cacheList.htm • Please note that the “difficulty” of these following locations are rated 1.5-2.0 out of 5 (easy peasy). • Cache addresses: • Pioneer Path at N 50° 13.760 W 098° 57.694UTM: 14U E 502741 N 5564130 • Olgilvie at N 50° 17.895 W 099° 04.762UTM: 14U E 494347 N 5571795 • Third Crossing at N 50° 13.748 W 098° 57.408UTM: 14U E 503081 N 5564108 • Happy Rock Hideout at N 50° 13.207 W 098° 57.167UTM: 14U E 503368 N 5563105 • Missing Keyes at N 50° 13.602 W 099° 13.153UTM: 14U E 484363 N 5563859

22. KIDS, GPS AND $$$ • Receivers are expensive, so how do I get a class set? • Answer: you probably can’t get enough for your class on your own, but students likely have access to family receivers and could bring theirs in for small group activities! • Using Geocaching as a hook, you might be introducing kids to a new sport too!

23. VIDEO TIME! (10 minutes) • Creating waypoints • Navigating to a waypoint • Route navigation • Working with maps

24. REFERENCES • http://lovinfifth.com/gps/GPS-activities.htm • http://www.gis2gps.com/GPS/lessonplans/gpsplans.htm • http://www.uwstout.edu/faculty/jamesk/Invasive_Plant/1.7_GPS.pdf • http://sciencespot.net/Pages/classgpslsn.html • http://www.ion.org/satdiv/education/lesson9.pdf • www.me.vccs.edu/nsfgrant/hs/GPS%20Lesson%20Plan.doc • http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=174249 • http://www.aea1.k12.ia.us/technology/gps.html • http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/gpsschool.htm • http://www.mbgeocaching.ca/ • http://www.geocaching.com/ • http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/gps1.htm • http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302887168&CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673220871 • http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/5519/the-easy-way-to-find-latitude-and-longitude-values-in-google-maps/ • http://www8.garmin.com/outdoor/geocaching/