Applications for GPS in Australia (3)
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Charles Sturt University Landcare
Garmin eTrex on trek
Kodak DC5000 on trek
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Databasing herbacious species
to understand and contribute to land care. Accuracy 5-15
metres.
Using the Garmin eTrex, and the Kodak weatherproof camera,
on the Bike National Trail
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1 |
Volunteer
Marine Rescue, Send
your location via mobile phone, Where
is the nearest fuel stop? |
Typical
navigation, Innovation using latest communications, and manage
petrol station
locations. |
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2 |
Whittlesea
Council Fire Management, Shifting
Soils, Counting
and measuring your assets, Understanding
Wildlife |
Emergency
responses, Measuring the drift of our sandhills, GPS helps
locate and value
everything from pipes, to parks and gardens, How many and where? |
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4 |
Geology
using Garmin eTrex
Radio transmission
of GPS position |
Glowing
testimonial and a question about DGPS
Automatic Position Reporting System used by radio enthusiasts. |
Civilian accuracy of GPS is around
15 metres or less (without accounting for selective availability,
which
was
cancelled
by the US Government on 1May 2000).
Find latitude
and longitude of any town in
Australia
Articles written by Kimball Thurlow, Copyright, Johnny Appleseed
GPS, Brisbane.
GPS
helps Charles Sturt University offer relevant disciplines.
 Australia is
a vast country with a vast array of geographic structures and ecosystems.
As technology and the environment become more entwined, Charles Sturt
University offers groundbreaking areas of
study.
As part of the involvement with land management initiatives, the University
has an online database of herbacious species that can assist in revegetation
of specific land areas. Sensibly, the University database includes the location
of example species. Location tasks such as these are easily handled by GPS.
Any economical GPS unit is capable of storing positions, and along with simple
note taking, will easily translate in time to a very relevant and valuable
resource. Interface of the GPS with computer, will also enhance the capture
of this type of data, and contribute to the efficiency of the field work.
Location is a very important part of any database which logs geographical
information. Inclusion of position in a database, enhances the
ability of the researcher in time, to statistically validate the
presence, the health, and the rate of spread of certain species.
The lack of a reasonably precise location, means that a complete
understanding of a species is impossible.
In the following description of a southern NSW species, the position
of the specimen is prominent, including the location format (AMG).
If the location format is not specified, any follow up researcher
may not be able to relocate the position. This is a good example
of one of the correct ways to describe geographic location.
To visit the herbacious database at CSU, please click on the image.
 Daviesia
genistifolia
Broom Bitter-pea CSU 1058 |
Location: 2.8km east of Riley's Road
heading out of Chiltern, Victoria.
AMG: Zone: 55 Easting: 467472 Northing: 6003575
Collector: Earl, Gill & Kent, Kylie Date: 7/9/99
Determined by: Earl, Gill Date: 9/3/00
http://life.csu.edu.au/herb/
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The
School of Environmental and Information Science is a part of
the Faculty
of Science and Agriculture and is located on the Albury campus
of Charles Sturt University. Specialty Land Management facilites
include:
* Biodiversity, Conservation and Management
* Computer Networking and Publishing
* Environmental Modelling
* Landcare and Sustainable Development
This School is unique
with its combined expertise in the environment and information
technology.
The School is a leader in ecotourism education; it started
the first University-level course in ecotourism in Australia. |
Whilst many other courses are now following
this trend, CSU's Ecotourism course differs in its combination of ecological/heritage
conservation with a business/tourism grounding.
Along with Ecotourism and Information Technology, courses in Park Management
and Cultural heritage are offered for students seeking employment as park managers,
outdoor recreation officers, researchers, and wildlife and sites officers.
The School has a long association with the provision of heritage management qualifications
to Aboriginal people from many parts of Australia. NSW National Parks and Wildlife
Service, Aboriginal Trainee Rangers have been studying with the School since
the development of the Trainee program. |
Bill Lord, Manager (Cultural Heritage
Unit, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Northern Zone)
says:
I would encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
who are interested in Environmental Studies to consider CSU's
range of courses.The school has demonstrated that it is bridging
the gap for Australia's Indigenous people by offering culturally
appropriate studies. |
Winan-Gidyal AboriginalEducation Centre
is closely associated with the School and provides support to
Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students. |
Garmin eTrex used in
trek conditions.
"About a third of the trip done... and
time for a bike shop for repairs! To date I have been using the e-Trex GPS
daily. More often than not in marking in my night campsite for reference
over the next few days, checking elevation and keeping an eye on bearings.
About four times I have really had to rely on it. These situations occurred
where my topo was too large a scale, the elevation was the only key to choosing
a track, to confirm an unmarked and very important turn and when bush bashing
across a bike-wrecking swamp. An unreal little piece of gadegtry in these situations,
and was very happy with myself for purchasing it. It saved my ass totally.
As for the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, (the type
you can hang on your belt)- I pat it several times daily. "
Kodak DC5000 perfect
for trek conditions.
It's just a total winner. It's taken a bashing
and a dose of dust (or ten), and some ash treatment too. If you've
been checking the site
you'll probably see that I've been reducing and trimming the photos
that I've been
uploading. This is to save web space more than anything. I'd like to
have one on the site which was unaltered (so you can see the quality)
but they're almost 1.3MB and I'm fairly pushed for space. Please be
aware of this, so the camera doesn't get a poor reference! "
Latitude,
Longitude, AMG etc etc etc:
I get many requests to explain the different numbers used by different GPS at
the same location. This is a valid and sensible question, and there are easily
understood answers. You may also wonder about terms such as UTM, GDA, MGA, datum,
position format, grid, and true north. My customers get free assistance with
these, and any other matter relating to their purchase, and the use of the GPS. |
What is GPS? (Explaining the
system of satellites and how it works)
The theory of positioning (How Sir
Isaac Newton and others made GPS possible)
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Johnny Appleseed GPS