Applications for GPS in Australia (5)
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Page |
Birdwatching/atlassing, Differences
in position format. |
Defining and
locating bird habitats and populations, correct methods of
reporting position, |
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1 |
Volunteer
Marine Rescue, Check
vehicle locations
via mobile phone, Where
is the nearest fuel stop? |
Typical
navigation, Innovation using latest communications, and manage
petrol station locations. |
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3 |
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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4 |
eTrex Radio
transmission of GPS position,
Using DGPS in geology work |
Using
an eTrex in a geology application. Accuracy 5-15 metres.
With
DGPS, 2-3 m
Radio transmission of GPS position- APRS (Automatic Position Reportng
System) |
GPS Civilian accuracy is15 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
|
by permission of the
National Library of Australia
|
by permission of the
National Library of Australia
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When the white man came to Australia prior
to 1800, images of the never-before-seen wildlife became
very popular. Artists including John William Lewin made
beatiful renderings of bird life, like these two examples, reproduced
by permission of the National Library of Australia. Today,
bird watching is a popular hobby in Australia. For many
bird watchers, the use of GPS has made the hobby more
enjoyable, because it is easier to find reported locations.
The availability of more scientific reporting will in
the future assist our understanding of the birds' habitat,
numbers and continued existence.
Images:
far left : Lewin, J. W. (John William),
1770-1819. Botany Bay creeper
1 watercolour ; 25 x 19.2 cm. nla.pic-an2970695
immediate left : Lewin, J. W. (John
William), 1770-1819. Black-crowned honey-sucker 1 print
: engraving, hand col. ; plate mark 28.8 x 21.2 cm.
nla.pic-an10496141
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Birdwatching - some examples.  Connect to Birds Australia
Atlassing in NSW - Tony Saunders
(Note from Kim Thurlow - I have reproduced the
article in full because it contains issues about collecting data,
which may be of interest to other bird-watchers.)
Tony Saunders is now the NSW facilitator for the
Birds Australia Atlassing Project, with the specific task of
increasing the amount of Atlassing carried out in Western NSW,
and encouraging the use of the smaller search area methods.
As at June 1st (2002), of the 2670 10 minute
grids within NSW, 1563 had been surveyed, compared to the
1828 that had been completed at a similar time in the previous
Atlas. Much of Western NSW has only been sparsely surveyed,
mostly along major roads and within National Parks. Tony
is keen for bird clubs and any other groups to adopt an
area that has not been surveyed, and organise some Atlassing
trips to that area - in particular in those areas so far
only sparsely surveyed. By co-ordinating surveys, we can
ensure the greatest return for the effort. Groups and individuals
intending to travel in Western NSW, and who can do surveys
as they go, are encouraged to contact Tony. He can provide
coverage maps showing where the effort is most needed,
and information on other groups' efforts, so there is less
overlap.
He also has addressed some concerns shown
by Atlassers about the new survey methods used in the current
project. The main concern is that fewer species are recorded
within a single survey, particularly the 20 minute / 2
ha survey design. He stresses that a single 20 minute /
2 hectare survey would never be used to characterise the
population of an entire 10 minute or one degree grid block
- nor would a 500 metre radius search. However, these searches
provide valuable data due to their more precise location,
and the increased likelihood that the search represents
only one habitat type. |
In encouraging the smaller searches to be done
when travelling through an area, Tony points out that even a
zero count is a valuable datum. Eventually, a series of 20 minute
/ 2 ha searches, or 500 metre counts will reveal the full population
of an area.
For example, Tony and his partner recently did
some atlassing in the Back Yamma S. F. Before the new Atlas,
he was producing one list per visit to the forest. Under the
new regime, he did four 500 m radius searches on the one visit,
and was in different habitats for each search. Each
search had its central position determined with a GPS unit, and
the duration noted. The number of species recorded for
each survey ranged from 23 to 36, and 54 species were recorded
for the forest as a whole. No species were missed between survey
points, and even if there had been, these could have been recorded
as incidental surveys.
This might seem like a lot of extra effort that
could have been saved by producing just one list. However, the
whole forest was not covered, so a single list would not represent
the forest anyway. It was interesting to compare the lists for
each survey. For example, Speckled Warbler and Red-capped Robins
were recorded on all four surveys, while Gilbert's Whistler and
Turquoise Parrot were recorded on two out of four. This already
provides useful information on the relative abundance of these
species based on reporting rates. Such detail would have been
lost if only one survey had been done for the whole forest.
Contact details: Tony Saunders 17
Poplar Grove, Lawson, NSW 2783. Ph. 02 4759 2559(h) 02 4759
3843(fax) 0409 399 849(mob) Contact
Tony at the Birds Australia Atlassing Project.
Correctly
locating a Birding Report
This
birding report from Marlene, indicates the correct
method of reporting a GPS location. In this case,
it is clear that Marlene is using degrees (°), minutes
('), and seconds ("). (If
you cannot reproduce the degree symbol, deg. could be
used. Otherwise, the reader can safely assume that the
first digits before a space, are the degrees). This is
angular measure, latitude and longitude, and nothing
to do with time.
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"Returning
to the unnamed picnic area (Ti Tree is the other picnic
area) the bush birds also didn't disappoint. Brush & Red
Wattlebird, Brown Thornbill, White-browed Scrubwren, New
Holland Honeyeater, Grey Fantail, Eastern Spinebill, Yellow
Robin, possible Brown Goshawk, Silvereye, Red-browed Firetail
whilst out in the paddocks Eastern Rosella and Black-shouldered
Kites. A great area.
GPS reading for the bridge across
the Powlett River: 38° 34'26"S 145° 30'40"E
Happy birding
Marlene."
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Your GPS may be reading another equally valid
format, for example
1. degrees
and decimal degrees (eg. S 27.34567 etc.), or
2. degrees, minutes (') and decimal minutes
(eg. S 27 34.567', which is a different
angle to the one above, and would be out by a whopping
25 (twenty five!) kilometres if you incorrectly interpreted
it!).
The format does not matter, so long as it
is clear to the reader. Quoting something like 27 34 56
is not very helpful at all, because the format is not specified,
and you could end up dozens of kilometres off the track.
You can see that the little marks ' and " are
really important. |
The reader
should also know on what part of the planet you are reporting.
Note that Marlene uses S on the latitude reading, and E
on the longitude reading. This is an important indicator,
because some of your readers may live in Arizona USA or
elsewhere, where they would use N and W. They want to know
in which hemisphere you are living. (The S and the E can
be used before or after the numbers, and are always shown
on GPS readings).
Another useful point, but not absolutely
necessary in the case of birdwatching, is to quote the
datum. An incorrect datum setting on your GPS in Australia,
could mean you are re-locating the position about 200 metres
in error. If you are worried about 200 metres, you could
contact the reporter, to find out what datum they are using
on their GPS, and set yours the same.
Another example of correct
recording of position- this time in flora observations. |
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