Use of Tablet and PDANational Overview

Alan PriceTri-State Soil Scientists

MeetingPasco, WA

Feb. 27-Mar. 1, 2007

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Soils Tablets: We’ve had some “problems” in the past!

Levi Steptoe

Rusty Dowell

Hard to find shade in Texas!

I don’t trust those tablets!

I’m using paper.

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Soil tablet performance in the sunlight has been lacking

Motion Computing Tablet in Bright Sun

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Panasonic Toughbook CF-18 in Bright Sun

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HP Compaq 4200 in Bright Sun

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Fujitsu Stylistic ST5031D in Bright Sun

But there is hope …

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Fujitsu Stylistic

ST5031DOutdoor screen

HammerheadOutdoor screen

Hammerhead & Fujitsu ST5031D in Bright Sun

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Tablet computers• Request for quotes is being

developed by ITS• ITS has been provided with soil

survey requirements and a ranking system to help select the best model

• Tablet will be tested by team of soil scientists using our requirements before selection

• Our goal is to have a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) in place by spring, 2007

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Minimum Tablet Requirements:• Physical dimensions and weight• Resistant to dust and moisture• Min. and max. operational temperature

ranges• Screen (size, viewability in all lighting,

color, resolution, graphic display memory, landscape or portrait)

• Windows XP Tablet PC operating system• Hard drive size• RAM• Processor type and speed

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Minimum Tablet Requirements:• Memory cache• Active stylus (only stylus reacts

with screen)• Wireless (WiFi, Bluetooth)• Ports (USB, Ethernet, PCMCIA,

port replicator)• Power (rechargeable battery, no

tools to replace, external charger, AC adapter, 12v DC adapter)

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Minimum Tablet Requirements:• External buttons or quick

access:– Alt-Ctrl-Delete button(s)– Change screen orientation– Power/suspend/resume button– Brightness/contrast control

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Minimum Tablet Requirements:• Port Replicator/Docking station:

– Power connection– USB port– Serial port– Mouse port– Keyboard port– Ethernet port– Video port– Can rotate from landscape to

portrait orientation

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Minimum Tablet Requirements:• Peripheral connection capability:

– CD RW/DVD RW– 19 inch + flat panel monitor– Mouse– Keyboard

• Accessories– Carrying case– Vehicle mount

• Warranty (minimum 3 year, next day)

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Tablet computer applications:• Standard CCE load to include but not

limited to:– Windows XP Tablet Edition (has stylus tools)– Microsoft Office:

• Word• Excel• Access• PowerPoint• Outlook

– Internet Explorer– Adobe Acrobat– WinZip– Live Meeting– Windows Media Player– Java/JRE

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Tablet computer applications:• GIS Applications:

– ArcGIS 9.2• Complete installation of Desktop and

Workstation• License Manager (single user version)

– ArcEditor (allows use of GIS software without the encumbrance of the hardware key)

– Add-ons to ArcGIS:• ER Mapper Plugin• National Park Service Arc2Ax toolbar

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Tablet computer applications:• GPS Applications:

– DNR Garmin 5.1.1– MapSource 6.5

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Tablet computer applications:• Soils applications:

– Soil Resource Inventory Toolbox• Editing Toolbar (ArcGIS toolbar)• Auto Population Tool (Pedon PC module)• Analysis tools (Pedon PC and ArcGIS tools)

– Windows Pedon 1.1.2– Pedon PC 2.0 (or newer as available)– PedonCE 1.0.7 (for PDA users only)

• Pedon_CESync, Pedon MetaExchange– Citrix for NASIS 8.0– OSD Check 1.6– Soil Data Viewer (if version for ArcGIS

9.2 avail.)

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Tablet computer applications:• Support applications:

– DVD/CD burning software (note: Roxio Digital Media Plus to be loaded on workstations)

– Cisco VPN Client (facilitates internet access via non-USDA internet connections to the USDA backbone)

– Adobe Flash Player 9.0.28 (browser plugin)

– ActiveSync (as requested by PDA users)

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Tablet computer applications:• Additional applications to load

as licenses are available:– Photo editing and cataloging

software (Adobe Photoshop; CCE certification in progress)

– Microsoft Project– Microsoft Visio

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How will MLRA Project Offices use tablet PCs?• Tablet PCs will be the primary (and

probably only) computer for field soil scientists– Geospatial workstation will do the

“heavy lifting” for all people in the project office (e.g., processing of geospatial layers)

• Common office functions for the tablet PC:– Email, word processing, spreadsheets,

internet access, time sheets, on-line training, OSEDs, etc.

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How will MLRA Project Offices use tablet PCs?• Spatial data entry/editing:

– Check out data from the project office version of National Soil Geospatial Database (NSGD)

– Take tablet to the field for creating and editing: • soil polygons• linear features (linear special features,

linear map units, transects, and traverses)

• point feature locations (e.g., pedon descriptions, point map units, field notes, questionable areas “flagged”)

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How will MLRA Project Offices use tablet PCs?

• Spatial data entry/editing (cont.):– Check spatial data back into the

project office version of the NSGD– Project members perform QC– Push data to the geospatial

workstation for MLRA Project Leader QA

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Transactional Database

MO1

MO18

Default Version

SSO

M M

SSO

M

M M

USDA WAN Layer

Data can initially be delivered via CD-ROM or DVD 2-Way Replication

MO/State Review Capabilities

1 – Way Replication/2 – Way Replication

Soil Scientiest/Mapper

Soil Scientiest/Mapper

2 – Way Replication

Desktop/Workstation in SSO Office

Messaging occurs at night

M

How will MLRA Project Offices use tablet PCs?• NSGD data flow:

Tablet

processes

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How will MLRA Project Offices use tablet PCs?• Attribute data entry/editing:

– Sites and pedons (Pedon PC has a user interface specifically designed to fit tablet screens)

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How will MLRA Project Offices use tablet PCs?• Attribute data entry/editing (cont.):

– NASIS

• Link with GPS– Location of points– Navigate in vehicle and in the field (on

screen, real-time positions)

• Download from data loggers– Soil moisture and temperature data– Water table monitoring data

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Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Trimble GPS & PDA

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PDA vs. Tablet• Smaller• Lighter• Includes useful

apps. (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Calendar, Contacts, email, IE)

• Connectable (WiFi, Bluetooth, IR, ActiveSync)

• Larger screen• Powerful (more

storage, RAM, faster)

• Runs Windows apps

• More connection options (Ethernet, Firewire, PC cards, serial, USB, video)

• Agency preferred

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Additional PDA Applications:• ArcPad (ArcGIS compatible for

point, polygon, linear, and image spatial data)

• PedonCE (collect sites, pedons, and transects); not fully functional with newer PDA operating system, Windows Mobile 5.0; works with Pocket PC 2002 & 2003

• Data logger software (e.g., HGIS for collection of EMI and GPS data simultaneously)

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ArcPad (mobile GIS for PDA)

Use ArcPad toolbar in ArcGIS to clip area for PDA

Turn on GPS for real-time navigation

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Record sites, pedons, & transectsusing PedonCE Sites Pedons Horizons

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PDA as field data recorder(GPS & EMI)

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What would I use in the field, PDA or tablet?• If not working near the vehicle and/or only

describing pedons, I prefer the PDA• If I needed fully functional GIS

(entering/editing points, lines, and polygons), I prefer the tablet

• For real-time navigation, this would depend on how far from the vehicle I walked (short distance-tablet; longer distance-PDA)

i.e., fit the hardware to your situation (if possible)