Thales Navigation Mobile Mapper Users Manual MobMap User

Mobile Mapper to the manual ed6f80bb-c952-45f4-bb49-a49309d16547

2015-02-03

: Thales-Navigation Thales-Navigation-Mobile-Mapper-Users-Manual-461416 thales-navigation-mobile-mapper-users-manual-461416 thales-navigation pdf

Open the PDF directly: View PDF .
Page Count: 128 [warning: Documents this large are best viewed by clicking the View PDF Link!]

Table of Contents
Introduction to the MobileMapper System
1. MobileMapper Field Unit
2. MobileMapper Office Software
3. Appendices

MobileMapper™

User Manual

www.thalesnavigation.com

THALES NAVIGATION

Table of Contents

Introduction to the MobileMapper System......................................................... 1

MobileMapper Field Unit............................................................................ 3

Keypad Description ............................................................................................ 3

Installing the Batteries .................................................................................. 4

Turning Power On/Off .................................................................................. 4

Setting the Screen Backlight......................................................................... 5

Setting the Units............................................................................................ 5

Getting a Position Fix ................................................................................... 5

Initialization for First-Time Use......................................................................... 6

GIS Data Logging Functions .............................................................................. 9

Feature Libraries ........................................................................................... 9

Logging New GPS/GIS Data ...................................................................... 10

Creating a Job and selecting a Feature Library ........................................................10

Logging and Describing a Point Feature..................................................................10

Logging and Describing a Line Feature...................................................................11

Logging and Describing an Area Feature ................................................................13

Repeating a Feature..................................................................................................14

Nesting a Feature......................................................................................................15

Offsetting a Point Feature ........................................................................................16

Offsetting a Line or Area Feature ............................................................................17

Logging GIS Data on a Preset Grid Network ..........................................................18

Changing the Parameters of a Grid Network Before Logging GIS Data................. 20

Closing a Job............................................................................................................21

GPS Accuracy............................................................................................. 22

GPS Quality Indicators ............................................................................... 22

Revisiting and Updating Existing GPS/GIS Jobs ....................................... 23

General Procedure....................................................................................................23

Repositioning a Point Feature ..................................................................................25

Adding More Features and Attributes to the Job .....................................................25

Closing the Job .........................................................................................................25

Navigation Screens ........................................................................................... 26

Map Screen ................................................................................................. 26

Compass Screen .......................................................................................... 31

Large Data Screen ....................................................................................... 32

Position Screens .......................................................................................... 33

Road Screen ................................................................................................ 35

Data Screen ................................................................................................. 36

Speedometer Screen.................................................................................... 37

Satellite Status Screen ................................................................................. 38

Customizing Data Fields on Navigation Screens........................................ 38

GOTO Function................................................................................................ 39

Purpose........................................................................................................ 39

Destination Point Types.............................................................................. 39

Selecting a GIS Feature as the Destination Point ....................................... 39

Selecting a POI as the Destination Point .................................................... 40

Saving Your Current Position as a Waypoint ............................................. 41

Creating a Waypoint With the Map Cursor ................................................ 41

Editing/Deleting a User Waypoint.............................................................. 42

Routes ............................................................................................................... 43

GOTO Route ............................................................................................... 43

Multi-leg Route ........................................................................................... 43

Creating a Multi-leg Route.......................................................................................43

Creating a Multi-leg Route from the Track History.................................................44

Activating/deactivating a Multi-Leg Route..............................................................44

Other Functions Tied to Routes................................................................................45

MENU button ................................................................................................... 46

Open Job ..................................................................................................... 48

New Job....................................................................................................... 48

Mark ............................................................................................................ 48

GOTO.......................................................................................................... 49

Routes.......................................................................................................... 49

Setup Menu ................................................................................................. 49

Initialize....................................................................................................................49

Select Map................................................................................................................50

Map Setup.................................................................................................................50

Nav Screens..............................................................................................................50

Coord System ...........................................................................................................51

Map Datum...............................................................................................................52

Elev Mode ................................................................................................................52

Time Format.............................................................................................................53

Units .........................................................................................................................53

Alarms ......................................................................................................................54

North Reference .......................................................................................................55

Daylight Saving........................................................................................................55

Power Off Timer ......................................................................................................56

Contrast ....................................................................................................................56

Light Timer...............................................................................................................56

Beeper.......................................................................................................................57

Clear Memory...........................................................................................................57

NMEA ......................................................................................................................58

Baud Rate .................................................................................................................58

Power Key ................................................................................................................59

Simulate....................................................................................................................59

Language ..................................................................................................................60

Delete Files ................................................................................................. 61

About........................................................................................................... 61

MobileMapper Office Software................................................................ 63

Introduction....................................................................................................... 63

Installing MobileMapper Office ....................................................................... 64

Launching MobileMapper Office ..................................................................... 64

MobileMapper Office Main Window............................................................... 65

Map Display Area............................................................................................. 66

Controlling the Content of the Map Display Area...................................... 66

Making Measurements on the Map Display Area....................................... 68

Deleting Features ........................................................................................ 68

Working on Job Files........................................................................................ 69

Creating a New Job ..................................................................................... 69

Connecting the Handheld to the PC............................................................ 70

Uploading a Job to the Handheld ................................................................ 71

Downloading a Completed Job from the Handheld.................................... 72

Downloading a job file .............................................................................................73

Deleting a file from the handheld.............................................................................73

Viewing the Content of a Job...................................................................... 74

Exporting Jobs in GIS Formats................................................................... 75

Using the Feature Library Editor ...................................................................... 76

Introduction................................................................................................. 76

Creating a New, Standalone Feature Library File....................................... 78

Inserting New Features to the Feature Library ........................................... 79

iii

Defining Feature Attributes ........................................................................ 80

Defining Attribute Values........................................................................... 81

Renaming a Feature, Defining its Representation on the Map ................... 82

Deleting Features, Attributes or Attribute Values ...................................... 83

Saving a Feature Library............................................................................. 84

Attaching a Feature Library to a Job........................................................... 84

Importing a Feature Library from a Job or GIS File................................... 85

Uploading a standalone feature library file................................................. 85

Grid Mapper Utility .......................................................................................... 86

Introduction ................................................................................................. 86

Grid Features vs. Grid Points...................................................................... 86

Setting up a Grid Feature in a Feature Library file ..................................... 87

Editing the Grid Properties ......................................................................... 87

Uploading the Grid Feature to the Receiver ............................................... 89

Using the Waypoint/Route Editor .................................................................... 90

Introduction ................................................................................................. 90

Placing Waypoints ...................................................................................... 90

Creating Waypoints from the Waypoint Table ........................................... 91

Finding a Waypoint on the Map ................................................................. 92

Deleting Waypoints..................................................................................... 92

Building a Route ......................................................................................... 93

Background Maps............................................................................................. 94

Introduction ................................................................................................. 94

Creating a New Background Map Project .................................................. 96

Adding Layers to a Background Map Project............................................. 97

Changing the Order of Layers..................................................................... 98

Removing Layers ........................................................................................ 98

Changing the Visual Aspect of Layers ....................................................... 99

Building the Background Map.................................................................... 99

Selecting a Background Map for Display ................................................. 100

Setting a Map Region................................................................................ 101

Uploading a Background Map .................................................................. 101

Coordinate System.......................................................................................... 103

Introduction to Coordinate Systems and Datums ..................................... 103

Coordinate Systems in MobileMapper Office .......................................... 107

Selecting a Pre-defined Coordinate System.............................................. 108

Selecting an existing Geodetic system...................................................................108

Selecting an existing Grid system ..........................................................................108

Defining the height system.....................................................................................109

Enabling the chosen coordinate system .................................................................109

Creating a New Coordinate System .......................................................... 109

Creating a new Geodetic system............................................................................109

Creating a new Grid system ...................................................................................110

Print Function ................................................................................................. 112

Appendices................................................................................................113

Specifications.................................................................................................. 113

Installing a Memory Card............................................................................... 114

Connecting MobileMapper to an External Device ......................................... 115

Connecting MobileMapper to an External Power Source .............................. 116

Glossary .......................................................................................................... 117

Index ............................................................................................................... 119

Introduction to the MobileMapper System

The MobileMapper system from Thales Navigation is com-

posed of two main elements: the MobileMapper receiver and

MobileMapper Office software running on a PC-type com-

puter.

The MobileMapper receiver is a handheld navigation and

positioning device that enables you to describe the features

being mapped and then format the data so that later it can be

uploaded to a GIS. It offers an easy-to-use and easy-to-de-

ploy solution for general mapping and for asset manage-

ment.

MobileMapper combines all the navigation capabilities of a

recreational handheld with feature attributing software to

support GIS data collection in the field.

The MobileMapper receiver and its main functions are fully

described in Section 1 in this manual.

MobileMapper Office is an office software suite that inter-

faces the MobileMapper receiver with your GIS system. Mo-

bileMapper Office allows you to prepare GIS jobs, feature

libraries and waypoint files, build background maps from

GIS data files and manage the information logged in the field

(upload/download functions).

The MobileMapper Office software and its mains functions

are fully described in Section 2 in this manual.

All functions relative to data exchange between MobileMap-

per and MobileMapper Office are also detailed in Section 2.

Finally, the Appendices section in this manual covers a num-

ber of topics such as product specifications, SD card instal-

lation, connectors & cables and glossary of terms used.

Please note that a printed Getting Started Guide is included

in your MobileMapper system. This short, multilingual

guide, which is presented in a tutorial form, is intended to

help you complete your first job. Practising with this guide

will allow you to understand the essentials of the system.

1. MobileMapper Field Unit

Keypad Description

Under the screen you will see 8 buttons located around a

large oval “scrolling” button with 4 directional arrows on it.

IN/OUT: Use these but-

tons to zoom in and out

when viewing a screen

with a map displayed.

ESC: Takes you back to

the previous screen with-

out effecting any changes.

NAV: Takes you to the

various navigation

screens where you can lo-

cate yourself and navigate

to waypoints and GIS fea-

tures.

LOG: Lets you create a

new job or open an exist-

ing one. With a job and a

feature already open,

pressing LOG takes you to

the feature attribute screen. With an open job, but no open

feature, pressing LOG takes you to the feature selection

screen.

ENTER: Use this button to accept highlighted input and to

initiate various unit functions.

MENU: Provides access to a variety of functions such as set-

ting up and initializing the receiver, selecting targets to nav-

igate to and various GIS logging features.

PWR button: Turns on and off the unit. Also turns the back-

light on if you hold it down for two seconds (until the back-

light level changes).

IN OUT

ESC

PWR

LOG

NAV

ENTER

Display

GPS antenna (inside the housing)

Screen

Scrolling button

The scrolling button

has three different

functions:

• It is used to move the

cursor in the chosen

direction, from a data

field to another, from an

option in a menu to the

previous or next option.

• In a highlighted field,

the left/right arrow

moves the cursor back-

ward/forward; The up/

down arrow increments/

decrements the high-

lighted figure or string.

• On the Map screen, a

navigation screen, this

button allows you to

switch to cursor mode

and then to move the cur-

sor in ALL directions, not

only the left, right, up

and down directions.

Installing the Batteries

MobileMapper uses two AA

batteries that are installed

from the back through the bat-

tery cover. To remove the bat-

tery cover, push the two

buttons on the cover fully to

the left and lift the battery

cover away from the receiver.

Insert the new batteries as

shown opposite, making sure

that the batteries are installed with the correct polarity. Re-

place the cover and push the two buttons fully to the right.

Verify that the cover is locked in place.

Turning Power On/Off

In the Power-On procedure described below, it is assumed

that the unit has already been used in a working session and

so position data is available from the former working session

to help MobileMapper compute its position.

• To turn the unit on, press the PWR button. The Start-up

screen appears, followed by the Database Copyright

screen and the Agreement screen. After accepting the

warning information, the last navigation screen you were

viewing at the end of the last session will be displayed.

If the last navigation screen view was the Map screen,

the last zoom scale setting will be used.

• To turn the unit off, press the PWR button. The Power

Down screen is displayed.

Doing nothing will turn off the unit at the end of the

countdown sequence.

Pressing the PWR button again will turn off the unit

immediately.

Pressing ESC will cancel the Power Down sequence.

Battery Life

You can expect up to 16

operating hours from 2

Li-ion AA batteries with

the backlight turned off.

Using the backlight will

shorten the battery life

significantly. With the

backlight on continu-

ously, you can expect

about up to 8 hours of

usage from the two Li-ion

batteries that came with

your MobileMapper.

The very first time you

use your MobileMapper,

or after erasing all the

data from memory, the

Power-On procedure is

longer than described

here because the unit

having no position in

memory, initialization is

needed to help the unit

track satellites (see 1st-

time use on page 6).

Power Down Screen

Setting the Screen Backlight

The screen backlight can be set to one of three levels (low,

high or off). At power on, the screen backlight is set to high

level. Follow the sequence below to choose another level:

- Hold down the PWR button for 2 seconds : Backlight

drops down to low level

- Hold down the PWR button again for 2 seconds: Back-

light turns off.

- Hold down the PWR button again for 2 seconds: Back-

light comes back to high-level illumination.

Using the backlight makes the screen display easier to see,

but it also drains the batteries more quickly.

Setting the Units

To change the units that MobileMapper will use:

- Press MENU. Use the up/down arrows to highlight Setup

and press ENTER

- Use the up/down arrows to highlight Units and press

ENTER.

- Use the up/down arrows to highlight the set of units you

want and press ENTER. Press ESC to return to the last

screen viewed

Getting a Position Fix

The unit is designed to fit comfortably in your hand. Hold

the MobileMapper in the palm of your hand with the antenna

pointing towards the sky.

MobileMapper’s antenna needs to have a relatively unob-

structed view of the sky. This allows the unit to choose from

all satellites currently available.

If the view of the sky is poor due to large cliffs or buildings,

heavy foliage or other obstructions, the satellite signals can

be blocked and the receiver may take longer to compute a

position fix.

To prevent accidently

turning the backlight on

and leaving it on, the unit

will turn the backlight off

when there have been no

buttons pressed for 4

minutes. Pressing any

button will turn the back-

light back on in this

instance. You can change

the time delay for the

backlight using the Light

Timer option in the Setup

menu (see page 56).

Units Screen

Holding the unit

You can observe the sig-

nal strength and the sat-

ellites being used on the

Satellite Status screen

(see page 8).

Initialization for First-Time Use

MobileMapper will walk you through the process of setting

up the receiver for first time use. This procedure is common-

ly referred to as “Initializing the Receiver”. The purpose of

this initialization is to provide MobileMapper with a general

knowledge of its approximate location.

This may seem a little confusing at first as why does a device

that is used to compute its position need to know where it’s

at? MobileMapper uses information from the GPS satellites

that orbit the Earth and if MobileMapper has an approximate

idea as to its location, it will refer to the almanac it has in

memory to select what satellites are overhead. From this in-

formation, MobileMapper can then select the satellites that

will give it the best information for computing its location.

Under normal use, MobileMapper will save the last position

it calculated and use that position the next time it is turned

on. However, when MobileMapper is new (or when memory

has been completely erased), it has no last position informa-

tion. Thus, MobileMapper can either start polling the satel-

lites to see which ones are overhead or you can provide it

with your approximate location allowing MobileMapper to

begin computing the initial position, known as “first fix.”

Follow these instructions to initialize MobileMapper:

1. Turn MobileMapper on by pressing the PWR button. The

unit turns on and displays the start-up screen, followed

by the Database Copyright screen and the language

selection screen.

2. Select your language using the up/down arrow to move

the cursor to this language. With the desired language

highlighted, press the ENTER button. The Warning

screen is then displayed for about 10 seconds.

Skipping Initialization

You can skip the initial-

ization process by press-

ing the NAV key anytime

after selecting the lan-

guage you want

MobileMapper to use

and accepting the agree-

ment. If MobileMapper is

able to collect satellite

data (i.e., have a clear

view of the sky) it will

begin to self-initialize.

This could take anywhere

from 3 to 14 minutes to

compute its position,

depending on how many

weeks have elapsed since

it was last used.

Start-up, Copyright &

Language Screens

3. If you understand and agree to the warning presented,

press ENTER before the 10 seconds have elapsed. Other-

wise, the unit will shut off. A message box is then dis-

played indicating that the unit needs to be initialized.

4. Press ENTER. The unit asks you to select your region

and area. Use the up/down arrows to highlight your gen-

eral region and press ENTER. Again, use the up/down

arrows to highlight your area and press ENTER.

5. The cursor appears in the Time field, waiting for you to

input your local time. Please enter the time in 0-12 hr.

format, not in 0-24 hr. format. Set your local time using

the arrow keys as follows: use the up arrow to increment

the highlighted figure, or the down arrow to decrement it.

Then press the right arrow to highlight the next figure.

Set this figure now using the up or down arrow, etc. Be

sure that you set the AM/PM indicator. When the time is

correct, press ENTER.

The last piece of information needed is the date. As

above, using the arrow keys, enter the present date and

then press ENTER.

All the information that the unit needs to speed up the

process of computing its first fix has been entered and

the Done field is highlighted.

Region & Area Screens

Time & Date Screens

6. To complete the initialization process, press ENTER

again. The Satellite Status screen is displayed and

MobileMapper begins acquiring the data from satellites.

Watching the bars appear and turn solid on the screen,

you can progressively see the unit lock onto satellites.

Once the first position fix has been computed, the Map

screen is automatically displayed. This screen shows a

map of the area where you are located. Your current posi-

tion is represented by a triangle located at the center of

the screen (see also page 26).

Initialization is now complete and you can proceed to

your job.

Satellite Position Graph

Satellite Signal Strength Chart

Battery Life Indicator

Satellite Positions

(W for WAAS

in the Sky & Numbers

or EGNOS)

Satellite Signal

Strength Chart:

Clear bars indicate that

the unit is starting to get

information from satel-

lites. Solid bars indicate

that the satellites are

being used to compute

your position.

Satellite Position

Graph:

The 2 circles indicate

satellite elevation as seen

from your current posi-

tion. The outer circle rep-

resents the horizon and

the inner circle repre-

sents 45° from the hori-

zon. The center of the

circle is 90° from the

horizon, or directly over-

head.

GIS Data Logging Functions

Feature Libraries

Feature libraries contain lists of features that you should be

visiting during your field sessions.

Features are four types:

- Point feature: The geometrical representation of this fea-

ture is a point. Logging this type of feature requires static

occupation at the point.

- Line feature: The geometrical representation of this fea-

ture is a line. Logging this type of feature requires that

you move along this line.

- Area feature: The geometrical representation of this fea-

ture is an area. Logging this type of feature requires that

you move along its contour or you make several static

occupations if it is a regular area (with straight sides).

- Grid feature: The geometrical representation of this fea-

ture is an array of evenly-distributed waypoints.

MobileMapper will guide you to each of these waypoints

where you should enter a measurement performed at this

point.

Each feature also has a number of attributes. There are three

categories of attributes:

- Menu style where the attribute values are words or

phrases that you pick off a list (e.g. Condition attribute

opposite)

- Numeric style where you select a number within a speci-

fied range (e.g. # of Bulbs attribute opposite)

- Text style where you type in a note that can contain both

numbers and letters (e.g. Closest Street Address attribute

opposite)

You can input as many as five feature libraries into Mo-

bileMapper. Just remember that you can use only one feature

library for logging data to an individual job.

A feature library is a

hierarchical structure

that guides you through

the description process

so you know you will

describe thoroughly and

quickly each feature you

visit. You will not have to

remember what

attributes of each feature

you should record: the

feature library will tell

you!

Example of a “stree-

tlight” point feature, as

may be described in a

feature library

Feature libraries are cre-

ated using the Feature

Library Editor module in

MobileMapper Office.

Condition

# of bulbs

Closest

Address

List Attribute

values

of streetlight

- Good

- Needs repair

- Needs paint

Enter

Type in

numeric value

Street

address

attributes

Logging New GPS/GIS Data

Prior to starting logging GIS data, be sure MobileMapper is

computing your position when you stand near the first fea-

ture you want to log.

Press NAV until you display the Map screen. If an arrow is

displayed at the center of the Map screen and you can see

that your position on the screen is the expected one, then you

can start your job. Follow the instructions below to log GIS

features.

1. Creating a Job and selecting a Feature Library

- Press the LOG button

- Select the Create New Job option and press ENTER.

The screen displays the Job Name field in which you

should enter the name of the new job. A keyboard is

displayed underneath to let you enter this name.

To use the keyboard, press the arrow keys to move

the cursor over the keyboard. For example, if the job

name is “JB010”, highlight “J” using the arrow keys

and press ENTER. Then select “B” and press

ENTER, etc.

- When you have finished entering the name, highlight

the OK key on the screen and press ENTER. A new

screen is then displayed listing the feature libraries

stored in MobileMapper

- Use the down/up arrow to highlight the library you

want to work from and press ENTER. The screen

now lists all the features available from the selected

feature library.

2. Logging and Describing a Point Feature

- Choose the type of feature you want to log from this

list. You can tell by the name of this feature whether

it is a point feature, a line feature or an area feature.

- Highlight a point feature (you are supposed to be near

one of these features) and press ENTER. This starts

feature logging.

Entering a job name

The keyboard is fitted

with special keys such as

the CLEAR key to clear

the job name field, the

Shift key to switch

between upper and

lower-case, the back-

space key to delete the

last entered character

and a space key.

Note that a “Generic”

library containing

default features is cre-

ated in MobileMapper at

power on. This library

contains a point feature,

a line feature, an area

feature and a grid fea-

ture. Each of these fea-

tures has a single text-

style attribute. Use this

library only as “backup”

library.

MobileMapper uses a

fixed, time-based log-

ging interval (1 second)

when you log a point fea-

ture. The logging interval

parameter cannot be

accessed when you log a

point feature.

The Logging screen is now displayed where you can

see the list of attributes pertaining to this feature. You

will now enter the “Description” phase of the feature

- With the first attribute highlighted, press ENTER and

choose the right attribute value describing the feature

near you and press ENTER. This takes you back to

the Logging screen.

- Highlight the next attribute in the list and repeat the

previous step. Repeat this step until all the attributes

have been properly described.

“Describing” the feature only takes a few seconds.

By the time you are done with the feature description,

the feature’s GPS position will probably have been

saved in the job. You can also stay more time on the

feature to let the receiver determine several positions.

This will give an even more accurate position for the

feature as MobileMapper will average all the GPS

positions it has computed on the feature.

- To stop logging the feature, on the Logging screen,

use the down arrow to highlight the Close field and

press ENTER. This takes you back to the Feature List

screen

- Move to the next feature and resume the above

instructions to log this feature.

3. Logging and Describing a Line Feature

Basically, you use the same procedure as when you log a

point feature (see 2. above). There are however two dif-

ferences when you log a line feature:

- You need to define a logging interval when you start

logging the feature

- And then you are supposed to move from the begin-

ning to the end of the line feature before stopping the

logging.

These differences are explained below.

Logging screen

The Logging screen also

displays the time elapsed

since you started log-

ging at this point fea-

ture, the number of

satellites currently

received and the current

value of PDOP (see also

page 22).

If you start logging a new

feature and you realize

you this is a mistake, then

you can delete the new

feature being logged by

pressing MENU and

selecting Delete <fea-

ture name>.

Deleting features only

applies to new features

being logged, not to fea-

tures already logged.

After highlighting a line feature from the Feature List

screen (for example a road) and pressing ENTER,

MobileMapper starts logging GPS positions from the

position where you are. The first time you log a line area,

and then every time you think this is necessary:

- Press MENU, highlight Logging Interval and press

ENTER. Two options are then prompted:

By Time: Select this option when you want

MobileMapper to log a new GPS position at regular

intervals of time regardless of the distance traveled

since the last position logged. After highlighting this

option, press ENTER, choose a time interval from the

list and press ENTER. This takes you back to the

Logging screen where you can see the list of

attributes pertaining to the feature.

By Distance: Select this option when you want

MobileMapper to log a new GPS position only after

you have moved by a certain distance since the last

position logged. After highlighting this option, press

ENTER, choose a distance interval from the list and

press ENTER. This takes you back to the Logging

screen where you can see the list of attributes pertain-

ing to the feature.

- Like with a point feature, describe the feature by

describing the different attributes pertaining to the

feature

- When the description is finished, you can start walk-

ing along the line feature

- When you arrive at the end of the line feature, with

MobileMapper still displaying the Logging screen,

highlight the Close field at the bottom of the screen

and press ENTER to stop logging the feature.

Selecting the logging

interval option

Logging screen

The Logging screen also

displays the distance

traveled since you

started logging the line

feature, the number of

satellites currently

received and the current

value of PDOP (see also

page 22).

4. Logging and Describing an Area Feature

Basically, you use the same procedure as when you log a

line feature, especially regarding the need for defining a

logging interval (see 3. above).

What is new when you log an area feature is that you can

use one of the following two methods:

- The first method should be used when contours of

areas are irregular. This method is similar to logging

a line area in that you have to move along the con-

tour, but you also have to come back to the start point

so that MobileMapper can accurately measure the

area.

- The second method applies to areas with regular con-

tours, i.e. those with straight sides. With such areas,

you just have to go to each corner of the area, make

static occupation there and pause the logging between

static occupations. MobileMapper will deduce the

area after you log the last corner and you close the

feature.

Use the same procedure as on page 11 when you choose

the first method.

When the shape of the area allows you to use the second

method, do the following after arriving at one of the cor-

ners and with the Attribute List displayed on your

MobileMapper:

- Select the name of the area feature from the list of

features and press ENTER. MobileMapper starts log-

ging the area feature.

- Choose a time-based logging interval (see explana-

tions given for a line area on page 12). This takes you

back to the Logging screen where the list of attributes

for the feature is displayed

- Describe each attribute by selecting or entering the

appropriate attribute value for each of them. (Note

that you have to do this only once, not on each corner

of the area.)

Irregular area

Regular area

Logging screen

The Logging screen also

displays the current

value of area measured

since you started log-

ging the feature, the

number of satellites cur-

rently received and the

current value of PDOP

(see also page 22).

By the time you are done with the description,

MobileMapper will probably have logged the GPS

position of the corner.

- Now, press MENU, highlight Pause <feature name> and

press ENTER. This pauses the logging of the feature.

- Move to the next corner of the area where you can

now resume logging the feature

- To do this, press MENU, highlight Resume <feature

name> and press ENTER. This resumes the logging.

- Resume the previous three steps until all the corners

of the area have been visited.

- After logging the GPS position of the last corner,

highlight Close at the bottom of the screen and press

ENTER. This closes the logging of the area feature.

5. Repeating a Feature

If you close a feature and want to log the location of

another feature of the same type and with an identical

description, use Mobile Mapper’s Repeat Feature func-

tion.

- After closing a feature, MobileMapper takes you back to

the Feature List screen. Then do the following:

- Move to the next similar feature you want to log

- Then press MENU, highlight Repeat Feature and press

ENTER. This starts feature logging. Note that the

feature has the same attribute description as the

former one

- After logging the GPS position(s) of this feature,

highlight the Close field and press ENTER to close

the feature.

Selecting the Pause

Park option

Selecting the Repeat

Feature option

6. Nesting a Feature

When you are logging GPS positions to a feature, you

may find another feature that you also want to log.

Rather than log the entire feature and come back to

record this other feature, you can simply pause the fea-

ture being logged, log the other feature, close it and

resume logging the first feature.

Logging one feature while you have paused another fea-

ture is called “nesting.” You can nest any feature, point

line or area, into any line or area feature. Its does not

make sense to nest a feature into a point feature.

Nesting is particularly useful when you are mapping

things such as a road with streetlamps along the route or

a shoreline with stretches of erosion along it and the

locations of certain habitats.

Assuming you are logging a line feature and the Logging

screen is displayed, do the following, for example to nest

a point feature:

- Press MENU, highlight Nest Feature and press

ENTER. This pauses the logging of the line feature.

- Move to the location of the feature you want to nest

- In the Feature List screen now displayed, highlight

the feature you want to nest and press ENTER

- Describe the attributes of the feature as you would

normally do

-Highlight

Close at the bottom of the screen and press

ENTER. This closes the nested feature and takes you

back to the Logging screen of the paused feature

- Press MENU, highlight Resume <feature name> and

press ENTER. This takes you back to the Logging

screen from which you can normally finish the log-

ging of this feature.

7. Offsetting a Point Feature

Sometimes the feature you want to put on the map is in

area of poor GPS reception or is not accessible. This is

when you can map the feature using the offset utility. By

combining the receiver’s position with the bearing and

distance to the feature, MobileMapper will automatically

calculate and record the position of the feature.

To input an offset for a point feature, assuming the Fea-

ture List screen is now displayed, do the following:

- Highlight one of the listed point features available

from the selected feature library and press ENTER

- Press MENU, highlight Offset and press ENTER. This

displays the Point Offset screen on which you should

enter the following parameters:

Bearing: Compass direction to the feature from your

current position. You need a compass to measure this

angle (see also opposite). To input a value for Bearing,

press ENTER and increment or decrement the high-

lighted number using the up/down arrows. To edit

another digit, use the left/right arrows. When you are

done, press ENTER again. Press the down arrow to

move the cursor to the next field.

Horz. Distance: Horizontal distance to the feature from

your current position. Enter a value for Horz. Distance

as described above for Bearing. When you are done,

press ENTER again.

Vert. Distance: Vertical distance to the feature from

your current position (“0” if the feature and yourself

are at the same elevation -on a flat area). Enter a

value for Vert. Distance as described above for Bearing.

When you are done, press ENTER again.

- Then press ESC to return to the Logging screen. This

writes the offset into memory, but you can edit it later

if you like by going through the same process. If you

close the feature and return to the Map screen, you

will see that the feature is offset from your position in

the middle of the screen.

Point Offset screen

If you do not have a com-

pass, you can use

MobileMapper’s Com-

pass screen (see also

page 31) to determine the

bearing to the offset fea-

ture. If you have been

moving for 5 to 10 sec-

onds along a straight

line, the Compass screen

will tell you your bear-

ing. You can use this to

determine the bearing to

the offset feature. CAU-

TION! The receiver can-

not determine direction

while stationary.

Visual estimation for

horz. & vert. distances is

usually good enough in

terms of accuracy.

8. Offsetting a Line or Area Feature

For the same reasons as a point feature (see previous

page), you may need to use the offset utility to map a line

or area feature. By combining the receiver’s position

with the direction and the distance to the feature,

MobileMapper will automatically calculate and record

the location of the feature.

To input an offset for a line or area feature, assuming the

Feature List screen is now displayed, do the following:

- Highlight one of the features available from the open

feature library and press ENTER.

- Press MENU, highlight Offset and press ENTER. This

displays the Line or Area Offset screen on which you

should enter the following parameters:

Direction: Location of the feature with respect to your

actual path. To input a value for Direction, press

ENTER, choose one of the two options (Right or

Left) and press ENTER again. Press the down arrow

to move the cursor to the next field.

Horz. Distance: Horizontal distance to the feature from

your current position. To input a value for Horz. Dis-

tance, press ENTER and increment or decrement the

highlighted number using the up/down arrows. To

edit another digit, use the left/right arrows. When you

are done, press ENTER again. Press the down arrow

to move the cursor to the next field.

Vert. Distance: Vertical distance to the feature from

your current position (“0” if the feature and yourself

are at the same elevation -on a flat area). Enter a

value for Vert. Distance as described above for Horz. Dis-

tance. When you are done, press ENTER again.

- Then press ESC to return to the Logging screen. This

writes the offset into memory, but you can edit it later

if you like by going through the same process. If you

close the feature and return to the Map screen, you

will see that the feature is offset from your position in

the middle of the screen.

Line or Area Offset

screen

Visual estimation for

horz. & vert. distances is

usually good enough in

terms of accuracy.

On the left On the right

Line Area

9. Logging GIS Data on a Preset Grid Network

MobileMapper's grid mapping utility is an easy way to

automatically set up a series of GPS waypoints to facili-

tate the logging of data in an orthogonal grid. This utility

assures that you gather measurements made using field

sensors such as chemical detectors, depth sounders and

magnetometers at an evenly distributed set of locations.

This in turn assures the creation in your GIS of contour

maps with a prescribed density of data and without any

gaps that might force you to return to the field.

To log GIS data on a preset grid, do the following:

-Navigate to the waypoint of the grid where you

want to begin logging data: If you have created a

waypoint to help you locate the first grid point, you

can use any of MobileMapper's navigation screens to

get there. To access a waypoint file you can use to

navigate to the point of beginning, press the MENU

button and select the GOTO option. Then select the

User option. This will place the waypoint symbol and

label on the base map displayed on the receiver's Map

screen. Again, you may use any of MobileMapper's

navigation screens to arrive at this waypoint.

-Display the grid: Once you arrive at the point of

beginning, you should open up the job file that

includes the feature library describing the grid. If you

opened an existing job, press LOG to take you to the

New Feature screen. Then select the grid feature type

listed on the screen. Usually the term “grid” is

included somewhere in the feature name so that you

can easily recognize this type of feature. After select-

ing the grid feature, the Grid Setup screen appears on

which you can read the definition of the grid (spac-

ing, columns, rows and heading).

To operate the grid map-

ping utility, you will need

a measurement device -

anything from a depth

sounder to a ruler, your

own sense of smell or

your ability to make

visual observations. You

will also need a compass.

How a grid is defined in

MobileMapper

Heading

North

Column

Row

Spacing

-Record an observation or measurement: With the

OK field highlighted, just press ENTER. This takes

you to the Logging screen that indicates that you

have begun logging data to the feature and that the

receiver is ready to log the feature's attributes.

Remember that you remain stationary for all point

features. Describe the feature as you would any other

point feature.

-Navigate to the next grid point: When you have fin-

ished recording the first point feature, you can select

Next Pt at the bottom left to navigate to the next grid

waypoint and record the next point feature within the

grid. This takes you to the Map screen where you can

see your current position marked by the arrow and

the next grid waypoint highlighted with a “crossed

box” target symbol. Small red circles indicate the

locations of all the unvisited grid waypoints. The

locations of where you recorded point feature are

indicated by small black squares.

As you begin moving toward the target symbol, you

will see your heading indicated by the direction of the

arrow marking your position. Adjust your movement

as necessary until you are positioned over the target

symbol. You may also use any of the other navigation

screens available with MobileMapper. The Arrival

alarm is disabled when navigating to grid waypoints.

It is best to note your distance to the next waypoint

and stop when this value goes to zero. When you

arrive at the next grid point, press the LOG button

and you will see the same Logging screen you used

for the earlier measurement or observation.

It is also possible to navi-

gate to any grid waypoint

(or any location for that

matter) on the Map

screen by moving the

arrow key over another

grid waypoint and press-

ing ENTER. After you

record data at this loca-

tion, the Next Pt field may

still be selected to go to

the next grid waypoint in

the network.

Each grid waypoint is a geographic coordinate you

should make every effort to occupy so that the data

you record is evenly spaced and complete. However,

each grid waypoint is merely an aid for navigating to

the ideal location for an observation or measurement.

All the data you record is ascribed to the position of

the MobileMapper receiver and NOT to the grid way-

point. If you cannot physically occupy this waypoint,

but can make the necessary visual observation, you

should do so and record an offset estimating the dis-

tance and bearing to the grid waypoint. If you are

recording measurements made by an instrument, you

should NOT record an offset but rather try to make a

recording as close as possible to the position.

- When you have occupied as many of the grid way-

points as you can and recorded the necessary obser-

vations and measurements at each, highlight the Close

field at the bottom of the Logging screen and press

ENTER. This closes the grid feature and returns you

to the New Feature selection screen where you may

either log data to another feature, even to another

grid, or close the entire job.

10.Changing the Parameters of a Grid Network Before

Logging GIS Data

When you navigate to the location of the grid, you may

decide to readjust the size and orientation of the grid

based on field observations that you did not foresee back

in the office. For example, you may find that navigating

to waypoints with an east-west orientation is not feasible

if the area of interest is situated on a narrow strip of land

between two north-south running streams.

When you change the definition of a grid, MobileMapper

always assumes that you are standing in the corner of the

grid from which you can see the grid extend in front of

you and to the right.

In the open job, do the following:

- On the Feature List screen, select the grid feature and

press ENTER. On the Grid Setup screen that is now

displayed, set the parameters listed below.

Spacing: Distance between any two consecutive way-

points in any row or column (default: 50 meters or

100 feet, depending on the units used)

Columns: Number of waypoints along the axis facing

you (default: 10; Max.: 100)

Rows: Number of waypoints along the axis perpendic-

ular to the direction you are facing (default: 10; Max.:

100)

Heading: Direction you face when the grid’s columns

extend in front of you and the rows extend to your

right.

To change the above parameters, use the up/down

arrows to move the cursor to each of these fields,

press ENTER, use the up/down arrows to increment/

decrement the highlighted figure, use the right/left

arrows to highlight the next/previous digit in the

field. When you are done with the definition of a

field, press ENTER. Then press the down/up arrow to

access the next field, etc.

Once these parameters have been changed, highlight

OK at the bottom of the screen and press ENTER

- This takes you to the Logging screen from which you

an start logging data as explained previously.

11.Closing a Job

To close a job, all you have to do is open up another job

or turn the receiver off. To open another job, use the Open

Job option after pressing the MENU button.

Grid Setup screen

In the two examples

above:

Columns=8

Rows=6

Heading=21°

North

(Heading= 0°)

Column

Row

North

Column

Row

Spacing

GPS Accuracy

MobileMapper provides better than 10-m autonomous accu-

racy around the globe assuming the receiver is tracking five

GPS satellites and the PDOP < 4 (which is almost all the

time).

If you average positions for a point feature for a few minutes,

even better accuracy is possible.

MobileMapper will warn you if your accuracy of your posi-

tions has cropped below the level you selected during Setup

(see page 54, Alarms option). If you see this warning you may

press the ESC button and continue logging. However, if you

are recording line or area features, you might want to return

to the field when the GPS satellites are in a better configura-

tion overhead (the constellation changes slowly but con-

stantly). And if you are recording a point feature, you should

strongly consider moving to another location with better sat-

ellite reception and recording an offset (distance and bear-

ing) to the feature.

GPS Quality Indicators

On each logging screen as well as on the Satellite Status

screen, you can see at the bottom two numbers that give you

a good indication of how accurate your positions should be.

The first is the number of satellites that the receiver is track-

ing.

The second number is the Positional Dilution of Precision,

which is an estimate of accuracy that the receiver constantly

calculates using the geometry of satellites in the sky. The

more satellites that are being tracked and the more evenly

they are distributed around the sky, the better the accuracy.

PDOP values less than 4 or 5 are good. If the PDOP value is

over 10, you should consider moving to an area with a clear-

er view of the sky and recording features with offsets.

MobileMapper is also

capable of providing 3-m

horizontal accuracy

using real-time differen-

tial corrections from its

built-in WAAS/EGNOS

receiver. You must be in

North American to make

use of the free WAAS sig-

nal broadcast by the US

Federal Aviation Admin-

istration. You must be in

Europe to make use of

the free EGNOS signal

broadcast by the Euro-

pean Union. If you are

receiving a WAAS or

EGNOS signal, a “W”

appears on the screen.

GPS quality indicators

Tracking 3 satellites will

allow you to calculate a

2D position (lat/lon)

using the last altitude

recorded by the receiver.

You need to track at least

4 satellites to get a 3D

position (lat/lon/altitude)

Revisiting and Updating Existing GPS/GIS Jobs

You can use MobileMapper not only to position and de-

scribe new GIS features but also to update information gath-

ered previously. This is particularly useful when collecting

data on things that change over time: streetlight bulbs burn

out, new roads are added to housing developments, new

crops are planted, etc.

1. General Procedure

After you have arrived in the area of the job to be reviewed,

after you have turned on MobileMapper and made sure it

calculates your position, follow the procedure below to re-

visit and update this job.

- Press the LOG button, select the Open Existing Job option

and press ENTER. MobileMapper lists all the jobs

present in its memory.

- Press the down arrow to highlight the name of the job

you want to update and press ENTER. MobileMapper

displays the navigation screen that was last used.

- Unless this screen is already displayed, press NAV

repeatedly until the Map screen is displayed. From this

screen, you will now indicate the first feature you want

to revisit. If necessary, press the IN or OUT button to

adjust the scale so you can see this feature.

- Press any arrow key to switch to the cursor mode on the

Map screen and then use the arrow keys to move the cur-

sor over the feature you want to revisit first. It’s a good

idea to keep the Map info visible on the screen as it tells

you exactly when the feature is selected. (The feature

name appears in the lower part of the screen when the

cursor is positioned over the feature.)

- When this happens, press ENTER. The Selected screen

is now displayed showing the attribute values currently

ascribed to the feature. Note that the Goto field is high-

lighted at the bottom of the screen.

Job List screen

Note that you are not

prompted to select a fea-

ture library when you

select an existing job.

This is because the

library that was selected

when the job was created

is necessarily the one

that must be used for the

job when re-opening this

job

Selected screen

- Press ENTER to ask MobileMapper to guide you to this

feature. If you simply press ENTER, you will make the

selected feature your destination and all the navigation

screens will be set to help you reach that feature. Press

NAV to access any of these screens. On the Map screen,

you can now see a straight line connecting your current

destination to the selected feature.

- Walk to the feature according to the navigation instruc-

tions provided on the Map screen. You can use other nav-

igation screens if you prefer (see also Navigation Screens

chapter from page 26). You will know when you are

close to the feature when the distance to the feature goes

to zero or close to zero, or simply because you can iden-

tify it visually. Another nice way of being informed that

you have arrived at the feature is to set the Alarms option

(see explanations on page 54)

- After arriving at the feature, press the LOG button. This

takes you back to the Selected screen.

- Now that you are near the feature, highlight the Edit field

and press ENTER. You are now allowed to edit each of

the feature’s attributes.

- After reviewing the attributes that need to be changed,

highlight the Close field at the bottom of the screen and

press ENTER. This ends the review of this feature and

displays the Map screen again.

- Follow the same 7 steps described above to revisit and

update the other features present in the job.

Map screen showing

straight line to target

2. Repositioning a Point Feature

If a point feature appears to be mislocated on the Map screen

or if you wish to make the position more accurate (by using

an external antenna, occupying point positions for more

time, etc.), do the following once you have arrived at the fea-

ture and the Selected screen showing all the feature’s at-

tributes is displayed:

- Press MENU, select the Update Position option and press

ENTER.

If you press NAV and go back to the Map screen, you

will now see two features (one at the old position, the

other at the new position). To remove the feature's old

position, just move the map cursor so that the feature is

off the screen. When you move the cursor back to the

feature, only the new position will be visible.

3. Adding More Features and Attributes to the Job

If you want to add more features and descriptions to the ex-

isting job, you just have to record them exactly as you record

features into a new job.

4. Closing the Job

To close the job, all you have to do is open up another job or

turn the receiver off. To open another job, use the Open Job

option after pressing the MENU button. You cannot acciden-

tally lose data with MobileMapper without opening the re-

ceiver and losing or damaging the internal memory card.

The Repositioning func-

tion only applies to point

features, not to line or

area features.

Selecting

Update Position

Navigation Screens

MobileMapper

offers 7 differ-

ent navigation

screens to help

you locate

yourself or

navigate to

waypoints or

point features

in an existing

job. From any

displayed screen, simply press the NAV button to access

navigation screens. To display the next navigation screen,

press NAV again. The sequence of navigation screens is as

shown above. It can be scrolled in the reverse direction by

pressing ESC once any of these navigation screens is dis-

played.

Each type of navigation screen is presented hereafter.

Map Screen

The Map screen shows a map of the area surrounding your

current location. Use the IN and OUT buttons to adjust the

scale.

The Map screen is always in the Position mode when you ac-

cess this screen. In this mode, your present position is indi-

cated by the large arrow icon in the center of the display. If

you are moving, the arrow will point in the direction that you

are heading. At the bottom of the screen is the scale for the

map displayed and two data fields that can be customized, or

turned off, depending upon your needs.

The present position icon will change to an hourglass when

the MobileMapper is unable to compute a position fix due to

poor signal reception.

Press NAV

Position Screen 2

Large Data Screen

Compass Screen

Map Screen

Satellite Status Screen

Speedometer Screen

Data Screen

Road Screen

Position Screen 1

Press NAV

etc.

The Map screen has two

modes: Position and

Cursor. Use any arrow

key to select Cursor

mode, ESC to return to

Position mode

When a Position screen

is displayed, press the

Left or Right arrow key

to display the other.

Press this key again to

return to the previous

screen.

Except for the Satellite

Status screen, all naviga-

tion screens can be cus-

tomized.

Map screen

in Position mode

The dotted line on the map displays the history of where you

have traveled since the last time you cleared the track histo-

ry.

Press any of the arrow keys to switch to the Cursor mode. In

this mode, you are provided with a cross hair cursor that can

be moved on the map with the arrow keys. At the bottom of

the display is the information for the position of the cursor

relative to your present position (heading and distance). Also

any points of interest or GIS features that the cursor is over

will be shown.

To return to the Position mode, press ESC. The cursor will

disappear and the present position icon will appear centered

on the map.

To set and/or customize the Map screen, use the functions

described below. These context-sensitive functions are ac-

cessed by pressing the MENU button while the Map screen

is displayed.

Show/Hide Map Info

Use this option to show or hide the two data fields displayed

at the bottom of the Map screen. To customize these fields,

see Select Map Info below.

Map screen in

cursor mode

Select Map Info

Use this option to tell MobileMapper which data should be

displayed at the bottom of the Map screen. This can be:

-Customize Fields. This function is equivalent to the Custom-

ize function available from all navigation screens other

than the Map screen. See page 38.

-Street info: This option displays an information block at

the bottom of the display showing the name of the street

your present position or cursor is on. If in the cursor

mode, the bearing and distance from your present posi-

tion are displayed.

Map Setup

You can make the following settings using the Map Setup op-

tion. To access this option, press MENU when the Map

screen is displayed, select Setup and then select Map Setup.

The screen that appears contains two tabs: the Format and Dis-

play tabs.

On the Format tab, you can set the following parameters:

-Orientation: You can change how the map is orientated on

the screen to either North Up, Course Up or Track Up.

Default is North Up.

-Detail: Use this field to set the map detail. The detail of

the map can be set to highest, high, medium, low or low-

est. This changes the zoom level that different map

objects (cities, highways, labels, etc.) are displayed. If

you have set a zoom level and the display is too clut-

tered, set the map detail to a lower level; conversely set it

to a higher level to view more detail.

The Map screen must be

in Position mode if you

wish to customize data

fields. If the Map screen

is in cursor mode (cursor

is a cross-hair), press

ESC to return to the

Position mode

Map Setup screen,

Format tab

Map Setup screen,

Display tab

Track Mode,

Fixed Rate

Track Mode,

Auto

Track Mode,

Auto Detailed

-Track Mode: Allows you to set how often MobileMapper

stores track points. Setting the mode to Off stops the unit

from saving any new track points. With Auto or Auto

Detailed enabled, MobileMapper uses a method for track

point storage that maximizes memory. Using Auto, you

will see more points on and near turns and less points on

straight stretches of the map. You also have the option of

selecting fixed intervals for track point storage.

-Primary Usage: MobileMapper can be set to either Land or

Marine usage. When in Land (default), the map displays

land areas in white and water areas in blue. For marine

applications it may be desirable to reverse the display,

showing water as white and land as blue. This will make

reading some of the data information on the water easier.

From the Display tab, you can customize the Map screen by

specifying the items that MobileMapper should display on

the map:

-Waypoints (default: checked)

-Track Lines (a dashed line; Default: Checked)

-Pos-Dest Line (line connecting current position to destina-

tion)

-Depart-Dest Line (line connecting initial position to desti-

nation)

Check the items you want to show and clear those you want

to hide. You can also check or clear all these items in a single

operation by respectively selecting Mark All or Clear All just

above these items and then pressing ENTER

Goto Cursor

If the Map screen is in cursor mode, the first option available

from the list displayed after pressing the MENU button is

Goto Cursor. Select this function when you want MobileMap-

per to guide you to the location where the cursor currently is

on the Map screen. Starting from your current location, Mo-

bileMapper will indicate the distance to go and the heading

to the cursor location.

Compass Screen

The two data fields on top are customizable. The lower por-

tion of the Compass screen not only displays your heading in

a graphical manner, but also displays the relationship of the

sun, moon and your destination (if navigating on a route) to

your heading.

The Compass screen contains the following information,

from top to bottom:

- In the title bar: destination name if you are using the

Goto function

- Data Fields: customizable data fields (see Customize

option below). Some of the data displayed requires you

to be moving to be computed. Invalid data is indicated by

dashes.

- Icon representing destination: Displayed outside the

compass when you are using the Goto function. This pro-

vides you with the direction you need to head to arrive at

the destination. When you are on course and heading

straight for the destination, the destination icon will be

lined up with the heading marker

- Compass/Heading marker: Using the compass and the

heading marker, you can view your heading information

in a familiar manner. Note that you need to be moving

for this data to be valid.

To customize the Compass screen, use the function de-

scribed below. This context-sensitive function is prompted

when you press the MENU button while the Compass screen

is displayed.

Customize

See page 38.

Large Data Screen

The Large Data screen is similar to the Compass screen but

here the compass has been removed to allow for large dis-

play of the navigation data. This screen is ideal for when you

have your unit mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle. Even

from a distance the customizable information can be read

with ease.

The Large Data screen contains the following information,

from top to bottom:

- In the title bar: destination name if you are using the

Goto function

- Data Fields: customizable data fields (see Customize

option below). Some of the data displayed requires you

to be moving to be computed. Invalid data is indicated by

dashes.

To customize the Large Data screen, use the function de-

scribed below. This context-sensitive function is prompted

when you press the MENU button while the Large Data

screen is displayed.

Customize

See page 38.

Large Data Screen

Position Screens 1 & 2

To switch from a screen

to the other, just press the

Left or Right arrow key

The same data as on

Position screen 1 is dis-

played on Position

screen 2 except that the

lower part of the screen,

containing the two data

fields and the trip odom-

eter field, is replaced

with the current posi-

tion’s coordinates

expressed in the chosen

secondary coordinate

system and map datum.

Position Screens

Position screens #1 and #2 display your present position us-

ing the coordinate systems that you have selected. This

screen shows all of the basic position, time and satellite in-

formation. Additionally, on Position screen #1, current nav-

igation information is shown in the bottom half of the screen.

For the sake of comparison, Position screen #2 provides the

coordinates of your present position both in the selected pri-

mary coordinate system and map datum, and in the selected

secondary coordinate system and map datum.

Position screen #1 contains the following information, from

top to bottom:

- Coordinates and elevation of your current position: Dis-

plays your current position in the chosen coordinate sys-

tem. Also displays the elevation of the current position.

If MobileMapper is not computing position fixes, the last

computed position is displayed.

- GPS Status: Provides information on the current status of

the GPS receiver portion of the MobileMapper (see table

below).

Message Description

Searching - 1st sat Searching for 1st satellite

Searching - 2nd sat 1st satellite found; searching for 2nd satellite

Searching - 3rd sat 2 satellites are being tracked; searching for a 3rd

Searching - 4th sat 3 satellites are being tracked; searching for a 4th

Collecting Data All satellites needed for position fix are being

tracked and position is being computed

Averaging MobileMapper is computing fixes; speed is near

0.0 and so position is being averaged

EPE xxx. Estimated Position Error. MobileMapper is comput-

ing fixes while moving

DGPS Computed fixes are being differentially corrected

- Data Fields: customizable data fields (see Customize

option below). Some of the data displayed requires you

to be moving to be computed. Invalid data is indicated by

dashes.

- Trip Odometer: The odometer performs like the odome-

ter in your car. It can be reset through the MENU button.

To customize the Position screens, use the functions de-

scribed below. The first of these context-sensitive functions

is prompted when you press the MENU button while a Posi-

tion screen is displayed. Some of these functions also exist

in the Setup menu.

Coord System, Map Datum and Elev Mode

See page 51 and page 52

Reset Trip (from Position screen 1 only)

If you select this option and you press ENTER, a warning

message is displayed asking you to confirm your choice. To

reset the trip odometer, highlight the Yes field and press EN-

TER.

Customize (from Position screen 1 only)

See page 38.

Road Screen

The Road screen presents your route as if you were travel-

ling on a road. When you need to make a turn, the road will

graphically display the turn and the direction. Waypoint and

destination icons will be displayed relative to your position

as they come into view. Above the road is a compass that dis-

plays your heading and above that are four customizable

data fields.

The Road screen contains the following information, from

top to bottom:

- In the title bar: destination name if you are using the

Goto function

- Data Fields: customizable data fields (see Customize

option below). Some of the data displayed requires you

to be moving to be computed. Invalid data is indicated by

dashes.

- Compass: Displays your heading in a familiar compass

format.

- Road: This graphically displays the route (Goto) that is

active. As you move left or right of your intended track,

the road will move on the display indicating which way

you need to steer to get back on track. Ideally, the road

would be centered on the display. Also, you will see

upcoming turns in advance allowing you to make neces-

sary preparations.

- Scale indicator: Use Zoom In/Out to change the scale.

To customize the Road screen, use the function described be-

low. This context-sensitive function is prompted when you

press the MENU button while the Road screen is displayed.

Customize

See page 38.

Road Screen

Data Screen

When you need to see a lot of information in one place then

you will appreciate the Data screen. The Data screen pro-

vides you with six data fields and an active compass that is

the same as the one used on the road screen. You have the op-

tion of customizing this screen by selecting what data is dis-

played in the upper six fields. The lower portion of the

screen is occupied by a compass providing your heading.

The Data screen contains the following information, from

top to bottom:

- In the title bar: destination name if you are using the

Goto function

- Data Fields: customizable data fields (see Customize

option below). Some of the data displayed requires you

to be moving to be computed. Invalid data is indicated by

dashes.

- Compass: Displays your heading in a familiar compass

format.

To customize the Data screen, use the function described be-

low. This context-sensitive function is prompted when you

press the MENU button while the Data screen is displayed.

Customize

See page 38.

Data Screen

Speedometer Screen

The Speedometer screen displays your speed in a familiar

graphical format. There are four additional data fields at the

top of the display that can be customized to display the data

that you need. The bottom of the screen contains a trip

odometer that will record the distance travelled since the last

time the odometer was reset.

The Speedometer screen contains the following information,

from top to bottom:

- In the title bar: destination name if you are using the

Goto function

- Data Fields: customizable data fields (see Customize

option below). Some of the data displayed requires you

to be moving to be computed. Invalid data is indicated by

dashes.

- Speedometer: Displays your speed using a familiar

speedometer display. The scale of the speedometer is not

adjustable but will change dynamically to best display

your speed.

- Trip Odometer: The odometer performs like the odome-

ter in your car. It can be reset through the MENU button.

To customize the Speedometer screen or reset the trip odom-

eter, use the functions described below. The first of these

context-sensitive functions is prompted when you press the

MENU button while the Speedometer screen is displayed.

Reset Trip

If you select this option and you press ENTER, a warning

message is displayed asking you to confirm your choice. To

reset the trip odometer, highlight the Yes field and press EN-

TER.

Customize

See page 38.

Speedometer Screen

Satellite Status Screen

Although the Satellite Status screen is part of the navigation

screen sequence, it is not actually a navigation screen. For

more details on this screen, refer to page 8.

When MobileMapper is computing your position, an addi-

tional information appears in the right-upper corner with two

possible values: 3D or 2D. 3D means the computed position

is 3-dimensional (elevation computed). In 2D (2-dimension-

al), elevation is not computed. Mobile Mapper assumes that

the last computed or entered elevation is the elevation for all

computed positions.

Customizing Data Fields on Navigation Screens

Except for the Satellite Status screen, all navigation screens

can be customized through the following procedure:

• Press NAV repeatedly until the desired navigation screen

is displayed

•Press MENU

• Highlight Customize and press ENTER. For the Map

screen, first highlight Select Map Info and press ENTER.

Then highlight Customize Fields and press ENTER.

• On the Navigation screen now shown in edit mode, high-

light the data field to be changed using the left/right

arrow and press ENTER

• Choose the data in the list that you wish now to display

in this field. Press ENTER. Data change in the field is

immediate.

• Resume this procedure for all the fields that need to be

changed on this screen and on the other navigation

screens.

Satellite Status Screen

Available data:

BEARING

DISTANCE

SPEED

HEADING

VMG (Velocity made

good)

CTS (Course to steer)

ETA (Estimated time of

arrival)

ETE (Estimated time

enroute

XTE (Crosstrack error)

TURN

Elevation

TIME

DATE

EPE (Estimated Posi-

tional Error)

AVG. SPEED (Average

speed)

MAX. SPEED

Selecting a GIS feature

on the Map screen

GOTO Function

Purpose

You will use the Goto function to ask MobileMapper to

guide you from your current position to a destination point.

After you will have specified which destination point to go

to, you will select your favorite navigation screen. You will

then be able to read the information computed by Mo-

bileMapper to help you reach the destination.

Destination Point Types

Not only can MobileMapper guide you to previously logged

GIS features but also to other pre-loaded or created points.

In fact, the destination point can be any of the following:

- Any feature logged in the open GIS job which you will

select graphically on the Map screen

- Any waypoint created earlier using the MARK function.

This type of point is stored as a “User” Point of Interest

(POI)

- Any point of interest (POI) pre-loaded in MobileMapper.

Selecting a GIS Feature as the Destination Point

Press NAV until the Map screen is displayed. Press the arrow

button in any direction to make the selection cursor appear

and to position it over the feature you want to go to. You

know that the cursor is positioned over the feature when the

“Cursor” indication at the bottom of the screen is replaced

with the name of that feature.

Press ENTER. A new screen appears giving the current de-

scription of the feature. At the bottom of the screen, the Goto

field is highlighted: simply press ENTER again to enable the

Goto function with this feature as your destination. Then se-

lect your favorite navigation screen, using the NAV button,

and navigate to this feature.

Selecting a POI as the Destination Point

Press MENU, scroll to the GOTO option and press ENTER.

The possible categories of POIs are now listed on the screen.

Select the category the destination point belongs to.

Before pressing ENTER to list all the points stored in this

category, choose how you want these points to be listed by

setting the Find By field. Press the left/right arrow to set this

field. Two values are possible in this field:

-Alphabetical: Points will be listed in alphabetical order.

MobileMapper will then help you find the desired point

through one of the following two methods: Keyboard

Search and Alphabetic Scroll.

Keyboard Search: Before displaying the list of points in

alphabetical order, MobileMapper displays a keyboard

that you can use to enter the first few characters of the

point you are looking for. When you highlight OK and

press ENTER, (or as a shortcut, press IN), you are taken

to the alphabetical list with the point you began typing at

the top of the display. Anytime you are viewing the list

of points, you can re-access the keyboard by pressing

ESC.

Alphabetic Scroll: You can use the IN and OUT buttons

to step up or down the alphabet. If you were viewing

points beginning with the letter “A”, pressing OUT

would take you to the first waypoint beginning with “B”,

and then “C” and so forth. Pressing IN does the same

function but only in reverse.

-Nearest To: Only the 20 points from this category the clos-

est to your position will be listed.

When these 20 points are listed, MobileMapper indicates

the bearing and distance to your current position from the

first point in the list. You can change the point from

which the nearest points are found. With the Nearest To

field now highlighted, press ENTER and scroll to the

category where this new point can be found. Select a new

point and press ENTER.

NOTE: If you have

already pressed the

arrow keys and one of the

nearest points in the list

is highlighted, use the

ESC button to scroll back

to the Nearest To field

Mark screen

The Mark option from

the Menu list provides a

function similar to the

LOG button when held

down for 2 to 3 seconds

Saving Your Current Position as a Waypoint

Saving your current position as a waypoint is very easy and

can be done regardless of whether a GIS job is open or not.

From any navigation screen, just hold down the LOG button

for 2 to 3 seconds until the Mark screen is displayed. This

screen provides the description of the waypoint you are

about to save.

You can accept all the defaults by simply pressing ENTER

(Save field already highlighted).

You can also edit the Icon, Name and Message fields using the

arrow keys to access these fields. Obviously you should keep

the Location and Elevation fields unchanged as they contain

the coordinates of your current location.

Creating a Waypoint With the Map Cursor

This is another way of creating a waypoint whose coordi-

nates will be based on the location of the cursor on the Map

screen.

Press NAV until the Map screen is displayed. Press any ar-

row key to make the cursor visible on the map. Move the cur-

sor to the desired location on the map using any arrow keys.

Hold down the LOG button for 2 to 3 seconds until the Mark

screen is displayed.

You can accept all the defaults by simply pressing ENTER

(Save field already highlighted).

You can also edit the Icon, Name and Message fields using the

arrow keys to access these fields. Obviously you should keep

the Location and Elevation fields unchanged as they contain

the coordinates of the cursor location.

Editing/Deleting a User Waypoint

You can edit/delete a waypoint from the Map screen:

- Press NAV until the Map screen is displayed

- Use the IN or OUT button, or move the cursor so that the

waypoint you want to edit or delete is visible on the

screen

- Position the cursor over that waypoint. The name of the

waypoint then appears at the bottom of the screen.

- Press ENTER. This opens the Select Item screen on

which MobileMapper lists the names of waypoints and

POIs present in the vicinity. Highlight the waypoint you

want to edit/delete.

- Press ENTER again. This opens the User Waypoint

screen on which you can see the definition of the way-

point (coordinates+comments). At the bottom of the

screen are three command fields that you can use for the

following tasks:

Edit (default choice): Select this field if you want to edit

the definition of the waypoint. The following parameters

can be changed: icon, name, coordinates, elevation and

comment.

Goto: Select this field if you want MobileMapper to guide

you to this waypoint

Del: Select this field if you want to delete the waypoint.

MobileMapper will then ask you to confirm that you

really want to delete the selected waypoint.

Select Item screen

User Waypoint screen

A GOTO route is a one-

leg route whose two ends

are your current position

and the chosen destina-

tion point.

WPT1

WPT2

WPT3

WPT4

WPT5

WPT6

Routes

As explained below, MobileMapper can handle two types of

routes: GOTO route and multi-leg route.

GOTO Route

This in fact a route that you define when:

- You select a feature on the Map screen, you press

ENTER to display the attributes of this feature, and you

press ENTER again to enable the Goto function to this

feature (by default, the Goto field at the bottom of the

screen is highlighted). The same can be done to choose a

POI or a waypoint as the destination point.

- You use the GOTO option from the Menu screen and you

choose a POI or waypoint as the destination point.

GOTO routes are not saved in memory. When you turn your

MobileMapper off and then back on, the GOTO route is

gone. You need to create a new GOTO route if you intend on

completing the route.

Multi-leg Route

A multi-leg route consists of several waypoints or POIs that

you should reach one after the other. The segment between

any two consecutive waypoints or POIs is called a “leg.” Un-

like GOTO routes, multi-leg routes can be stored in memory.

1. Creating a Multi-leg Route

Press NAV to display a navigation screen, press MENU,

scroll down to Routes and press ENTER.

The Route List screen is now displayed. Scroll down the list

and highlight the first Empty route in the list. Press ENTER.

The Create Route screen is now displayed. Note that the first

line on this screen is highlighted.

Press ENTER. The Add WPT screen is now displayed. Se-

lect the category of points containing the first waypoint of

the route and press ENTER. Choose a point from the list and

press ENTER. The first waypoint in the route is now defined

and you are now prompted to define the second one. Resume

the instructions in this paragraph for the second point, then

for the third, etc.

When the last point of the route is defined, highlight the Save

Route field on the Create Route screen and then press EN-

TER to save the route.

2. Creating a Multi-leg Route from the Track History

Press NAV to display a navigation screen, press MENU,

scroll down to Routes and press ENTER.

Regardless of which route is highlighted in the route list,

press MENU again and highlight the Save Trk to Rte option.

Press ENTER. MobileMapper then takes you back to the

Route List screen on which you can see that the track history

has been saved as the last route in the list. This route uses a

naming convention of “T01P01 to T01Pxx” where Pxx indi-

cates the number of points in the route.

3. Activating/deactivating a Multi-Leg Route

Press NAV to display a navigation screen, press MENU,

scroll down to Routes and press ENTER.

In the Route List screen now displayed, scroll down the list

and highlight the route you want to activate. Press MENU,

highlight the Activate Route option and press ENTER. Mo-

bileMapper comes back to the Route List screen where the

activated route now appears in bold characters. Press NAV to

navigate along this route.

To deactivate this route, press MENU, highlight Routes,

press ENTER, highlight the activated route (shown in bold

characters), press MENU, highlight Deactivate Route and

press ENTER. The route is now deactivated.

Create Route screen

Route List screen

4. Other Functions Tied to Routes

You can also do the following on the highlighted route using

the functions available from the MENU button (see also di-

agram on page 49):

- Viewing the route on the Map screen by highlighting the

Map View Route option and pressing ENTER. The Map

screen then appears showing the route. Press ESC to

come back to the Route List screen.

- Editing the route by highlighting the View/Edit Route

option and pressing ENTER. From the View/Edit screen

you can then press the MENU button to access options

allowing you to insert, delete, replace the highlighted

waypoint and then to save the changes made to the route.

- Reversing the route, i.e. reversing the direction of travel

along the route, by highlighting the Reverse Route option

and pressing ENTER. This instantly reverses the route.

Note that the first and last waypoints in the route name

have been swapped.

- Deleting the route by highlighting the Delete Route option

and pressing ENTER. A message will appear asking you

to confirm this operation.

- If a route has been activated, selecting the leg you want

to follow by selecting the Select Leg option and pressing

ENTER. The screen then shows the list of points making

up the route. Select the point you want to navigate to and

press ENTER. A warning message will appear asking

you to confirm the leg change. After choosing Yes or No,

press ESC twice to return to the navigation screen.

MENU button

The list of functions that you can have access to by pressing

the MENU button depends on which navigation screen is

displayed and whether GIS data logging is in progress or not.

The context-sensitive functions are always listed first in the

menu list (after the ever present Open Job / New Job or Close

Job options). The other functions, which are always avail-

able as long as the MENU key is active, are always last in the

list. On the menu screen, a horizontal line separates context-

sensitive functions from the other ones.

The diagram below shows the available functions when

pressing MENU while navigation screens are displayed and

no GIS data logging is in progress. These functions are listed

in the same order as on the screen. Context-sensitive func-

tions appear in the upper frames. Lines connect the context-

sensitive functions to the permanent functions so you can see

what the entire menu is made of in each context.

In the previous chapters,

we have introduced most

of the context-sensitive

functions available from

the menu list. In fact,

these functions are

closely tied to

MobileMapper’s main

functionality (GIS data

logging and navigation).

In this chapter, we

present the supplemental

functions.

Mark

GOTO

Routes

Setup

Delete Files

About...

Customize

From Compass,

Large Data,

Road, Data

screens Coord System

Map Datum

Elev Mode

Projection

(Reset Trip)

(Customize)

From Position screens

Reset Trip

Customize

From Speed-

ometer screen

From Satellite

Status screen

Show (Hide) Map Info

(Select Map Info)

From Map

screen, Position

mode

Show (Hide) Map Info

From Map

screen, Cursor

mode

Initialize

Select Map

Map Setup

Nav Screens

Coord System

Map Datum

Elev Mode

Time Format

Units

Alarms

North Reference

Daylight Saving

Power Off Timer

Contrast

Light Timer

Beeper

Clear Memory

NMEA

Baud Rate

Power key

Simulate

Language

Goto Cursor

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job) Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job) Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

The second diagram shows the available functions when

pressing MENU when a GIS job is open and one of the GIS

logging-specific screens is displayed.

When data logging is in progress and one of the navigation

screens is displayed, then the functions specific to the select-

ed navigation screen and to GIS data logging add up in the

menu (functions specific to data logging are listed first).

(See also Routes option, page 49, for which the MENU but-

ton gives access to specific functions.)

When you select the Setup option in the menu list, another

menu is displayed containing a number of options, as shown

in the above two diagrams.

All the options available from the Menu screen are described

below.

(Repeat Feature)

Close Job

Repeat Feature

Offset

Close <feature name>

Delete <feature name>

From feature list

screen

Point feature being logged

Pause/Resume <feature name>

Repeat Feature

Offset

Close <feature name>

Nest Feature

Logging Interval

Delete <feature name>

Line or area feature being logged

Repeat Feature

Offset

Close <feature name>

Nest Feature

Grid feature

being logged

Mark

GOTO

Routes

Setup

Delete Files

About...

Initialize

Select Map

Map Setup

Nav Screens

Coord System

Map Datum

Elev Mode

Time Format

Units

Alarms

North Reference

Daylight Saving

Power Off Timer

Contrast

Light Timer

Beeper

Clear Memory

NMEA

Baud Rate

Power key

Simulate

Language

Open Job

This option provides another way of opening a GIS job. It is

similar to selecting the Open Existing Job option that is

prompted on the screen after pressing the LOG button when

no job is open yet. Selecting this option when a job is already

open allows you to close the currently open job and open an-

other one.

New Job

This option provides another way of creating a new GIS job.

It is similar to selecting the Create New Job option that is

prompted on the screen after pressing the LOG button when

no job is open yet.

Mark

This option allows you to quickly create a new waypoint

whose coordinates will be those of your current location.

A typical use of this option is when you are located at a new

point of interest and you wish to log its position.

When you select Mark in the menu list, MobileMapper dis-

plays the Mark screen with the following default values:

- Default icon in the Icon field

- “WPTxxx” as waypoint name in the Name field. “xxx” is

a number that MobileMapper automatically increments

as you create new waypoints

- Coordinates of your current location in the Location and

Elevation fields

If you agree with all these parameters, and as the Save field

is already selected at the bottom of the screen, you just have

to press ENTER to create the new waypoint. This is the fast-

est procedure to create a new waypoint.

On the other hand, if you have to change any of these param-

eters or add a comment in the Message field, then you have

first to edit the corresponding fields before selecting the Save

field and pressing ENTER

Setup

About...

Insert WPT

Delete WPT

Replace WPT

Save Route

From View/Edit

Route screen

Activate Route

View/Edit Route

Reverse Route

Delete Route

Save Trk to Rte

Map View Route

Deactivate Route

Select Leg

View/Edit Route

Reverse Route

Delete Route

Save Trk to Rte

Map View Route

From Route List

screen, route high-

lighted and activated

From Route list

screen, route

highlighted, not

activated

From Route List

screen, empty

route highlighted

Create New Rte

Save Trk to Rte

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

Open Job

New Job

(Close Job)

GOTO

This option is discussed in detail on page 39.

Routes

This option is discussed in detail on page 43. The MENU

button gives access to a list of specific options when the

Routes option is enabled. This is summarized in the diagram

below.

Setup Menu

This menu contains most of the ancillary functions intro-

duced at the beginning of this chapter. Each of these func-

tions is described below.

1. Initialize

This option guides you through the complete procedure

that allows you, any time, to initialize MobileMapper.

2. Select Map

This option is mainly used to choose the base map used

as background map on the Map screen. The following

parameters can be set on the Change Map screen:

-Basemap: If no SD card containing a specific map is

installed in MobileMapper, then only the Default Map

option can be selected in this field. The default map is

always present in MobileMapper. If an SD card con-

taining specific maps is installed in the receiver, then

you can choose one of them as the one shown on the

Map screen.

-Detail Map: If no SD card containing a specific map is

installed in MobileMapper, then only the Empty

option can be selected in this field as the default map

only has one level of details. If an SD card containing

specific maps is installed in the receiver and you

chose one of them in the previous field, then you can

choose the level of details you wish to see on the Map

screen.

After choosing the desired options for these parameters,

highlight the Save field at the bottom of the screen using

the down arrow and then press ENTER.

3. Map Setup

This option allows you to set the viewing options for the

Map screen (see page 28).

4. Nav Screens

This option allows you to remove the navigation screens

that you do not need from the navigation screen sequence

that you scroll by pressing NAV repeatedly (see

page 26).

When selecting this option, you are asked to turn off or

on each of the available navigation screens. Choose

“Off” and press ENTER for all these screens that you are

not currently using. Note that the Map screen cannot be

turned off. You must cycle through all the screens in

order to save any changes to the On/Off status of any

screen.

Change Map screen

Default coordinate

systems:

Primary: Lat/Lon

Secondary: UTM

5. Coord System

This option allows you to define a primary coordinate

system, and also a secondary coordinate system if you

need one.

By defining a coordinate system, you tell MobileMapper

how the calculated coordinates should be expressed. For

example, if you choose Lat/Lon, all coordinates will be

expressed as angles (latitudes and longitudes) and if you

choose UTM or any other system, coordinates will all be

distances (Northings and Eastings) from the chosen ori-

gin.

When you select the Coord System option from the Setup

menu, MobileMapper asks you to specify which system

you want to define (primary or secondary). Select it and

press ENTER. In the list that appears, select the coordi-

nate system you want to use and press ENTER. Depend-

ing on your choice, MobileMapper may then ask you

additional information:

- Lat/lon display format

- Distance units if you chose another system (other

than UTM). If for example a calculated coordinate is

249173N and you choose 1 meter as distance unit,

then the coordinate will appear as 249173N on the

Position screen, or 24917N if you choose 10 meters,

or 2491N if you choose 100 meters, etc.

- For some systems, information on grid zones or types

- For the User Grid, projection type (Transverse Mer-

cator, Lambert Conic, Stereographic, Oblique Merca-

tor or Polyconic), coordinates of origin, scale factor,

unit to meters conversion and false Easting and

Northing at origin

6. Map Datum

This option allows you to define a primary map datum,

and also a secondary map datum if you need one.

A map datum is a geographic reference that MobileMap-

per will refer to to calculate the coordinates of your posi-

tion. MobileMapper holds more than 70 different map

datums in its memory.

After selecting the Map Datum option from the Setup

menu, choose the map datum from the list that applies to

your country and working area and then press ENTER.

7. Elev Mode

This option allows you to choose between 3D and 2D

mode.

In 3D mode, MobileMapper will compute the 3 coordi-

nates of your position: horizontal coordinates plus eleva-

tion.

In 2D mode, MobileMapper will not calculate your ele-

vation. Only the horizontal coordinates of your position

will be computed. MobileMapper will assume that the

last computed or entered elevation is your current eleva-

tion.

Operating in 3D requires at least 4 tracked satellites

whereas 2D requires only 3.

Consider using the 2D mode when the conditions of

reception are poor or if the working area is relatively flat

and elevation is not important.

After selecting the Elev Mode option from the Setup menu,

choose the mode that matches your case of use and then

press ENTER.

Default Map datums

Primary: WGS84

Secondary: WGS84

Default Elev mode: 3D

Default time format:

Local AM/PM

Default units: km/m/kph/

hectares

8. Time Format

This option allows you to select the time format you

want to use in MobileMapper. You can choose from three

different time formats: Local 24Hrs, Local AM/PM or

UTC.

After selecting the Time Format option from the Setup

menu, choose the time format that suits you and then

press ENTER.

If you have selected Local 24 Hrs or Local AM/PM, you will

be prompted to enter your local time.

9. Units

This option allows you to select the units of measure-

ment that will be used when displaying navigational data

or features being logged.

All sets of units are formatted as follows: long distance

unit/short distance unit/speed unit/area unit.You can select

from 5 different sets of units.

You can also create your own set of units by selecting

Advanced at the end of the list. You are then prompted to

specify the unit you wish to use for each type of possible

measure, i.e. Distance, Speed, Elevation, Bearing and

Area.

After selecting the Units option from the Setup menu,

choose a set of units from the displayed list and then

press ENTER. If you have selected Advanced, a new list

appears prompting you to choose a unit for each type of

measure. Select the first measure in the list, press

ENTER, choose a unit and press ENTER again. This

takes you back to the former screen where you can select

the second measure, etc. When all units are defined,

press ESC to come back to the Setup menu.

10.Alarms

All of the Alarm options are set in the same way. The

instructions below apply to all of the Alarm settings.

When the beeper is turned on for alarms (see Beeper

option) an audible beep will be sounded for the alarm. A

visual alert is displayed for the alarm whether the beeper

is turned on or off.

Setting the Arrival Alarm: The arrival alarm alerts you

that you have arrived at the destination of your GOTO

route or to the destination of any leg in a route you are

navigating on. This option allows you to set the distance,

in the measurement units you selected, from the destina-

tion at which the alarm will begin to sound.

Setting the PDOP Alarm: This turns on or off the alarm

that can sound whenever MobileMapper has lost its abil-

ity to compute accurate position fixes due to poor geom-

etry of the GPS constellation. Generally, PDOP values

less than or equal to “5” are indicative of good operating

conditions. So it is a good idea to set this alarm to “5.” To

turn off the PDOP alarm, enter “00.”

NOTE:

Apart from the Arrival and PDOP alarms, MobileMapper

will generate a warning message on the screen in each of

the following two cases:

- “Low Memory.” This message will appear when the

handheld is running out of memory. If a job is being

logged, then the occurrence of this message will auto-

matically stop GIS data logging. You will however be

allowed to enter the attribute values of the current

feature before the job is closed.

- “Out of Memory.” This message will appear when

the memory is full. The occurrence of this message

will immediately close the currently open job and

you will not be able to log any new feature until you

free some space in memory.

Alarms menu

Default North

Reference: True

Default: The appropri-

ate daylight saving time

(United States and Euro-

pean Union only) will

automatically be set dur-

ing startup when you use

mobileMapper for the

first time.

11.North Reference

This option allows you to define the type of North refer-

ence you want MobileMapper to use. This can be True

North, Magnetic North, Military True North or Military

Magnetic North.

After selecting the North Reference option from the Setup

menu, choose the desired North Reference from the dis-

played list and then press ENTER.

12.Daylight Saving

This option allows you to select the region where you are

located so that MobileMapper can automatically adjust

the time displayed to compensate for daylight saving

time. You can select one of three possible regions:

-United States: Daylight saving starts on the first Sun-

day in April and ends on the last Sunday in October

-European Union: Daylight saving starts on the last Sun-

day in March and ends on the last Sunday in October

-Customize: this option allows you to set the month and

day that daylight saving starts and ends in your area.

After selecting the Daylight saving option from the Setup

menu, press ENTER again to list the three available

regions. Choose one using the up/down arrow and then

press ENTER. Press ESC to come back to the Setup

Menu screen. If you chose Customize, first set all the dis-

played fields according to your local daylight saving

times before pressing ESC.

13.Power Off Timer

Conserving battery life is important to any handheld GPS

user. The Power Off Timer option provides another tool

in saving battery life.

Selecting On will allow you to select the mode and how

long MobileMapper will stay powered on.

- If the Power off mode you select is Time, then the Power off

Timer field allows you to select time that MobileMapper

will remain on before automatically powering off is no

keys are pressed (1 2, 4, 10, 30 or 60 minutes).

If the Power off mode you select is Position, the Power Off

Timer field sets how soon MobileMapper will be powered

down when the position has not changed and if no keys

have been pressed.

14.Contrast

This option allows you to set the screen contrast. After

selecting this option, a new screen appears on which you

can set the percentage of contrast using the left/right

arrows to respectively decrease or increase that percent-

age. The impact of your contrast setting upon different

color bars is instantly shown in the lower part of the

screen.

15.Light Timer

This option allows you to set the time interval that will

be used to turn off the display backlight when not in use.

Times available are: 30 seconds, 1, 2, 4 or 10 minutes, or

Timer Off.

After selecting the Light Timer option from the Setup

menu, use the up/down arrow to highlight the desired

choice and then press ENTER.

Default: Off

It’s a good idea to use

this option when you

transport your

MobileMapper unpro-

tected in a bag. This will

prevent the batteries from

being entirely dis-

charged after the PWR

button has been inadvert-

ently depressed.

Default: 4 minutes

16.Beeper

This option allows you to select which actions will cause

the beeper to sound. You can select one of the following

choices:

-Off (beeper will never sound)

-Keys Only (pressing a key causes a beep)

-Alarms Only (when an alarm is activated)

-Keys & Alarms (beeper will sound when a key is

pressed or an alarm is activated)

After selecting the Beeper option from the Setup menu,

use the up/down arrow to highlight the desired choice

and then press ENTER.

17.Clear Memory

This option allows you to clear one of the following data

sets from MobileMapper’s memory:

-Track history: Will clear the track history displayed on

the Map screen from memory

-Wpts/Routes: Will clear all waypoints and routes from

memory

-Routes: Will clear all routes from memory

-Reset default: Will reset the receiver by restoring all

factory defaults

-All: Will clear all memory

After selecting the Clear Memory option from the Setup

menu, use the up/down arrow to highlight the desired

choice and then press ENTER. MobileMapper will ask

you to confirm your choice. If you have selected All,

MobileMapper will then shut off. The next time it is

turned on, it will prompt you that it needs to be initial-

ized.

18.NMEA

This option allows you to select the NMEA message that

will be output from MobileMapper. Your choice will

depend on which message is needed by the device con-

nected to MobileMapper:

-V1.5 APA: Autopilot Sentence “A”

-V1.5 XTE: Crosstrack error according to NMEA0183

V1.5

-V2.1 GSA: Standard GPS position message according

to NMEA0183 standard in version 2.1

After selecting the NMEA option from the Setup menu,

use the up/down arrow to highlight the desired choice

and then press ENTER.

19.Baud Rate

This option enables you to set the baud rate of the data

being sent out from the MobileMapper’s output port. The

possible choices are: 1200, 4800, 9600, 19200, 57600 or

115200 baud.

After selecting the Baud Rate option from the Setup menu,

use the up/down arrow to highlight the desired choice

and then press ENTER.

Default: No protection

20.Power Key

This option allows you to change how the PWR button

operates in turning MobileMapper on or off. Two choices

are possible:

-No protection: this is the normal case of use. With this

option enabled, you will have to press the PWR but-

ton to turn MobileMapper on. You will press the

PWR button again to turn MobileMapper off.

-On/Off protected: To turn MobileMapper on with this

option enabled, you will have to press and hold the

PWR button until the first screen is displayed. To turn

it off, you will have to press the PWR button, and

then press the ENTER button before the power off

timer is done.

After selecting the Power Key option from the Setup

menu, use the up/down arrow to highlight the desired

choice and then press ENTER.

21.Simulate

This option allows you to set the simulator. It shows you how

MobileMapper uses its various functions based on a simulat-

ed journey. The simulator is useful for learning or demon-

strating MobileMapper functions when indoors and there is

no GPS reception. When the simulator is on, MobileMapper

quits normal operation to operate in the simulator mode. You

can choose one of the following three options when you ac-

cess the Simulate option:

-Off: Will turn the simulator off. MobileMapper will

return to normal operation

-Auto: Will turn the simulator on. A predefined head-

ing and speed rate will be used.

-User: Will turn the simulator on. A user-defined head-

ing and speed rate will be used.

After selecting the Simulate option from the Setup menu,

use the up/down arrow to highlight the desired choice

and then press ENTER.

If you have selected User, MobileMapper will then ask

you to enter heading and speed data. A message will then

appear warning you that enabling the simulator will nec-

essarily clear track history. Make the appropriate choice.

If you have selected Auto, MobileMapper will also dis-

play the warning message about track history.

22.Language

This option allows you to select the language that

MobileMapper will use to display text.

TIP: If you change the language setting in MobileMap-

per just to see what it looks like and need to get back to

the Language Select screen, follow these instructions.

Press NAV until the Satellite Status screen is displayed

and press MENU. Select the sixth item in the list and

press ENTER. Press the up arrow once and press

ENTER. You are back at the Language Select screen.

Delete Files

This option allows you to list the job files stored in memory.

Use the up/down arrow to scroll through the list.

A symbol is placed before each filename. The meaning of

this symbol is as follows:

> Indicates that this file is the current file into which data

is being recorded

+ Indicates that the file has not yet been downloaded

from the handheld

- Indicates that the file has been downloaded from the

handheld.

Pressing ENTER will display the File Info dialog box show-

ing the name, size and creation date for the job file you have

highlighted in the list.

You can delete this file by pressing ENTER again (Delete

field already highlighted) or you can come back to the job

file list by pressing ESC.

About...

The About... screen displays the current status of your Mo-

bileMapper. Using the About... screen you can tell what the

version of the software is, the version and memory size of

the base map, the number of and total memory size of de-

tailed maps you may have installed, and how much free

memory is available.

2. MobileMapper Office Software

Introduction

The functions supported by MobileMapper Office are listed

below:

-Creating Job files. A job should always contain a feature

library. The name of the coordinate system selected in

the program is also automatically attached to the job. The

following information will also be saved to the job if the

relevant data is displayed in MobileMapper Office:

names of waypoint/route files and name of background

map.

-Uploading job files to the MobileMapper handheld so

that field operators can revisit previously completed jobs.

When you do that, not only do you upload GPS positions

and descriptions of the previously visited features but

also the name of the coordinate system used in the job,

the complete feature library associated with this job, and

possibly the names of the background map and way-

point/route file attached to this job.

-Downloading completed job files from the MobileMap-

per handheld. Again, when you do that, the name of the

coordinate system used in the job, the complete feature

library associated with this job, and optionally the names

of the background map and waypoint/route file attached

to this job are downloaded in addition to the GPS posi-

tions and descriptions of the visited features.

-Exporting jobs in GIS formats (SHP, MIF, DXF). Note

that exporting to DXF requires that a grid system, not a

lat/lon system, be used in the job.

- Creating standalone feature libraries using the Feature

Library Editor. GIS layers can be imported from your

GIS system when you create a feature library.

- Creating lists of waypoints and routes using the Way-

point/Route Editor.

Conventions used

for directions

of data transfer

Upload

Download

- Creating background maps using the Background Map

and Create Map utilities. When you create a background

map, you can import SHP, DXF or MIF files to add use-

ful details to your map. Remember however that back-

ground maps are for viewing only. You cannot edit them

or access information on their features. They provide a

backdrop, which gives visual orientation for your data

and waypoint files. If you want to edit the positions or

descriptions of a SHP, MIF or DXF file, you should

import them into a MobileMapper job file.

-Uploading individually any standalone feature library

file or background map to the MobileMapper handheld.

-Downloading individually any standalone feature library

file, background map file or waypoint/route file.

- Defining the coordinate system used by MobileMapper

Office to display the coordinates of features and way-

points.

Installing MobileMapper Office

- Close all the applications running in Windows

- Insert the installation CD-ROM in the drive

- If the Autorun program does not start automatically from

the CD-ROM, in the Windows task bar, click on Start

and select Run...

- Type x:\setup (where x is the name of the CD-ROM

drive) and then press Enter. After you specify where to

install MobileMapper Office programs, and you agree to

the terms of the software license, your computer will

complete the installation process.

Launching MobileMapper Office

On the Window Task bar, select successively Start, Programs

and MobileMapper Office. This starts the program causing the

main window to open on the PC screen. You may alterna-

tively start just the Feature Library Editor or the Mo-

bileMapper Transfer utility in order to use these standalone

applications.

MobileMapper Office Main Window

The main window of MobileMapper Office is organized as

explained below (see also above figure):

- The Map Display area runs from the bottom of the Menu

bar to the bottom border. It takes up about two-thirds of

the screen, right to left.

- At the bottom of the window, in the status bar, a box is

used for displaying the geographic location of the cursor

in the selected coordinate system

- The right third of the window is used to display the Layer

List. When opened, the window relevant to the Way-

points or Routes List is placed over the Layer List.

- The Create Map editor and the Feature Library Editor are

each displayed in a secondary window that appears at the

center of the screen.

Map Display area Layer List

Map Display Area

Controlling the Content of the Map Display Area

The data displayed in the Map Display area is controlled by

the Layers List shown on the right-hand area of the main

window.

When you want one of the listed layers displayed in the Map

Display area, just fill in the check box located before this

layer name. As a result, all the items pertaining to this layer

will be shown in the Map Display area. Conversely, if you

clear the check box, none of the items pertaining to this layer

will be visible in this area.

By default, the following two layers are always displayed:

- Waypoints

- Background map

If a job is open, each feature from the feature library used in

the job also appears as a layer which can be displayed/hidden

on the Map Display area. In addition, for these layers, you

can change their look on the Map Display area by double-

clicking on their names. Different icons are available for

point features and different colors are available for line, area

and grid features.

If you import a MIF or SHP file from your GIS system, then

new layers will also be added to the Layer list.

A number of viewing options are also available from the bot-

tom of the Options menu to let you customize the Map Dis-

play area. You can for example show/hide the grid values,

the scale interval, the feature and waypoint labels, etc.

The grid will reflect the

choice of the coordinate

system used. However,

all features will be

PLACED on the map

only based on their

WGS84 coordinates.

Below is the list of buttons from the Map toolbar that you

can use to work on the content the Map Display area:

: Allow you to respectively zoom in, zoom out

and fit the scale to the map content

: Allows you to adjust the scale to preset values

: Allows you to drag the map in any direction.

: Allows you to select the map of a continent for

display in the Map Display area as a backdrop to the job

data (and also to the background map itself, if displayed).

: Gives access to the Background Maps dialog from

which you can attach/detach a background map for the

currently open job

: (Gives access to the Feature Library Editor window;

not a map-related button)

: Allows you to measure distances on the map. See

next chapter.

: Allows you to define a map region

: Allows you to place new waypoints on the Map

Display area

: Allows you to draw routes connecting waypoints

shown on the map

Making Measurements on the Map Display Area

You can measure the distance and heading between any

points displayed in the Map Display area:

- On the toolbar, click , then click on the point on the

map from which to start the measurement. The start point

is then marked with a small square symbol.

- Then, as you move the mouse cursor away from the start

point, MobileMapper Office will calculate the length and

heading from the current location of the cursor to this

point

- If you click on a second point, a straight line will appear

on the map between the start point and the second point.

MobileMapper Office will also start calculating the dis-

tance and heading from the current location of the cursor

to the second point, plus the total length from the mea-

surement’s start point.

- To stop measuring distances and headings on the map,

press the Esc key.

Deleting Features

You can delete features from the Map Display area, and so

from the open job, using the following procedure:

- Make sure none of the buttons on the toolbar are active

- Click on the feature you want to delete. The feature then

appears surrounded by a thick pink frame

- On the menu bar, select Tools>Delete Feature, or on the

keyboard, press the Del key. A warning message asks

you to confirm the delete operation

- Click the Yes button to let MobileMapper Office delete

the feature, or the No button to cancel this operation.

Working on Job Files

Creating a New Job

Before you ask field operators to create a new job, you just

need to create the appropriate feature library and upload it to

their handhelds. Field operators will then just have to create

a new job based on this feature library. But you can also pre-

pare an “empty” job using the procedure below and ask field

operators to open that job for their field operations. By

“empty job” we mean “with no features logged yet in the

job.” But this empty job can contain waypoints, routes and a

background map as explained below.

You create job files using the New command from the File

menu. Select Save from the File menu, type in a name for the

job and click the Save button to create a new *.mmj file in the

Docs folder (default folder).

A job file cannot do without a feature library as field opera-

tors do need a feature library to complete their jobs. That is

why you have to import a feature library –created earlier–

into the job before uploading the job to the handheld. You

can do that using the Import command from the File menu,

specifying the Feature Library Files option in the Files of Type

field, selecting the feature library to associate with the job

and then clicking Open. As a result, all the features read from

this library will appear as layers in the job.

You can also add waypoints, routes and a background map

to be part of the job. This is simply done by saving the job

when a waypoint/route list displayed in the right-hand part

of the screen and a background map is attached to the job and

shown in the Map Display area.

The coordinate system attached to the job will be the one

currently selected in MobileMapper Office. This informa-

tion will be required in the handheld if you have created a list

of waypoints in the job so that the handheld can identify the

coordinate system used to express these waypoint coordi-

nates.

To create a feature

library, see explanations

from page 76.

To create waypoints and

routes, see explanations

from page 90.

To create a background

map, see explanations

from page 94.

To choose a coordinate

system, and for more

information on coordi-

nate systems, see expla-

nations from page 103.

Connecting the Handheld to the PC

- Connect the MobileMapper handheld to one of the serial

ports on your office PC using the serial cable provided

with the handheld

- If you are connecting the handheld to the PC for the first

time, do the following:

• On the menu bar, select Options and then GPS Set-

tings...

• In the dialog box that opens, click Autodetect.

MobileMapper then starts a sequence to determine

the port that MobileMapper is connected to, as well

as the baud rate used on the receiver side. At the end

of this sequence, the message “Found MobileMap-

per” should appear as the status of one of the ports

• Click OK to close the dialog box.

- If communication has already been established with the

receiver during this working session and you want to

make sure MobileMapper Office is still communicating

with the handheld, do the following:

• On the menu bar, select Options and then GPS Set-

tings...

• In the dialog box that opens, click Test. MobileMap-

per then tests the data link to the receiver, indicating

which baud rate is used during this test. The message

“Found MobileMapper” should appear as the status

of the port connected to the handheld.

• Click OK to close the dialog box.

Uploading a Job to the Handheld

First of all, you have to connect the handheld to the PC run-

ning MobileMapper Office and test the connection, as ex-

plained in the previous chapter.

- Open the file job in MobileMapper Office using the

File>Open command. Job filenames are in the form

“*.mmj”.

- On the menu bar of the MobileMapper Office main win-

dow, select File, Upload to GPS and Job.... MobileMapper

Office then routinely searches for the right baud rate to

communicate with the handheld. When communication

is established with the handheld, the upload sequence is

automatically started. A dialog box keeps you informed

on the file being transferred. A message is also displayed

on the handheld informing you that file transfer is in

progress. These two indications disappear from the PC

and handheld screens when data transfer is complete.

IMPORTANT! When you upload a job file, not only do

you upload all the logged features, if any, contained in

this job, but also the feature library attached to the job.

All MobileMapper job files include a feature library.

You must make sure that

the SD card is inserted

into the receiver to

ensure proper data

transfer between the

handheld and

MobileMapper Office

Downloading a Completed Job from the Handheld

MobileMapper Office uses the MobileMapper Transfer util-

ity as an interface program to access the files stored on the

MobileMapper handheld.

First of all, you have to connect the handheld to the PC run-

ning MobileMapper Office and test the connection, as ex-

plained on page 70.

- On the menu bar, select File>Download from GPS. This

opens the MobileMapper Transfer window on your

screen.

The right-hand pane lists all the files present in the

default directory (...\Docs) on your PC (see example

above). The left-hand pane will list the files stored on the

handheld once the connection to this device is estab-

lished.

- To connect to the handheld, on the menu bar at the top,

select successively File>Connect>GPS Device via Cable. This

will cause the transfer utility to routinely test which baud

rate should be used to communicate with the handheld.

Once communication is established, the transfer utility

starts reading the content of the handheld’s memory.

After a while, the window’s left-hand pane should list the

content of the handheld’s memory.

1. Downloading a job file

- Drag and drop this file from the left-hand pane to the

right-hand pane.

- Close the MobileMapper Transfer window. This will

cause the downloaded job to be imported into the cur-

rently open job, provided both jobs use the same fea-

ture library. Otherwise a message will warn you that

importing this job is impossible.

The Import operation performed in the job download-

ing context is similar to using the Import command

from the File menu. With this function, the down-

loaded data will automatically add up to the data of

the currently open job. This means that you can

merge multiple job files created for a single project

before exporting the whole data to your GIS. In this

particular case, it is indeed very likely that all these

job files were created based on the same feature

library.

2. Deleting a file from the handheld

- Select this file in the left-hand pane and press the Del

key. MobileMapper Office then asks you to confirm

that you want to delete the file. Click Yes if that is

what you really want to do.

Downloading a job

always includes import-

ing the downloaded data

to the open job, unless

the downloaded data is

not based on the same

feature library as the

open job.

Viewing the Content of a Job

After downloading a completed job in MobileMapper Office

as explained in the previous chapter, you can also open it in

MobileMapper Office using the File>Open command. As a re-

sult, MobileMapper Office shows the content of this job in

the main window. First of all, you can see the list of layers

present in this job in the right-hand part of the screen. Clear

or check the buttons for the layers you want to see in the Map

Display area. If enabled for display, the background map

shown is the one currently selected in the Background Map

List.

Now the main purpose of viewing a job in MobileMapper

Office is to get a view of the features that were logged during

field operations. If enabled for display, these features are

represented on the Map Display area according to the view-

ing choices made for the corresponding layers. You can do

more than just view these features. You can also view the

conditions in which these features were logged. To do that,

just click on these features, one after the other in the Map

Display area. This opens a new window in which you can see

the properties of these features. In the example below, Mo-

bileMapper Office shows the properties of a line feature:

If you access the Feature

Library Editor after

opening a downloaded

job, this window will

show the definition of the

feature library that was

used to create the job.

Unlike a standalone fea-

ture library, you CAN-

NOT edit a feature

library attached to a job.

Exporting Jobs in GIS Formats

The most important processing of your field data is its export

to a GIS. Exporting field data has two processes: conversion

of the data files to a standard format a GIS can read and then

the actual transfer of the file.

To convert your data into SHP, MIF or DXF:

- On the menu bar, select File>Open to list the job files in

MobileMapper Office

- Select the file you want to export and click Open. The

content of this file is now displayed on the screen.

- Select File>Export.

- Choose the export format (SHP, MIF, DXF -or MMF, see

opposite) from the Files of type field.

- Select the directory to which the reformatted file will be

transferred. If you don't know where to put this file, just

select a temporary location and click Export. Your job

will be automatically formatted and transferred to the

selected folder. You can select any folder that is accessi-

ble by your PC - including any GIS folders that may be

on your network. When you start recording data to

export to a GIS, you will typically export data to a GIS

database.

When exporting a job file to SHP format, the following

files are created for each feature type (layer, theme) in

the file:

- featurename.shp

- featurename.dbf

- featurename.shx

When exporting a job file to MIF format, the following

files are created for each feature type (layer, theme) in

the file:

- featurename.mif

- featurename.mid

A single DXF file is created for each existing feature

type when exporting a job to DXF format.

Exporting to DXF

requires that a grid sys-

tem be used in the job

Note that you can also

export a job to the MM

format. Use this option

when you want to create

a standalone feature

library from the feature

library contained in this

job

Whatever the chosen

export format, all coor-

dinates of feature posi-

tions are exported in

WGS84

Using the Feature Library Editor

Introduction

MobileMapper Office allows you to create new feature li-

braries using the Feature Library Editor.

Feature libraries are used by field operators as a common ba-

sis for describing the features they visit in the field.

A feature library describes a number of features that Mo-

bileMapper operators will have to visit in the field. Each fea-

ture is defined as a set of attributes. In fact, it will be the task

of field operators to provide an attribute value for each at-

tribute of a feature, depending on what they see or measure

when they are near this feature. The diagram below shows

the general architecture of a feature library through a simple

example.

Note the following limits

for feature libraries:

No. of feature types:

15 max.

No. of attributes

per feature: 10 max.

No. of attributes values

per Menu-style attribute:

5 max.

Feature Library

Hydrant

xxx...

Color

Height

Address

Red

(Attribute #1)

(Feature #1)

Orange

Any value between

(Attribute #2)

(Numeric type)

(Street Address)

Gray

(Menu type)

0.0 and 1.5 m

(Attribute #3)

(Text type) Any character string

20 char. max. in length

Options in the menu

(Feature #2)

(Feature #n)

(Attribute values)

There are four different types of features:

-Point feature: This feature can be described as a point,

geometrically speaking. Field operators should log point

features in static mode, i.e. they are supposed to stay sta-

tionary at these points for at least one second.

-Line feature: This feature can be described as a line.

Field operators should log line features in kinematic

mode, i.e. they should start logging this type of feature at

the beginning of the line, move along this line and stop

logging when reaching the end of the line.

-Area feature: This feature can be described as an area.

Field operators can log area features either in kinematic

mode (general case) or in “multi-static” mode in case of

areas with regular (straight) contours.

-Grid feature: This feature defines an array of evenly

distributed waypoints where field operators record obser-

vations or make measurements using some instrument.

In-depth information on grid features is given on page

86.

There are three different types of attributes:

-Menu style: the attribute value can only be one of the

preset values from a user-defined menu

-Numeric style: the attribute value can only be within a

pre-defined range of numeric values

-Text style: the attribute value is in text form and should

not exceed the permitted length (20 characters).

Point feature

Line feature

Area feature

Regular

Grid feature

General case

Creating a New, Standalone Feature Library File

- On the menu bar, select Tools, then Feature Library Editor.

This opens the Feature Library Editor window at the cen-

ter of the screen.

Warning! If a job is open in MobileMapper Office’s

main window, the Feature Library Editor window then

shows the feature library used in the open job. This

library cannot be changed. That’s why you have to do the

following.

- On the menu bar, select File, then Save As... A new dialog

box opens in which you can name and choose the folder

where to store the new feature library. The default folder

is .../Docs. It is a good idea to group all feature library

files in the “Docs” default folder. These files can only be

saved as “mmf” files as mentioned in the Save as type:

field.

- Enter a name for the library in the File name: field. For

example, type in “Libr#1” and click Save. The new name

of the feature library now appears on the left-hand part of

the Feature Library Editor window.

Inserting New Features to the Feature Library

- In the Feature Library Editor window, right-click on the

feature library name and select Insert Feature. A new dia-

log box opens in which you can define the first feature

for the library:

- Enter a name for this feature in the Feature Type Name field

(see recommendations opposite).

- Indicate the type of the feature. For example, if the fea-

ture is a hydrant, check Point, if it’s a coast line, check

Line, if it’s a car park, check Area, if it’s an area where

measurements should be performed according to a preset

array of waypoints, check Grid. Grid features are pre-

sented in detail in a separate chapter starting on page 86.

Refer to this chapter if you need to define a new grid fea-

ture.

- Click the Add button. The Insert Feature Type dialog box

is displayed one more time so that you can now define

the second feature for the library.

- Indicate the type of the second feature as explained

above and then click the Add button.

- Repeat the above steps until all the features have been

defined.

- After defining the last feature, click the Close button.

It sometimes is a good

idea to choose a name

that reflects the geometry

type of the feature. For

example, as the last 2

characters in the name,

you could use “Ln” for a

line feature, “Ar” for an

area feature, “Gd” for a

grid feature and “Pt” for

a point feature (although

point feature names are

often self-explanatory).

The reason for doing this

is that the field operator

will be able to rely on

feature names to clearly

identify the type of fea-

ture she/he selects from

the feature list.

Defining Feature Attributes

- Under the feature library name, in the left-hand part of

the Feature Library Editor window, select the first feature

name, right-click on it and select Insert Attribute. A new

dialog box opens where you can define the first attribute

for the feature:

- Enter a name for this attribute in the Attribute Name field

- Indicate the type of the attribute. There are three types of

attributes: Menu, Numeric and Text. If the attribute con-

sists of a list of statements that the field operator will

have to choose from, check Menu, if it refers to a number

the field operator will have to enter, check Numeric, and if

the feature refers to a description or any other alphanu-

meric string that the field operator will have to type in,

check Text.

- Then click Add to add another attribute for the feature, or

Close after the last attribute has been defined.

- Select the second feature on the left, right-click on it,

select Insert Attribute and then define all the feature’s

attributes as explained above. Click the Close button

when it’s done.

- Repeat the above steps until all the attributes have been

defined for all the features present in the library

Defining Attribute Values

You define attribute values in the right-hand pane of the Fea-

ture library Editor window.

- Click on the name of the first attribute of the first feature.

The right-hand pane of the Feature Library Editor win-

dow now shows a table containing the definition of this

attribute. The highlighted cell is where you can enter the

first attribute value for this attribute. Click on this cell.

- Type in the attribute value and press ENTER on your

keyboard. A new row is added in the table where you can

enter a second attribute value, etc.

- When you are done with the values of this attribute, click

on the second attribute in the left-hand pane of the Fea-

ture Library Editor window. Resume the previous and

present steps as many times as necessary.

- Example of attribute values (red, orange, gray) for one of

the attributes (color) of a point feature (hydrant):

For a Menu style attribute, you should define a list of options

the field operator will have to choose from.

For a Numeric style attribute, you should define the preci-

sion, default value and range of possible values for the at-

tribute (minimum and maximum values).

For a Text style attribute, you should define the maximum

number of characters allowed and the default value for the

attribute.

Renaming a Feature, Defining its Representation

on the Map

Still from the Feature Library Editor window, you can

change the name of a feature as explained below:

- In the left-hand pane of the window, click on the feature

name you want to edit. This displays the Feature Type

table on the right.

- Double-click on the cell containing the feature name (see

example below) and type in a new name

- Press the Enter key to record the change.

From the same table, you can also change the shape and as-

pect given to a feature on the map.

The representation of a point feature on the map is an icon

that you can define as explained below:

- In the Icon row of this table, click . A new dialog box

opens in which you can select a new icon for the feature:

Up to 22 different icons

are listed in this box.

The icon you choose

here will also be shown

on the receiver’s Map

screen during field oper-

ations dealing with fea-

tures of this type.

The representation of a line or area feature on the map is

based on line properties that you can define as explained be-

low:

- In the Style/Color/Width row of this table, click . A

new dialog box opens in which you can define the prop-

erties of the line representing the line feature or the con-

tour of the area feature (color, style and width):

Deleting Features, Attributes or Attribute Values

The Feature Library Editor lets you delete, in a very simple

manner, any feature, attribute or attribute value option from

the open Feature Library.

- To delete a feature, you just select its name and you press

the Del key on your keyboard. Deletion is immediate as

MobileMapper Office does not require user confirma-

tion. By deleting a feature, you also delete all attributes

and attribute values attached to this feature.

- To delete an attribute from a feature, expand that feature

in the left-hand pane of the Feature Library Editor win-

dow, select the attribute you want to delete and press Del

on your keyboard. Deletion is immediate as MobileMap-

per Office does not require user confirmation. By delet-

ing an attribute, you also delete all attribute values

attached to this attribute.

Possible choices: 16 for

color, 3 for style and 3

for width. The choices

you make here will be

used on the receiver’s

Map screen during field

operations dealing with

features of this type.

- To delete an attribute value from the list of possible val-

ues of a Menu-style attribute, first select the concerned

attribute in the left-hand pane of the Feature Library Edi-

tor window. Then in the right-hand pane of this window,

highlight the cell containing the attribute value you want

to delete and press Del on your keyboard. Deletion is

immediate as MobileMapper Office does not require user

confirmation.

Saving a Feature Library

When you are done with the definition of a feature library

file, don’t forget to save the file by selecting File>Save on the

menu bar of the Feature Library Editor window.

Attaching a Feature Library to a Job

When you want to attach a feature library to a GIS job, you

just have to import this feature library into the job open in the

main window, using the File>Import command. The features

contained in the feature library will then appear as “layers”

in that job. When you save the job, the complete feature li-

brary will also be saved in this job.

Similarly, when you open a job after downloading it from a

MobileMapper handheld, then the features from the library

file used for that job will automatically appear as layers per-

taining to the job. If you open the Feature Library Editor

window in that case, then it’s the feature library used in that

job that will be shown in this window.

Importing a Feature Library from a Job or GIS File

Using the File>Import command in the Feature Library Editor

window, you can import the feature library used in an exist-

ing job or from a MIF or SHP file.

Uploading a standalone feature library file

- Unless already done, select Tools>Feature Library Editor to

open the Feature Library Editor window

- Open the feature library file you want to upload using the

File>Open... command. Feature library filenames are in the

form “*.mmf”. If you want to upload the feature library

used in the open job, then you must save it as an mmf file

from within the Feature library Editor window before

you are allowed to upload this file to the handheld.

- On the menu bar of the Feature Library Editor window,

select File and then Upload to GPS. MobileMapper Office

then routinely searches for the right baud rate to commu-

nicate with the handheld. When communication is estab-

lished with the handheld, the upload sequence is

automatically started. A dialog box keeps you informed

on the file being transferred. A message is also displayed

on the handheld informing you that file transfer is in

progress. These two indications disappear from the PC

and handheld screens when data transfer is complete.

You usually have to

upload a standalone fea-

ture library file to the

handheld when it’s the

first time this feature

library is used and so

there has been no job

created yet from this

library

Grid Mapper Utility

Introduction

Working with the Grid Mapper Utility is an easy way to log

GPS positions and GIS data at waypoints arranged in an

evenly spaced grid. This allows you to gather measurements

- made by field sensors such as depth sounders, chemical de-

tectors and magnetometers - in an organized fashion with an

easy-to-use navigation feature. You can then create contour

maps with the necessary density of data while avoiding any

gaps that might force you to return to the field.

Grid Features vs. Grid Points

The Grid Mapper Utility refers to two different grid con-

cepts: grid features and grid points.

- Grid features are arrays of uniformly spaced points ori-

ented in rows and columns.

- Grid points are navigation features similar to routes.

They are created by MobileMapper Office and uploaded

to the handheld. You navigate to each grid point using

MobileMapper and record your observations or measure-

ments using its data logging software.

Think of an apple orchard where the rows are about 15 feet

(5 meters) apart and each tree is about 15 feet (5 meters)

apart from the next tree in its row. The orchard is a grid fea-

ture. The location of each tree is a grid point. The number of

apples on each tree is the attribute you wish to record.

Like a point, line or area feature, a grid feature is a feature

geometry type. You can see the similarity in two ways:

- Just as a line or area feature is made of a string of point

positions, a grid feature is a set of points.

- As with line and area features, a single feature type name

corresponds to the entire grid feature. In a single job, you

might record positions and descriptions of several line

features classified as “roads” and two area features clas-

sified as “lakes.” And you might use one grid feature

named “water depth” and one named “magnetic field.”

However, line and area features differ from grid features in

two important ways:

- The positions making up line and area features mark the

locations of real things like roads, lakes, etc. But the

points making up a grid feature are imaginary target

locations that you navigate to.

- The attributes you record for a road or a lake pertain

equally to each of the point positions making up feature,

but you typically record different descriptions at each

grid point making up the grid feature.

Setting up a Grid Feature in a Feature Library file

Use the Feature Library Editor window to set up a grid fea-

ture. To add a grid feature to the feature library:

- Right-click on the name of the feature library and select

the Insert Feature option. Then select Grid as the feature

type

- Click on the Add button, then on the Close button.

- Then define the attributes of the point feature that you

will record at each of the grid points. Do this as you

would for any point, line or area feature (see pages 80

and 81). Typically, these are text-type attributes for

visual observations and numeric-type attributes for mea-

surements made with instruments. But it is also possible

to record observations using a menu-type of attributes.

Editing the Grid Properties

When you are done adding attributes to the grid feature, you

will see the grid symbol and the name of the grid feature in

the tree display of the feature library. If you click on the

name of the grid feature, you will see a two-column table on

the right labeled “Feature Type.” This is where the default

values of the grid feature are indicated. If you want to change

any of these values, double click on the value and type in a

new one.

Grid properties table

Name: Feature names like “pole,” “road” or “lake” make

it easy to identify the geometry of point line and area fea-

tures. This is not so easy with grid features. You might

find it helpful to insert the word “grid” into the name of

grid features. However, there is a 10-character limit to

the name length so you may prefer to name the grid types

with distinctive names like “mag. field,” “H2O depth” or

“CO2 conc.”

Geometry and # of attributes: Cannot be edited

Number of Columns /Number of Rows: The easiest

way to determine how large the entire grid must be is to

measure the area using a background map showing

appropriate layers. You can draw a rectangle over the

area to be mapped and measure the two sides of the rect-

angle in meters. Then divide each distance by the grid

feature’s spacing. Imagine yourself standing at one of the

two corners of the rectangle where the grid feature is

arrayed in front of you and to your right. The number of

columns is the length of the side of the rectangle to your

right divided by the grid spacing (in meters). The number

of rows is the length of the side of the rectangle in front

of you divided by the grid spacing.

Heading: The default heading is 0º (due North). If you

leave the heading at this default value it means that the

grid feature will be arrayed to the north and east of your

position because these are the directions in front of you

and to your right. If you want the grid feature oriented in

any other direction, just type in the compass direction

that you will face when standing with the grid in front of

you and to the right.

Grid spacingtep: The default value for the distance

between adjacent grid points is 50 meters. You can set

this spacing to any number of meters you would like.

This number will be automatically converted to any other

distance unit is set in the receiver.

North

(Heading= 0°)

Column

Row

North

Spacing

When changing from the default 50 meters, keep in mind

that the selected value will determine the density of mea-

surements. If this number is less than 5 meters or so,

there is no point in using a Grid feature. Simply walk

around and take samples by visually estimating the

required density. If you increase the spacing, be sure the

spacing supports the density of measurements you

require.

Uploading the Grid Feature to the Receiver

You upload grid features to the receiver by uploading the

feature library that contains it. You can either upload the fea-

ture library as a standalone library that the user in the field

can select to record a new job. Or you can use MobileMap-

per Office to import the feature library into a job created in

the office. Either way, you just have to click on File>Upload to

GPS and select the file you want to use in the field.

If you want to inform the field user where to begin logging

the grid feature, just create a waypoint in MobileMapper Of-

fice by clicking on Tools>Place Waypoints. Make sure you

change the name from the default “WPT001” to a name tell-

ing the user that this is the point of beginning for logging a

grid. Then upload this waypoint as described on page 71.

Using the Waypoint/Route Editor

Introduction

The Waypoint/Route Editor allows you to easily create a list

of waypoints that might be useful for the field operator when

she/he is performing a GIS job. For example one of these

waypoints may help to localize a hardly visible feature.

The Waypoint/Route Editor also allows you to build new

routes, based on the existing list of waypoints.

To save your waypoints and routes, you just need to save the

currently open job. When you do that and there are way-

points and routes in the job, then MobileMapper Office cre-

ates a separate wpt file containing this list of waypoints and

routes.

Placing Waypoints

- First of all, click the down arrow next to on the tool

bar and select the region where your jobs are going to

take place. As a result, a map of your region appears on

the Map Display area.

- On the toolbar, click and then draw a rectangle

around the part of the map you want to enlarge. When

releasing the mouse, the map scale is adjusted so the

Map Display area only shows this part of the map.

- On the toolbar, click . This opens a new window in

the right-hand part of the window where you can edit

your definitions of waypoints.

- Click on the Map Display area where your first waypoint

should be located. A waypoint icon now appears on the

map with the name of the waypoint displayed next to it

(see example opposite).

Creating a waypoint

- In the right-upper part of the window (see example oppo-

site), you can now make changes to the definition of this

waypoint (name, coordinates, icon, optional comment).

- Next to this definition area, you can also define the name

and icon for the next waypoint you will create

- When you are done with the definition of the first way-

point, create the second waypoint by clicking on the map

where this second waypoint should be located. Again,

you can adjust the definition of this waypoint in the

right-upper part of the window, etc.

Note that a waypoint table is updated in the right-lower

part of the window as you create new waypoints. You

can scroll this table horizontally and edit each of the cells

if necessary. The second column (Name) contains a

check button allowing you to show/hide each waypoint

icon & name on the Map Display area.

Creating Waypoints from the Waypoint Table

Another very quick way of creating new waypoints is to use

the aforementioned waypoint table.

- Right-click anywhere over this table and select New Way-

point in the pop-up menu. As a result a new waypoint is

added in the waypoint table with default parameters and

“zero” coordinates.

- You can then edit each cell to complete the definition of

the new waypoint. The waypoint will then appear on the

map (if located within the area covered by this map).

Editing a waypoint

Defining the name and

icon of the next waypoint

Waypoint table

Finding a Waypoint on the Map

MobileMapper Office helps you locate rapidly a waypoint.

- In the waypoint table, right-click on the row containing

the definition of the waypoint and select View. The map is

then moved accordingly within the Map Display area so

as to take the searched waypoint exactly at the center of

the Map Display area.

Deleting Waypoints

Waypoints can only be deleted individually from the way-

point table.

- Select the row containing the waypoint you want to

delete

-Press the Del key or right-click on the row and select

Delete. Waypoints are deleted instantly, without user con-

firmation.

You can also delete all the existing waypoints and routes

through a single operation by selecting the Clear All Waypoints

option from the Tools menu. In that case, MobileMapper Of-

fice will prompt you to save all these waypoints and routes

in a separate wpt file before actually deleting them from the

waypoint table (i.e. from the currently open job). If you click

Yes you will have to name the wpt file and specify the folder

where to store that file.

Use the View function

when you have some dif-

ficulty finding a way-

point on the map

because there are lots of

them, or simply because

you don’t want to spend

too much time search-

ing for it

Building a Route

After you have created a number of waypoints as explained

in the previous chapter, you can now define routes graphical-

ly. Follow the instructions below to do this.

- On the toolbar, click . This opens a new window in the

right-upper part of the window where MobileMapper

automatically creates a new route named “Route1” (if it’s

the first one in the list) (see opposite). Note that

MobileMapper Office continues to display the waypoint

table below this window.

- Come back to the Map Display area and click on the

waypoint that you want to define as the route’s start point

- Then click on the second point, then on the third, etc.

Every time you click a new waypoint, “Finish” is dis-

played next to this waypoint which means you don’t

have to do anything special to end the definition of the

route. MobileMapper Office will “understand” that the

route definition is complete when you proceed to another

task in the software.

Note that you can edit the name of the route by double-

clicking on it. You can also remove a waypoint from the

route by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete. The

Map Display area is then updated to reflect that change

in the definition of the route.

Creating a four-way-

point route

Background Maps

Introduction

Background maps are designed to provide useful details on

working areas. Field operators might like to see these details

on their handheld screens as they progress in their jobs so

that they can more easily go to the places they have to visit.

Background maps are for viewing only. You cannot edit

them or access information on their features. They provide a

backdrop, which gives visual orientation for your data and

waypoint files.

Background maps are shown in the Map Display area of the

MobileMapper Office main window. They are independent

of jobs. Whether there is an open job or not, you can have a

background map displayed in this area. You may create this

background map once and then it can be used as a back-

ground for many jobs at a certain location.

Background map projects are created using the Create Map

editor. The notion of “ background map project” allows you

to define the different layers the background map will result

from, plus a number of parameters, i.e. map scale setting,

map name, etc. Use the Tools>Background Maps command to

access the Create Map editor. Background map projects are

saved as separate files with the “mmp” extension.

Once you have defined and saved a background map project,

you will then have to use the Operations>Create Map command

to build the actual background map for the open background

map project.

Usually it takes time to create a map, so it would be a benefit

to do that once. After the background map is created, it will

appear in the Background Maps list with the given name, and

it can be selected at any time as a background for various job

data.

Please, carefully read

the explanations oppo-

site to understand the

difference between a

background map

“project” and the result-

ing “background map”

on the Map Display area

A background map generally consists of a base map, plus ad-

ditional details that you can for example import from your

GIS system. Thus, a background map is a stack of several

layers, but as opposed to layers in a job file, which you can

select on the Map Display area, the layers composing a back-

ground map result in a single, merged, raster-type map on the

Map Display area, with no possibility to select any individ-

ual items shown on this map

MobileMapper Office can only take MIF, SHP and DXF

shapefiles in WGS84 lat/lon as source data. This includes

shapefiles from GIS files and MapSend maps.

All background maps are in WGS84, lat/lon.

When you upload a job file to the MobileMapper handheld,

the background map currently shown in the Map Display

area when you saved the job is NOT uploaded to the hand-

held as being part of the job. That’s why you will have to use

the File>Upload to GPS>Background Map command to upload the

background map separately to the handheld.

Creating a New Background Map Project

- On the menu bar, select Tools and then Background Map.

This opens the Background Maps window

- Click on the Create New... button. This opens the Create

Map window from which you can create a new back-

ground map project:

- Type in a name for the background map project in the

Map Name field.

-In the Map Scale field, choose a scale value above which

the background map will NOT be displayed on the Map

Display area or on the handheld screen. (This is used to

hide the background map when the current scale value of

the Map Display area in the office software or on the

handheld’s Map screen is incompatible with the extent of

this background map.)

(To be continued in next paragraph)

Adding Layers to a Background Map Project

(Continued from previous paragraph.)

You can add as many layers as necessary to build a back-

ground map. Layers may be SHP files or MIF files.

For example you could export to SHP ou MIF the features of

a completed job and then add them as layers to create a back-

ground map. In this case you would merge these features into

the background map and so they would no longer be select-

able as individual entities on the Map Display area.

- Click , or on the menu bar, select Layer>Add... A dia-

log box opens in which you should indicate the folder

where to find the layer and then select the file corre-

sponding to that layer.

- In the combo box located in the lower part of the dialog

box, select the coordinate system on which the layer to

be added is based. (You are supposed to know this infor-

mation).

- Click on the Open button. The selected file now appears

as a layer in the first row of the Create Map window:

- Resume the previous steps as many times as necessary to

add all the layers you need for your background map.

- Select File and then Save or Save As. In the dialog box that

opens, choose a folder and enter a name for the back-

ground map project you want to create. This project will

have the “mmp” extension.

- Then click Save to save the project.

Changing the Order of Layers

When you build the background map, the first layer you

placed in the table will be brought to the front, and the last

one will be sent to the back. Intermediate layers will occupy

intermediate positions in the layer stack.

If one of your layers contains area features, it is important

that this layer be placed at the bottom of the table otherwise

all layers containing point or line features located within

these area features would be hidden by these features.

To change the position of a layer in the table:

- Highlight the row containing this layer by clicking on

any cell in this row

- Click or , or select Layer>Move Up or Move Down to

move up or down the layer by one row. If necessary,

repeat this step until the layer is at the right position in

the table.

Removing Layers

- Highlight the layer you want to remove

- Click , or select Layer>Remove from the menu bar, or

press the Del key. This instantly removes the layer from

the table.

Changing the Visual Aspect of Layers

You can customize each layer by clicking on the correspond-

ing leftmost cell in the table. This opens a dialog box in

which you can choose the aspect you want for the layer when

the background map is built up later. As you will probably

notice, the available options are much similar to those avail-

able when creating features with the Feature Library Editor.

- For a point feature layer, you can choose the type of icon

that will be used to represent all the features pertaining to

the layer

- For a line feature layer, you can choose the color and

width of the line representing all the features pertaining

to the layer

- For an area feature layer, you can choose the fill-in color

for all the features pertaining to the layer.

In addition, you can also define the following:

- Edit the layer name

- Select which attribute to display together with the icon or

line

- Choose a scale value above which all features pertaining

to the layer will NOT be displayed on the Map Display

area or on the handheld screen.

Building the Background Map

Once you are done with adding, arranging and setting layers,

you can build the background map from these layers.

- First save the background map project using the File>Save

command if you are happy with the project name or the

File>Save as command if you wish to rename the back-

ground map project.

100

- Then click , or on the menu bar, select Operations>Cre-

ate Map. MobileMapper Office then builds the back-

ground map. A dialog box is displayed indicating that

this operation is in progress. It disappears from the

screen when the build operation is complete.

- Close the Create Map window. This takes you back to the

Background Maps window where you can now attach the

newly created background map to the open job. See

below.

Selecting a Background Map for Display

This function allows you to select the background map that

you want to view in the Map Display area.

- Unless this window is already open, click to open

the Background Maps dialog box. This box lists the

names of the existing background maps.

- Select the name of the background map you want to view

and click on the Attach button. A clip icon appears before

this name indicating that the attachment is now effective.

- Click on the Close button. This closes the dialog box and

displays the attached background map in the Map Dis-

play area.

The following functions are also available from the Back-

ground Map dialog box:

-Create New...: Provides access to the Create Map window

-Detach: Detaches the highlighted background map from

the job (if it’s the one currently attached to the job)

-Remove: Deletes the highlighted background map.

101

Setting a Map Region

This function allows you to define the exact limits of the

background map –shown on the Map Display area– that you

wish to upload to the handheld. Using this function also al-

lows you to limit the file size of the uploaded portion of the

background map for better display performance in the field.

- Click on the toolbar, drag a rectangle around the

desired region in the Map Display area and release the

mouse button. The limits of the region are then repre-

sented with a rectangle with hatching on the outside. You

can still resize or reshape the rectangle by dragging its

control points (corner and mid-side points). You can also

move the whole rectangle by dragging the mouse cursor

from inside the rectangle.

- When the definition of the region is okay, click outside of

this region. The region definition is now complete and its

limits are now represented with a thick green line.

- If necessary, click again (this deletes the region you

have just defined) to redraw the region entirely.

Uploading a Background Map

After attaching a background map to the open job and possi-

bly setting a map region (see the previous two chapters), you

can now proceed with the uploading of the background map

to the handheld, to the PC’s hard disk or to the SD card in-

serted in the local SD card reader.

We’ll explain here how you can upload a background map.

You have to upload jobs and background maps separately.

Background maps are not included in the job files. Only fea-

ture libraries are actually written into job files. However, the

names of the background maps are included with the job

files so they can be displayed whenever you pick the job to

display.

102

- On the menu bar, select File>Upload to GPS>Background

Map. If no Map region has been defined previously in the

Map Display area, a message will pop up warning you

that the whole background map is going to be uploaded.

If you click Yes, the procedure will continue. If you click

No, the procedure will be aborted.

In the next dialog box that opens, you have to select the

destination of the background map. This can be the

MobileMapper receiver (GPS Unit), the local SD Card

reader or the PC hard disk (Hard Drive).

- Check Upload to GPS Unit and click the Next> button. If you

have previously run the procedure described on page 70

to test the communication with the handheld, then a new

dialog box will be displayed reporting successful con-

nection to the handheld. Otherwise, MobileMapper

Office will suggest that you change the settings of the PC

port connected to the handheld.

- After successful connection to the handheld, click the

Next> button again. A new dialog box indicates the size of

the file to be downloaded.

- You just have to click the Finish button to let MobileMap-

per Office complete the upload operation. The following

message is displayed while the file is being uploaded:

103

Coordinate System

Introduction to Coordinate Systems and Datums

The MobileMapper system uses standard coordinate systems

and datums used by surveyors and cartographers around the

world. MobileMapper offers the capability to define your

own coordinate systems and datums. This involves selecting

your own map projections, coordinate systems, and datums

- all of which are defined below.

A map is developed using a projection that is a mathematical

translator between the roughly spherical Earth and the flat

map. For this reason, any map is inherently inaccurate be-

cause it must “stretch” to fit over a sphere (see comment op-

posite). This is actually quite complicated, because a map is

flat and the Earth is not. You can demonstrate this yourself

by taking any spherical object such as an orange and trying

to wrap a sheet of paper around it while creating the mini-

mum of folds and wrinkles. The only way to get the paper to

wrap evenly is to cut some sections out and stretch others.

That is what a map projection does, but in reverse. It takes

the somewhat spherical surface of a portion of the Earth and

flattens it while trying to avoid distortion along the way. The

challenge is to make a projection that fits optimally through-

out the space it covers with the least distortion possible.

There are many map projections available to the mapmaker,

but for the most part there is only a handful in practical use

today. MobileMapper Office software supports most of

these common projections.

Coordinate systems describe where you are in a map projec-

tion. Some people use “grid systems” using northings and

eastings - the distances, typically meters or feet, to the north

and east of an agreed-upon starting point. Others work in

geodetic coordinate systems using latitude and longitude

numbers that divide the Earth into the degrees, minutes, and

seconds that most people are familiar with.

The Earth is really not a

sphere but a “spheroid”

because its rotation

causes the equator to

bulge out slightly so that

the Earth's circumfer-

ence is greater around

the equator than it is

through the poles. When

looking at the Earth's

surface, however, you

are really considering

just sections of the

spheroid. And, if you

remember your geome-

try correctly, the name

for a section (slice)

taken through a spheroid

is an "ellipsoid." An

ellipsoid is to a spher-

oid as a circle is to a

sphere. Mathematician-

cartographers have his-

torically attempted to

write equations for ellip-

soids that accurately

describe the Earth's

geometry. For example,

the ellipsoid the most

commonly used today

was developed by

Clarke, in 1866.

104

The most common coordinate systems are Universal Trans-

verse Mercator (UTM) and latitude/longitude, but there are

many variations that are tied to specific regions of the Earth.

MobileMapper allows you to use any of the more common

grid coordinate systems or create your own.

Each regional system is tied to known positions within the

region according to their positional relative to a geodetic da-

tum. According to the Geodetic Glossary (National Geodetic

Survey, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and At-

mospheric Administration, Rockville, MD, September

1986) p. 54, a geodetic datum is: “A set of constants speci-

fying the coordinate system used for geodetic control, i.e.,

for calculating the coordinates of points on the Earth.” The

key words here are “geodetic control” - the means of estab-

lishing grid or lat/lon coordinates relative to given control

points. The datum is what is “given.” The most common ex-

amples of datums in North America are NAD27 and

NAD83- the North American Datums of 1927 and 1983.

Most countries have their own datums and there are also re-

gional datums for Europe and other parts of the world.

There have also been attempts to create datums for the entire

world. The most widely used is Worldwide Geodetic System

developed in 1984 (“WGS84”). The Global Positioning Sys-

tem, being global, uses WGS84 as a standard datum. All

GPS receivers, including MobileMapper, calculate their po-

sitions in the lat/lon coordinate system tied into the WGS84

datum. Users can then select other coordinate systems to dis-

play their data and other datum to define how the coordinates

are calculated. There are many mathematical algorithms for

“transforming” coordinates from one system to another ac-

cording to various datums.

105

Which system/datum you use can have a very profound re-

sult. For example, the difference between NAD27 and

NAD83 is minimal in Bloomington, Indiana, about 42

meters in Albany, New York, about 70 meters in Las Vegas,

Nevada and as much as 100 meters in parts of California.

Why are there such differences? The NAD83 is a closer and

more refined mathematical description of the shape of the

Earth in North America. For this reason, the WGS84 datum

uses elements of the NAD83 datum to calculate coordinates

in North America.

Similar discrepancies are seen around the world when calcu-

lating positions using different datums. To make matters

even more complicated, different organizations, govern-

ments and corporations use different algorithms to calculate

positions for their own maps. This is not normally a problem

as long as an organization's maps are in agreement with

themselves. Because Thales Navigation cannot know what

algorithm you wish to use to make MobileMapper data con-

form to the datum you are using, we export our positions in

world standard WGS84 coordinates. This allows your GIS to

make the transformations that are consistent with your map

collection.

For the purposes of collecting or updating map data, both

MobileMapper Office and MobileMapper receiver software

will display the coordinates of features imported from your

GIS maps in whatever datum you wish. This means that if

you move the map cursor (in either MobileMapper Office or

the receiver software) over a feature on a map screen, the co-

ordinate numbers (lat/lon or northing/easting) will be dis-

played in the coordinate system/datum of your choice. This

allows you to compare the coordinates of features on a Mo-

bileMapper map with coordinates you might have in a data-

base.

106

However, MobileMapper uses only the WGS84 datum to

project data onto the map screen, i.e. to position features spa-

tially on a map. One way to visualize this is if you were to

select NAD27 or EUR79 as your datum in either Mo-

bileMapper Office or the receiver and moved the map cursor

over a feature, you would display coordinate numbers (lat/

lon or northing/easting) that were calculated using this da-

tum. If you switched to the WGS84 datum, the coordinates

displayed on the MobileMapper receiver's Position Screen

or in MobileMapper Office suite's coordinate display win-

dow would change - but the position of the feature on the

map screen would NOT change.

Why is this? Calculating coordinates doesn't take much com-

puting power but using powerful map projection algorithms

does. Moving features around on the small map extents used

by workers in the field does not warrant any decrease in re-

ceiver map display performance. It would take an unneces-

sary increase in time to display a map that would hardly

change in appearance. To re-project positions on a Mo-

bileMapper Office map screen using a variety of datums

would not be a problem for the PC and its larger screen.

However, this is a GIS function that is outside the purpose of

MobileMapper Office, which is designed as a GPS data

communication, display and validating tool and not as a GIS

in itself. Because Thales Navigation does not know what al-

gorithms your GIS uses for map projections, you should al-

ways transform MobileMapper positions using the same GIS

you use to manage your existing maps. This is the best way

to assure conformance of MobileMapper positions to your

GIS maps and databases.

107

Coordinate Systems in MobileMapper Office

In MobileMapper Office, the definition of a coordinate sys-

tem can be split into two different sets of parameters: hori-

zontal system and height system.

The horizontal system may be one of two types:

- Geodetic type: the system relies on the definition of a

datum. A datum is an ellipsoid with possible linear and

angular shifts

- Grid type: the system relies on the definition of a datum

and a projection

The height system may be one of two types:

- Ellipsoid elevations: All elevations are calculated from

the datum defined in the coordinate system used

- Orthometric elevations: All elevations are calculated

from the available geoid model (EGM96 Worldwide

Geoid model)

A large number of geodetic and grid systems are available

for use. However, if none of these systems is suitable for

your jobs, you can create a new one, based on the informa-

tion you have to define this system. This is described on page

109.

108

Selecting a Pre-defined Coordinate System

- On the menu bar, select Options and then Coordinate Sys-

tem. A new dialog box opens showing the name of the

currently used coordinate system (see below).

1. Selecting an existing Geodetic system

- Click the down arrow on the right of the System Type

combo box and highlight Geodetic (unless already

done). Then click the down arrow on the right of the

Geodetic Datum combo box and highlight the name of

the desired datum. The properties of the selected

datum can be viewed by clicking the button located

on the right of the Geodetic Datum combo box.

2. Selecting an existing Grid system

- Click the down arrow on the right of the System Type

combo box and highlight Grid. Then click the down

arrow on the right of the Grid System combo box and

highlight the name of the desired grid system. The

properties of the selected grid system can be viewed

by clicking the button located on the right of the

Grid System combo box.

- Click the down arrow on the right of the Zone combo

box and highlight the name of the zone correspond-

ing to your working area.

This dialog box allows

you to select a pre-

defined coordinate sys-

tem or create a new sys-

tem (refer to page 77)

109

3. Defining the height system

- In the lower part of the Coordinate System dialog box,

check the desired option (Ellipsoid elevations or Ortho-

metric elevations). If you choose Orthometric elevations,

the Geoid Model field just below will automatically be

set to EGM96 Worldwide Geoid Model as this is the only

geoid model available in MobileMapper Office.

4. Enabling the chosen coordinate system

-Click

OK to close the dialog box and enable the coor-

dinate system you have just chosen.

Creating a New Coordinate System

If the coordinate system you should use for a job is not avail-

able from the list and you have the complete definition of

this coordinate system, follow the procedure below to create

this coordinate system in Mobile Mapper Office.

- On the menu bar, select Options and then Coordinate Sys-

tem...A new dialog box opens showing the name of the

currently used coordinate system (see below). This dia-

log box allows you to create and select a new system.

1. Creating a new Geodetic system

- Click the down arrow on the right of the System Type

combo box and highlight Geodetic. Then click the

down arrow on the right of the Geodetic Datum combo

box and highlight the first option in the list (NEW).

110

- Click on the button located on the right of the Geo-

detic Datum combo box. This opens a new dialog box

in which you should enter the name of the new datum

and specify the ellipsoid used as well as the possible

shifts and rotations.

- Then click OK to close this dialog box.

- Click OK again to close the Coordinate System dialog

box and make the newly defined system the currently

used coordinate system in MobileMapper Office.

2. Creating a new Grid system

- Click the down arrow on the right of the System Type

combo box and highlight Grid. Then click the down

arrow on the right of the Grid System combo box and

highlight the first option in the list (NEW).

- Click on the button located on the right of the Grid

System combo box. This opens a new dialog box in

which you should enter the name of the new grid sys-

tem (System Name field) and define the working zone

for the grid systems as explained below.

- Click on the button located on the right of the Zone

combo box.

You can also create a

new ellipsoid according

to the same principle as

the datum itself, i.e. by

selecting the NEW option

on top of the Ellipsoid

combo box list and then

clicking the button to

enter its characteristics.

111

This opens a new dialog box in which you should

define a name, a datum, a projection and other

parameters for this zone (see example below).

- Then click OK to close this dialog box.

-Click

OK again to close the Grid System Definition dia-

log box.

-Click

OK again to close the Coordinate System dialog

box and make the newly defined system the currently

used coordinate system in MobileMapper Office.

Note: Although MobileMapper Office allows you to

create new coordinate systems and datums, you can-

not upload them to the receiver. This is done to pre-

serve the maximum amount of receiver memory for

data collection. However, creating new coordinate

systems and datums on MobileMapper Office will

allow you to compare the data you collect in the field

with exiting GIS data sets all in the same system/

datum.

112

Print Function

MobileMapper Office’s Print function allows you to print

the content of the Map Display area. What will be printed

will therefore depend on which layers you will check in the

Layers List. As most Windows applications, the Print Preview

and Print Setup functions are available from the File menu.

Use Print Preview to adjust the map scale. The map scale con-

trol looks like a linear pot. You set the map scale by dragging

the cursor to the desired position. The resulting scale value

is then displayed and the content of the Map Display area is

updated to reflect the change of scale.

Use Print Setup to set the page format and orientation and

choose your printer.

113

3. Appendices

Specifications

Receiver

- 12 parallel-channel technology, tracks up to 12 satellites

to compute positions and update information with

quadrifilar antenna

Acquisition times (under optimal conditions):

- Warm: approximately 15 seconds

- Cold: approximately 1 minute

- Update Rate: 1 second continuous

Accuracy:

- Position: 7 meters, 95% 2D RMS

- With WAAS/EGNOS <3 meters, 95% 2D RMS

- Velocity: 5.1 cm/s RMS (0.1 knot) steady state

Limits:

- Speed: 1500 km/h (951 mph)

- Altitude: 17,500 meters

Size: 6.5” x 2.9” x 1.2” (16.5 x 7.4 x 3.05 cm) (H x W x D)

Weight: 8 ounces (227 grams) with 2 AA batteries installed

Display:

- Size: 2.2”x1.75” (5.59 cm x 4.44 cm) (H x W)

- High contrast LCD with EL backlit display

Housing:

- Weather: IEC-529 IPX7 Standard (withstands water

immersion for >30 min. at depth of 1 m)

- Wraparound rubber armor

Temperature Ranges:

- Operating: 14°F to 140°F (-10°C to 60°C)

- Storage: -4°F to 158°F (-20°C to 70°C)

2 AA batteries or 9-35 VDC with power cable

Battery life: 8 hours with backlight and Li-ion batteries @25

deg. C (77 deg F); 16 hours with no backlight.

Performance

Physical

Power

114

Installing a Memory Card

To remove and insert an SD card:

- Turn the MobileMapper off

- Remove the battery door and then the AA batteries

- To remove the card, push the card slightly towards the

top of the MobileMapper. You will feel a slight click

which is the locking mechanism disconnecting and then

you will feel the memory card pushing against your fin-

ger. Allow the SD card to slide back towards the battery

compartment. Now carefully continue to slide the mem-

ory card out of the channel it is in and lift it out.

- To install the card, hold it with two fingers with the label

facing you. Place the top of the SD card in the channel

provided in the battery compartment. Carefully push the

SD card towards the top of the unit until you feel it lock

into place. Do not force the SD card.

- Reinstall the batteries into the battery compartment. Be

sure to observe the proper polarity.

- Replace the battery compartment door.

- Turn on the MobileMapper unit.

MobileMapper ships

with a 16 MB SD card,

but you can use SD cards

of any size. The addition

of the memory card to

your MobileMapper will

increase the amount of

data that can be

uploaded to it from CD-

ROM products

115

Connection to

Mounting Cradle

Direct Connection to

MobileMapper

Connecting MobileMapper to an External

Device

The Data cable can be connected to MobileMapper in two

different ways:

- MobileMapper mounted to the Mounting Cradle: Place

the receiver in the cradle, bottom end first. Snap

MobileMapper down until the release latch locks it in

place. Attach the cable through the opening in the back

of the mounting cradle. It is not necessary to tighten the

captive screw to the receiver, although you may do so for

added security.

- Direct connection to MobileMapper: Using the captive

screw that is attached to the plug, tighten into the back of

the receiver.

116

Connecting MobileMapper to an External

Power Source

If using the cable that comes with the cigarette lighter adapt-

er, simply connect it to the cigarette lighter outlet. If you

wish to make a permanent mount to a power supply, cut the

cable between the power supply box and the cigarette lighter

adapter. Attach the red (+) and black (-) wires to your exter-

nal power source. The input voltage range for external power

is 9-16 VDC.

Data connection pinout is as shown opposite if you look into

the 9-pin female connector:

Pin 2: Data Out

Pin 3: Data In

Pin 5: Ground

Cable Wiring Color Code

Plug Color Signal

Power Red Power +

Black GND

Data

Yellow Data In

Orange Data Out

Black GND

Cut Here

Cigarette Lighter Adapter

Power Supply Box

9-pin Connector

Power Plug

Do not bypass the

power supply box or

you will damage your

unit and void the war-

ranty.

9-Pin Connector Pinout

352

117

Glossary

Field: Any area on MobileMapper’s screen dedicated to displaying

the value of a parameter. Some fields are user-editable, some others

are not.

Feature: Any element located in the field that you wish to record

for further uploading into a GIS database for example. A feature

can represent a real object (streetlight, park, electrical transformer,

etc.) or on the contrary, something invisible or impalpable (gas,

noise level, dose of fertilizer, etc.). In addition, there are four dif-

ferent types of features and each of them has its own logging pro-

cedure:

To log a feature: Means to save the characteristics of a feature into

MobileMapper’s memory. The user is in charge of entering the de-

scription of this feature whereas the receiver is responsible for sav-

ing the GPS position(s) it has determined on this feature.

To describe a feature: Means to give each attribute of the feature

one of the prompted values for this feature.

Attribute: A description item of a feature.

Attribute value: One of the possible values that can be ascribed to

a feature.

Feature library: A file containing all the features relevant to a giv-

en job. Each feature is defined by a name, a certain number of pos-

sible attributes and the list of possible values for each attribute.

Nesting: This word is used to describe a feature that you are log-

ging whereas another feature is already being logged.

118

119

Index

Accuracy 22

Alarm, Arrival 54

Alarm, PDOP 54

Alphabetical 40

Area feature 77

Area features, visual aspect 83

Attach, background map to job 100

Attach, feature library to job 84

Attach, waypoints and routes to job

Autodetect 70

Background map project 94

Background map, build 99

Background maps 94

Backlight, timer 56

Baud rate, serial port 58

Bearing, offset 16

Beeper 57

Clear, memory 57

Columns, grid feature 21

Connecting, to external device 115

Contrast 56

Coordinate system 103

Create Map editor 65

Datum 104

Daylight Saving 55

DBF 75

Delete, Background map 100

Deleting features 68, 83

Deleting layers 98

Deleting waypoints 92

Detach, background map 100

Direction, line or area feature offset

Dragging the map 67

DXF 63, 64, 75

Ellipsoid elevations 107

EUR79 106

Feature labels 66

Feature library architecture 76

Feature Library Editor 65

Feature Library, renaming 82

Files, managing 61

Geodetic type 107

Geometry type 79

GIS formats 63

Goto Cursor 30

Grid 66

Grid feature 77

Grid properties 87

Grid type 107

Heading 88

Heading, grid feature 21

Height system 107

Horizontal Distance, offset 16

Horizontal system 107

Job content 74

Languages 60

Layer List 65

Layers 97

Layers, order 98

Line feature 77

Line features, visual aspect 83

Map Display area 65, 66

Map region 67

Map region, setting 101

Map Scale field 96

Mark 48

Menu style 77, 81

MID 75

MIF 63, 64, 66, 75, 97

MMF 75

MMJ 69

NAD27 104, 106

NAD83 104

Nearest To 40

120

NMEA 58

No. of attributes per feature 76

No. of attributes values per Menu-

style attribute 76

No. of features 76

Number of Columns 88

Number of Rows 88

Number of tracked satellites 22

Numeric style 77, 81

ON/OFF protection 59

Orthometric elevations 107

PDOP 22

Point feature 77

Point features, icons 82

Power off mode 56

Power source, external, connecting

116

Routes 67

Routes, building a route 93

Rows, grid feature 21

Save Track to Route 44

Scale interval 66

SD card, install, remove 114

SHP 63, 64, 66, 75, 97

SHX 75

Simulator 59

Spacing, grid feature 21

Status bar 65

Step (spacing) 88

Target on Map screen 24

Text style 77, 81

Track Mode 29

Units 53

Update Position 25

Vertical Distance, offset 16

Waypoint labels 66

WGS84 104, 105, 106

WGS84 coordinates 66

Thales Navigation, Inc.

Corporate Headquarters, Santa Clara, CA, USA

+1 408 615 5100

•

Fax +1 408 615 5200

Toll Free (Sales in USA/Canada) 1 800 922 2401

Email professionalsales@thalesnavigation.com

In South America +56 2 234 56 43

•

Fax +56 2 234 56 47

In China +86 10 6566 9866

•

Fax +86 10 6566 0246

European Headquarters, Carquefou, France

+33 2 28 09 38 00

•

Fax +33 2 28 09 39 39

Email professionalsalesemea@thalesnavigation.com

In Germany +49 81 6564 7930 • Fax +49 81 6564 7950

In Russia +7 095 956 5400

•

Fax +7 095 956 5360

In UK +44 870 601 0000

•

Fax +44 208 391 1672

In the Netherlands +31 78 61 57 988

•

Fax +31 78 61 52 027

Web site www.thalesnavigation.com

P/N 631132-01, Rev. A, July 2003

Thales Navigation Mobile Mapper Users Manual MobMap User

Mobile Mapper to the manual ed6f80bb-c952-45f4-bb49-a49309d16547

Navigation menu

Versions of this User Manual:

Views

Navigation