Best Setup for Mapping in Undeveloped Countries?

Floodimus asks: "My girlfriend lives and works in West Africa and on my next visit she has asked me to help her do some mapping of uncharted villages. I want to make this study really accurate and useful, so I am thinking about using high tech and low tech resources such as GPS and good old fashioned compasses, but I was wondering what the Slashdot crowd would recommend for GPS hardware (does GPS equipment from the US work over there?), field equipment, mapping software etc. I use both PCs and Macs and would like the software to run on the Mac, but it doesn't have to. What's the best, most rugged stuff you've used? Where are some resources that would help me out?"

Comments

2 things

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

(does GPS equipment from the US work over there?), field equipment, mapping software etc. I use both PCs and Macs

1) GPS equipment, bought anywhere in the world, works anywhere else in the world, since GPS satellites cover the entire globe

2) All you describe is fine and dandy, but it seems to me that you're forgetting one crucial part of it: power supply. In the Middle of Nowhere, West Africa, you may not be able to find wall outlets everywhere to connect your laptop to everyday. What's more, if you do find power, your laptop might not like it (voltage spikes, bad frequency...).

So my suggestion is that you start designing around your power supply. Solar? Generator? how to conserve power? PDA or laptop? what size battery to you expect to need? etc etc... all that depends on the exact application.