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Best Setup for Mapping in Undeveloped Countries?

Posted by Cliff on from the mapping-the-unmapped dept.

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?"

10 of 438 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Don't take your GPS "everywhere" by Otter · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I'm not sure why two mods decided this was Funny. It's something I certainly hadn't thought of, and it's definitely something that the questioner and any other traveller ought to keep in mind.

    The trouble spots in West Africa tend to have too little law rather than too much, but if his girlfriend is in a country with fighting going on, it would definitely be worth her while to ask what the local militia might find objectionable. And stable but paranoid countries like Nigeria might well have laws similar to the Russian one.

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  2. Use satellite images by MathFox · · Score: 4, Interesting
    My suggestion is to buy some good-resolution satelite images (a few meters) and have your girlfriend draw her map using that. You can use a GPS receiver to calibrate the satelite image to actual coordinates.

    I think that a handheld (Palm) would be more convenient for measurements than a laptop. Handheld and GPS receiver do fit in your pocket and they have less moving parts than a laptop.

    --
    extern warranty;
    main()
    {
    (void)warranty;
    }
  3. Be careful!! by John+Seminal · · Score: 2, Interesting
    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

    There might be villages that don't want to have their exact location well known.

    Lots of these villages have been at war with other villages and tribes for a long, long time.

    Many African governments are currupt, and would love to do ethnic cleansing.

    Your wanting to provide accurate maps might do more harm than good.

    I can just see some Diamond company in the USA, which hears about a new mine that had Diamonds at some coordinate. They then look at your map, and exterminate a whole village. It has happened in the past

    This should be a map that only includes those who wish to be included. Don't force anyone on the map. Some tribe might decide to have you for dinner.

    --

    Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

  4. HOW to do this by zandermander · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm sure many others will cover equipment, power charging and such - I'll cover how you should do this. Well, since I taught in a developing country for a few years, this is my suggestion of how...

    Developing countries generally have a huge surplus of labor - it's one of their biggest resources. They also, like a lot of the world, tend to have lots of kids who are eager to learn new stuff.

    What you need to do is take several GPS receivers with you and hook up with a local teacher who can integrate GPS ideas and geography in with their lessons. The teacher could even make it a special project working with trustable students to map their own village(s).

    The key here is to push as much onto the students as possible so they do the work and they learn. You'll help the teacher, help the students and help make more than just maps.

  5. Re:Hello? by bosewicht · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Actually I do a great deal of training and collecting data using Trimble and our resource grade is accurate to a meter and our survey grade has sub-centimeter accuracy. So a great deal less than 20 meters. "Yeash, what are they teaching you kids these days?"

    --
    There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't
  6. Re:Rugged GPS units by Illserve · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Or.... check this out:

    you buy 3 or 4 magellans for the same price.

    And what is he going to do with a trimble box unit? Plug it into his... palm pilot? Yea, that'll last longer than a Magellan or Garmin.

  7. Solar-powered recharging gear by geovangelist · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Some suggestions for keeping your gear charged up... Portable solar panels: http://www.moderntradingpost.com/powerdock/ and Voltaic backpack with solar panels: recharge small devices with solar power (not enough juice for laptops) http://www.voltaicsystems.com/

  8. Re:Hello? by sapgau · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Solar battery chargers:
    Are available at Canadian Tire

  9. Re:Hello? by spewey · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Some GPS equipment does offer sub-metre accuracy. The Trimble unit I used at my last government job was beacon-corrected and offered 2cm accuracy when at least four sats were visible.

  10. Re:Hello? by XchristX · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Best & most flexible way (I do this):

    Get an ipaq or a Dell Axim or a sharp zaurus PDA with a cf expansion slot (if needed)

    Install Familiar Linux or Openzaurus

    Get a Holux GM-270 GPS Card (or anotherone here or here)

    Install gpsdrive & enjoy

    This way, no worrying about firmware incompatibilities, & if u buy an old ipaq h3600 from ebay your TCO can be less than $200

    --
    l'Homme n'est Rien l'Oeuvre Tout: Gustave Flaubert to George Sand