DataPoint Installation:

There are three installation files on the CD that are needed for the initial installation.  First copy these files to your hard drive, and then complete the following three steps in order.

1. .NET Compact Framework 1.0 SP3 (NETCFSetup.msi) – this installs Microsoft .NET Compact Framework v1.0 with Service Pack 3. This will install files to both your computer and your PDA, and can be reinstalled to the original PDA or installed to additional PDA’s using ActiveSync.  The process begins by simply opening the NETCFSetup.msi file on your computer.  Files are saved in the \Windows\ subdirectory on the PDA.  This takes about 3.2MB of RAM.
2. SQL CE 2.0 (sqlce.wce4.armv4.CAB) - this is a database engine.  The .CAB file is copied to any location on your PDA.  You then tap the file and it will install all of the necessary files and then delete itself.  A subdirectory is created on the PDA with the following path –\Windows\SQLCE 2.0. This takes about 2MB of RAM.
3. DataPoint (DataPoint.ARM.CAB) – this is the complete Vegetation Data Collection Program.  The .CAB file is also copied to any location on your PDA.  You then tap the file and it will install all of the necessary files and then delete itself.  A subdirectory is created with the following path –\Program files\DataPoint\. This takes about 0.6MB of RAM.

 

After the initial installation, any updates or upgrades may only require that you copy the DataPoint.ARM.CAB file to the PDA.

 

The DataPoint subdirectory has the following structure and primary files:

DataPoint

                        DataPoint.exe – this is the main program file.

MRU.txt – will be created after the first run. Holds Most Recent Project/Area/Sample IDs

            Data

DataPoint.sdf  - this is the master data file and is THE file to backup, other than the individual Project/Area sample data that are exported via the comma delimited files (.CSV).  Because this file is in volatile memory it can be lost if the PDA battery goes completely dead.  It is easy to export the .CSV files to non-volatile memory such as the IPAQ memory or the Storage card, as well as simply copy the DataPoint.sdf file to either of these locations for backup.

            Help

                        License.txt – this is the license agreement

                        Project.htm – this is the Project Screen Help file.

                        Main.htm – this is the Main Screen Help file.

                        NewSpecies.htm – this is the NewSpecies Screen Help file.

                        AddSpecies.htm – this is the AddSpecies Screen Help file.

Form.CSV  - this is the growth form file template that can be edited and imported into the DataPoint.sdf file using the DataPoint program.  The program does not export or edit the Form.csv file, so the file must be edited externally.  This can be done easily by opening the file with EXCEL.

Print Facility:

The print facility requires downloading SprintDB Pro + Printing database program.  Go to http://www.kaione.com/Online_Store/online_store.html  @ a cost of $43.

This program will also allow the creation of standard forms that can be used for other data collection efforts with Microsoft ACCESS compatible database files.  For example, we have created a Wetlands Delineation Form for both PDA using SprintDB, and the Desktop using Microsoft ACCESS.  The forms created on ACCESS will not work in Sprint DB, the forms must be created in SprintDB.  Sprint DB has a Desktop program ($33) that greatly facilitates this process.

The database and form that will allow you to quickly print out a copy of the data for a particular sample have already been prepared and are included as two files:

DataPointImport&Print.mdb  - the database.

Dataout.RAF – The form template file.

Printing in the field also requires a mobile printer that can communicate via infrared IR, Bluetooth, or 802.11 wireless.  The price on these can vary widely from $20 to $1,500.  For example you can find SiPIX Ir printers on Ebay for $25, Intermec 6806 Ir printers for about $50 on Ebay.  The Zebra printers are rather expensive ($800 for Bluetooth and $1,000 for 802.11) and the printers on Ebay are commonly misrepresented as wireless when they actually aren’t.

Click here for more detailed Printing Operating Instructions.

 

General Operation Instructions:

Screen shot examples.  Click Hyperlinked text to get detailed instructions.

Project Screen < click here for more details including data fields and attributes

The project screen allows sample and site information to be recorded.  Slope data that are entered in degrees are automatically converted to percent and entered in the Slope % field.  If you have projects that require different species lists, for example projects in different states that use different nomenclature, you can have multiple species lists loaded to select for a particular project.  However, only one species list may be used for each project. 

If you have a long-term monitoring project where you need to return to a site multiple times, you can export the data from one year, open the data in an Excel spreadsheet, easily convert all of the cover values to zero, change the project name (i.e. ProjectX2005 to ProjectX2006) and have a ready-made template for the next year that will include project information as well as species lists.

Data can be exported to a comma delimited file (.csv) either as an entire Project, or as individual Areas within a Project.

     

 

 

Main Vegetation Data Entry Screen < click here for more details

Note that data can be entered in single increments, as is needed with point-intercept samples, by taping the + sign.  The keyboard can just as easily be used to enter larger values for other sample plot types.  The I-hit column is first-hit data (a.k.a. top canopy) the II column is second-hit cover (a.k.a. cover that is under the top canopy).  This allows the total of canopy cover for each individual species to be calculated as well as the top canopy cover.

The Up column allows the collection of tree and tall shrub canopy data, and the DWU (Down With Up) column is used to record data that occur under the tree and tall shrub canopy.  This allows distinction of the vegetation data that occur under tree and tall shrub canopy and data that occur outside of the tree and tall shrub canopy.  This can be extremely significant information especially in woodland communities.

The species list is easily created using a lookup file that can be exported, edited and re-imported.  The species list on the PDA screen can be sorted either alphabetically, or with highest cover species first, or by growth form.

Instead of recreating the species list for each sample, the "Save and Start New Sample" option will quickly recreate the existing species list for the next sample and change all of the cover values to zero.

Data can be exported to a comma delimited file (.csv) either as an entire Project, or as individual Areas within a Project.

     

      

 

 

Species Add Screen < click here for more details

The species list is quickly and easily created using a lookup file that can be exported, edited and re-imported.

     

 

 

New Species Screen < click here for more details including the format for the species lists.

New species can also be added to the master list.

 

Known Issues:

Main Screen Species Font hard to read
The species list on the Main screen may appear rough and hard to read.  Use Start>Settings>System>Screen, and make sure the Enable ClearType box is checked.  This will make the font much easier to read.

Strange Screen sequencing and very slow opening:
If you double tap on the DataPoint Icon in the SPB Plus Today Screen you can get conflicts due to multiple copies of the program running simultaneously.  After closing the program, just single tap to open the program properly.  This issue has been identified on HP 5455 and HP 5555 with PC 2003 upgrades.

Different appearance of the Program Icon.
The icon sometimes appears in the upper left quadrant with black space or what appears to be small black text in the other three quadrants.  Working on this, but does not affect program operation.

Some long species names don’t wrap well on Main Screen.
Most of the time the species list on the Main Screen has genus on the first line and the species on the second line.  However, when the genus is so long it has to wrap, the rest of the second line is left blank if the species epithet  is also so long it needs to wrap. There are also instances of the second line with a blank area when the subcategory is on the second line.  I have included examples below.  No easy fix has been found, but if you tap your cursor in the cell, you can scroll down and up to see the full species name.

 

Data can be lost if the battery is removed before the data are saved or the DataPoint program is closed.
You must tap File>Save for the active sample data to be saved.  If you try to exit DataPoint without saving the data you will be prompted to save the data.  If, however, you remove the battery or do a soft reboot before saving the data, unsaved data will be lost.

 

Program Credits:

Programming credits:

This program was written by Andrei Podoplelov (at.76.group@gmail.com) for Ecotone Corporation. The current version works in .NET Compact Framework v.1.0 SP3 and uses SQL CE v2.0 on Pocket PC 2002, 2003 and Windows Mobile 2003 including Second Edition. May be ported to Windows CE v4 and up and Windows Mobile 2005.