PDA program for Vegetation Data Collection. 

DataPðint has been designed to facilitate vegetation data collection for:

plot data,

point-intercept data,

species lists. 

Ø      Species lists are quickly constructed using a species lookup file.

Ø      Point-intercept hits are incremented by tapping + or -.

Ø      Cover Values for plots can be directly entered using the keyboard.

Ø      Values can include one decimal place, which can be used to indicate species that are present but not hit, or that have very low cover.

Ø      Data can be collected to differentiate overstory canopy from understory as well as identify vegetation outside of the overstory canopy.

Ø      Long species lists can be sorted to bring the highest values to the top and sort species with the same values alphabetically.

Ø      Site data are recorded and linked to the vegetation data.

Ø      Vegetation and Site data are exported as comma delimited files that are directly imported into EXCEL.  The vegetation data from many samples can be quickly summarized with pivot tables.

Ø      Paper copies of data are easily printed in the field and the digital files are easy to transfer and backup.

Ø      NO MORE DATA REENTRY AND QC ! ! ! !

Ø      Multiple Projects and Species Lists can be accessed.

Ø      Last year’s sample data can easily generate the species list for this year’s sample.

To order - contact Patrick Murphy – 303-444-4358 – EcotoneCo@aol.com   

Current price = $250.  See below for estimates of hardware and other software costs.

NOTE: The DataPðint program functions on Windows CE PDA’s and not the Palm OS devices.

The current version works in .NET Compact Framework v.1.0 SP3 and uses SQL CE v2.0 on Pocket PC 2002, 2003, Windows Mobile 2003 including Second Edition, Windows CE v4 and up, and Windows Mobile 2005.    

This program will run on all of the less expensive Windows PDA’s and can be modified to run on the newest and more expensive.   The .NET Compact Framework and SQL CE are provided free with the DataPðint program, and greatly enhance the speed of database processing.  

PDA characteristics and estimated hardware costs: 
See below for more program screen shots and more detailed comparison with paper and tablet PC’s.

General Operation Instructions:

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

Project Screen

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), delete the date, and have a ready-made template for the next year that will include project information as well as species lists.

Main Vegetation Data Entry Screen

Note that data can be either 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 (also known as [a.k.a.] top canopy) the II column is second-hit cover (a.k.a. cover that is under the top canopy).  This allows a 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 occurs under the tree and tall shrub canopy.  This allows distinction of the vegetation data that occurs under tree and tall shrub canopy and data that occur outside of the tree and tall shrub canopy.  This can be extremely significant 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 manually 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.

Species Add Screen

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

New Species Screen

New species can also be added to the master list.

Estimate of hardware and software costs.

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PDA - Characteristics

Small  - 6-8 oz

+/-Cheap -  $200 to $600

Easy to weatherproof – $50-100 Otterbox/ or light/heavy duty ziplock bags

Standard programs are usually much cheaper $20 to $50

Long battery life (5-12 hours), small/cheap batteries.

TFT transflective screens for daylight (works well but still a little trickygetting the sunlight angle right)

Printing the Data –
A separate program called SprintDB can import the comma delimited file .csv and print it out to smaller mobile printers via Infrared (Ir), Bluetooth, or wireless 802.11 LAN.  A small Ir printer (Sipix A6) is no longer made but is abundantly available via eBay for about $25 to $30.   I have used these a lot and they are slow but work well.  Other small wireless printers are much more expensive – about $60 to $800.  DataPoint comes with a SprintDB form that is designed to make the print process quick and easy, but the SprintDB program must be purchased separately.

 SprintDB Pro + Printing - $43 – This is the ACCESS database program for the PDA that also allows printing through the infrared, Bluetooth or serial ports.    Forms for other purposes can be quickly created to run on the PDA and exported as ACCESS database files to be used on the desktop computer.

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Rough estimate of basic Software and Hardware costs:

$250 PDA

$50 Printer

$43 SprintDB

$250 DataPðint Software

$593 Total   -  About the cost of a cheap desktop computer, but the desktop won’t fit in your pocket.

See the following information for more details, including adding GPS and GIS to the PDA.  The handheld computer is most often referred to as a PDA - Personal digital Assistant.

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PDA Personal Digital Assistant

Comparison with Tablet/Notebooks or Paper

Pro PDA vs. Tablet-

Smaller  - 6-8 oz vs. 4-7 pounds

Cheaper -  $200 to $600 vs. $1,000 to $3,000

Easier to weatherproof – $50-100 Otterbox/PocketSolutions or light/heavy duty ziplock bags

Standard programs are usually much cheaper $20 to $50 vs. $100 to thousands

Longer battery life, smaller/cheaper batteries.

Both have TFT transflective screens for daylight (but still a little tricky)

Pro Tablet vs. PDA

Larger map images

Faster processors

Standard Windows Operating Procedures

Pro Tablet/PDA vs. Paper

Original Data Entry can be streamlined with error checking

            - Species nomenclature can be standardized using a lookup list

            - Total hits are continuously tallied

Computer data entry eliminated and Data QC can be greatly reduced or eliminated

Handwriting legibility not an issue

Easier to operate in rain/wind

Data can (must) be backed up easily in the field with wireless/wired connection to notebook or a mobile phone or a mobile printer.

Pro Paper –

No batteries

Cheaper initially

Fewer complexities

Well established

If there is an equipment breakdown there is always the fall-back to paper

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 PDA in General

  Windows CE and Palm OS – Two competing brands of hardware and software

There is a confluence of Operating Systems, and Windows CE seems to be wining.  Palm is making PDA’s with Windows CE Operating system

 Windows CE

            PC 2002

            PC 2003

            Windows Mobile 5 – Most new PDA's have this, but only a few pieces of older hardware have this, and not all PDA’s will upgrade.

 Memory info for the older/cheaper PDA's.
The newer ones sometimes have only non-volatile memory.

Memory – usually 64 to 128 Megabytes built-in, split between two different types – volatile and non-volatile

 Volatile memory – you can lose this if the battery goes completely dead

            -    Some of the installed programs and their data are here.

-          there is a reserve of about 3 days after the screen goes blank

-          you can change batteries without losing data

Non-volatile memory – not lost even when battery is completely dead

-          Operating system is safe

-          IPAQ backup RAM is safe

-          External Memory (up to 2 Gigabytes) cards are safe – the bulk of most programs can be installed here.

 Non-volatile memory is where you need to store data.

Backup of volatile or non-volatile memory is easy and can be stored on Memory card or on Desktop Computer

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PDA external connections

Hardwire or wireless connection with ActiveSync necessary to easily load programs and synchronize data:

            Outlook Calendar

            Contacts lists

            Tasks

            Databases

            Can use Windows Explorer on the Desktop to transfer/translate files

Wireless LAN local area network – up to 300 ft – typically used for internet access and file transfer

Bluetooth – up to 30 ft typically – used for device connection (GPS, printers, headsets) and file transfer

IR (infrared) – about 12 inches used for older device connections (printers) and simple transfers

Not all PDA’s have all wireless options.

Built in programs in Pocket PC

Excel – but not all functionality

Word – but not all functionality

Outlook – different and not all functionality

Pocket explorer – like Windows Explorer but won’t show file extensions

ACCESS is NOT built-in but there are a lot of good cheap programs that let you do the same kind of form creation etc.   The .cdb file format is used by all of these programs and it is automatically converted to an ACCESS database .mdb when files are transferred to the desktop.  Forms have to be created separately for the PDA and for the desktop.

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PDA file types

Not all file types are exactly the same on the PDA and Desktop but Activesync will automatically translate them.

Excel .xls = .pxl

Word .doc = .psw

Access .mdb = .cdb

Other file types are the same.

Adobe .pdf  (can get free viewer that can wrap pages to small screen)

           .jpg

            .txt

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Adding new programs

Most programs are cheap, about $20 to $50

I have:

Advanced Explorer – $10 - a better program than the built in Pocket Explorer.  This one shows file extensions.  Another program called Total Commander is free.

 SPB Pocket Plus - $15 – much better organized start screens

Pocket Informant - $25 much better than the built in Pocket Outlook, Contacts and Tasks

SprintDB Pro + Printing - $43 – This is the ACCESS database program that also allows printing through the infrared, Bluetooth or serial ports.  Customized data forms can be created on the PDA.

SprintDB for the Desktop - $40 – This allows databases and forms to be created on the desktop and then transferred to the PDA.  Databases and forms are transferred separately rather than in one file like ACCESS.

PocketDOS - $40 – This allows me to run ETONE on the PDA.   This DOS program will import the .csv files and process the data into detailed tables.

ArcPAD - $517 – This allows me to use aerial photos, topos, linework and points combined with a GPS.  The data go in and out as shape files that can be easily imported/exported from AutoCAD or ESRI products.

 Total = $650 ($133 minus ArcPAD) for the PDA, and $40 additional for the SprintDB desktop.

Extra hardware

A Bluetooth wireless GPS can be about $75 to $150.

1GB-2GB of SD (Secure Digital) RAM about $25-$60

So $250 PDA + $133 misc. software + $100 GPS unit + $25 1GB Ram + $30 cheap map program that will link to GPS and Line/points + $25 printer = $563.  The total with ArcPad = $1,080.  Note: Most of the software can be loaded on any PDA if the name of the owner is the same.

NOTE: PDA’s are more primitive than desktops and can still occasionally lock up.

The processor runs at about 300 to 600 while desktops today run at about 1,500 to 3,000.  The first desktop computer I had ran at 20, and cost about $1,200.

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Data Collection Process with DataPðint

1. Collect data with DataPðint Software and create a comma-delimited output file.
2. Back up data to non-volatile ram and print using SprintDB and the comma-delimited file, or send file to another device through either cable or a wireless connection.
3. Import the comma-delimited data to EXCEL or other database program such as ACCESS. (optionally contact Ecotone for ETONE data processing program).
4. Process data and create tables.

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Printing the Data –

A separate program called SprintDB can import the comma delimited file .csv and print it out to a small Infrared (Ir) printer (Sipix A6).  This printer is no longer made, but easily available via eBay for about $25 to $30.  Other small printers are much more expensive – about $60 to $800.

And remember that the PDA can do so many other tasks besides just synchronizing calendars, and contact lists.  Such as:

Ø                        sample adequacy calculations,

Ø                        GPS navigation,

Ø                        Custom data forms,

Ø                        Read Adobe .pdf files,

Ø                        Record audio notes,

Ø                        and yes…the newer ones can phone home.

I have also created complete COE Routine Wetland delineation forms that run on the PDA and the Desktop.  These also use species lookup files with automatic lookup of wetland indicator status.  Lots of the other items are filled in with drop down boxes, such as soils characteristics.  Ask about this if interested.