DNRGarmin/DNRGPSYesterday, Today, TomorrowNPS Webinar Series4/21/2014

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Agenda• History• DNRGarmin to DNRGPS• What’s New• Other Tools• Questions

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DNRGarmin - 2000• DNR Conservation Officers wanted to view a real-time

point on a map in their truck over an air photo. • DNRGarmin was born• VB6 application• PCOGarmin.ocx control – Ron Whately

• Communicates with Garmin’s published protocol.• Code for reading/writing shapefiles• Projections – Proj4 • Work with Arcview 3.x

• Save to Theme• Load from Theme• Real-Time Tracking

• Placed on the DNR Web Page 3

DNRGarmin - 2008• Incorporate ArcGIS• Incorporate Google Earth (kml)• Calculate Circular Error of Probability (CEP)• Image Hotlinking

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DNRGarmin - 2008

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DNRGarmin to DNRGPS - 2012• A major update was needed to the old application.

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Why Updating?• Keep Up With New Technology• ESRI• Garmin

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Why Updating?• Built On Old Technology• Visual Basic 6

• 1998 – Released• 2008 – No longer supported

• Reliance on Dead Controls• Garmin Communication• Shapefile Writer

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What Kind of Update?

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Why Open Source?Large Worldwide User Community • Data collection in National

Parks

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Why Open Source?Large Worldwide User Community • Data collection in National

Parks• Alligator surveys

in Louisiana

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Why Open Source?Large Worldwide User Community • Data collection in National

Parks• Alligator surveys in

Louisiana• Elephant Tracking in

South Africa

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Why Open Source?Large Worldwide User Community • Data collection in National

Parks• Alligator surveys in

Louisiana• Elephant Tracking in

South Africa• Mapping Freshwater

Wells in Iraq

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Why Open Source?Large Worldwide User Community • Data collection in National

Parks• Alligator surveys in

Louisiana• Elephant Tracking in

South Africa• Mapping Freshwater

Wells in Iraq• Michael Fay’s

“Mega Flyover”

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Why Open Source?• Wide array of • Customization Requests• Offers To Provide Resources

• Makes for a more dynamic program – Went 4 years without an update.

• More updates possible, faster bug fixes.

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Challenge• Develop New Standards• Rewrite 10 years of code (~15,000 lines)• Robust• Efficient• Familiar Interface

• Rewrite Docs• Consolidate• Improve

• Installation Package• Organize partners

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Developed New Standards• C# - Development Language• .NET 4.0 - Framework• GPS Babel – GPS Communications• PROJ.4 – Projections• GDAL – Shapefile, Geodatabase• ESRI 10.x – Non-Open formats• Sphinx – Documentation• Assembla – Code Repository

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Developed New Standards• C# - Development Language• DNR Standard• Open Source File Geodatabase wrapper written in C#

• If upgrading from a VB6 app should go with VB.NET. More copy/paste and less complete rewrites.

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Developed New Standards• .NET 4.0 – Framework• 3.5 vs 4.0 vs 4.5

• Most have 3.5. Have come across non-4.0 machines and upgrading can be a hassle for users with restricted rights.

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Developed New Standards• GPS Babel – GPS Communications• Fast• Works with multiple GPS brands• Good for saving between GPS brands• Used for Garmin Protocol• Included GPS Babel front end with install for testing

• Does not have its own projection engine• Limited in File Types – GPS to GPS formats

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Developed New Standards• PROJ.4 – Projections• Familiar Piece• Fast• Accurate• Works hand in hand with GDAL

• Conversions between projection types (PRJ, POSC, etc) is not accurate 100% of the time.

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Developed New Standards• GDAL – Shapefile, Geodatabase• Provides ability to save to many different file formats with a

standard interface, minimizing code.• Works with Proj.4 to convert between multiple projection

definitions (PRJ, POSC, etc)

• Still nuances between file types that require plenty of if/then statements• Field Types• Value restrictions• File Structures – File vs Geodatabase• Bugs• Hoped to include tons of file types but too much work! 22

Developed New Standards• ESRI 10.x – Non-Open formats• Read from any Feature Layer in ArcMap• Wrote a stand-alone DLL that communicates with ArcMap (not an

Add-In nor toolbar) – Regan Sarwas (NPS)• User has no extra steps when installing DNRGPS

• A BEAR to get working – Communication Protocol had changed since ArcMap 9.3.1 to become more restrictive and less flexible.

• The protocol changed again between version 10.0 and 10.1. Grr!• A separate DLL is required for each major increment release (10.0,

10.1, 10.2, …)

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Developed New Standards• Sphinx - Documentation• Open Source• Produces Clean HTML and PDF

• No User-Friendly Front End

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Developed New Standards• Assembla.com - Code Repository• www.assembla.com/spaces/dnrgps• Code – Browsable or Check-out• Bug/Task Lists• Documentation

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Installation Package• No Installation Package!!• Copy folder to your machine and run the DNRGPS.exe. • Avoids need for administrative permissions• Can be run directly from a networked drive• Reduced installation errors to nil.

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Organized Partners• Put a call out to thousands on our announce list• Personally contacted people who offered time or money in the

past• Ended up with:• 1 non-DNR coder (yay NPS!)• Numerous beta testers

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User Tracking• Identify Impact of Software• Who is using it?• Where?• Why?• Helps to justify further development or identify reasons to

abandon ship and move on.

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User Tracking• OVERT• Users Register Software• Announce Lists• Discussion Lists• Email/Phone Communication• Bug Tracking

• COVERT• Track # Downloads• Track User Information• Google Searches

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User Tracking• OVERT• Users Register Software• Announce Lists• Discussion Lists• Email/Phone Communication• Bug Tracking

• COVERT• Track # Downloads• Google Searches• Track User Information

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User Tracking - Overt• Announce List• One-way• Announcing new versions• 1700+ signed up

• Discussion List• Two-way• User interaction• 500+ signed up

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User Tracking - Overt• Email/Phone Communication• Informal Questions

• Bug Tracking• “Submit a Bug” button• Bugs stored at https://www.assembla.com/spaces/dnrgps/tickets• User able to add email to bug so they are notified of updates.

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User Tracking - Covert• Google Searches• 7,990 results for “DNRGPS”• 25,800 results for “DNRGarmin”

• Custom Documentation• YouTube Videos• Training Materials• Project References• Chat rooms

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User Tracking - Covert• Track User Information• Check for Software Updates• IP Address

• Not unique to a computer• Allows for rough locational data

• Number of Starts• One IP has > 13,100 starts

• Software Version• Date of last start

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User Tracking - Covert• 109,914 Unique Ips• IP to Lat/Long lookup service at http://www.ipinfodb.com• 45,935 spatial matches

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As of 2012:115+ Countries#Users?1,148,409 Starts~10 starts per IP

Connections• NMEA• COM, USB, COMUSB Adaptor

• Garmin Protocol (Old)• COM, USB, COMUSB Adaptor

• Garmin Protocol (New)• USB (Drive)• USB (Device)

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GPX Format• Extensions• New(er) GPXX format

Garmin - 2014<wpt lat="44.955917978659272" lon="-93.083851039409637"> <ele>258.635468</ele> <time>2013-11-07T20:04:59Z</time> <name>001</name> <cmt>NOTE</cmt> <desc>NOTE</desc> <sym>Lodge</sym> <extensions> <gpxx:WaypointExtension> <gpxx:Depth>16.764204</gpxx:Depth> <gpxx:DisplayMode>SymbolAndName</gpxx:DisplayMode> </gpxx:WaypointExtension> </extensions> </wpt>

DNRGarmin <wpt lat="46.94878578" lon="-92.16640958"> <ele>0</ele> <name>ENDSUR</name> <cmt>07:48 12-OCT-10</cmt> <src>GPS 12 Map</src> <gpxx:depth>43</gpxx:depth> <gpxx:temperature>22</gpxx:temperature> </wpt>

DNRGPS <wpt lat="45.320714833214879" lon="-93.13553536310792"> <ele>277.94470214843801</ele> <time>2013-11-06T11:26:33Z</time> <name>W1</name> <cmt>03-APR-12 10:40</cmt> <sym>Hunting A</sym> <type>WAYPOINT</type> <extensions> <gpxx:Depth>45.0</gpxx:Depth> <gpxx:Temperature>33.0</gpxx:Temperature> </extensions> </wpt>

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Projections• EPSG file

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Projections• EPSG file• Custom Projections

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Projections• EPSG file• Custom Projections• ESRI vs EPSG

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Arcmap Communication• DLL • DnrGps_ArcMap.dll• No registration issues (isn’t registered at all)• Slowness

• Commands originating from outside Arcmap’s realm are REALLY slow.• Load from Arcmap unbearable for high volume• Save to Arcmap is OK.

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Other Garmin Tools• Mapwel – www.mapwel.com• Custom IMG background maps from shapefiles

• Snowmobile Trails – Routing• Parcel Boundaries• Forest Stand Bdrys• Park Trails

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Other Garmin Tools• Export to Image -- http://

www.dnr.state.mn.us/mis/gis/tools/arcgis/index.html• Arcmap to JPG or KMZ

• Image to Points –• Exif X/Y to Feature Class tool in MNDNR Tools Toolbox

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Other Garmin Tools• DNR Survey – robert.wright@state.mn.us• Field Data Collection with Arcmap• Custom Forms• Pt, Ln, Py, Voice Recording• NPS (Steve Windels), USFS, Manitoba Conservation and Water,

WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife, Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa, etc.

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Questions?• When can we expect DNRGPS to work "inside" ArcGIS 10.x?• 10.1/10.2 Beta to be released within a week.

• Will DNRGPS work with the Monterra, Fenix, Quatix and Virb?• The Beta should handle “devices” and has been tested with a

Monterra.• Newer Garmin GPS units have a camera which embeds the

coordinates in the EXIF field but does not associate with a waypoint will DNRGPS be able to extract that position and then add it with the filename to a shape or kml file? • http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mis/gis/tools/arcgis/index.html

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Questions?• Batch manipulate symbols in DNR Garmin table?• No, but you can copy/paste multiple cells at once (similar to

Excel) or copy/paste from Excel.• How does Garmin treat you? You have made and kept making

their products usable for fire and natural resource mapping, a market niche they apparently ignore. In so doing you have generated a lot of business for them. To what extent do they support your work?• 0%

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Acknowledgements• Robert Lipe - GPS Babel• Gerald Evenden - Proj.4• Frank Warmerdam – GDAL• Regan Sarwas – Developer, NPS• Sphinx -- http://sphinx-doc.org/• Ron Whately - PCOGarmin.ocx• MN DNR Staff• DNR GPS (DNR Garmin) User Community

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More Questions?

Chris PouliotMinnesota Department of Natural Resources

Christopher.pouliot@state.mn.us

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mis/gis/index.html

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