“Anytime, anywhere” access to information is a theme that is coming
at us in all directions. Many higher
education institutions around the world
have been experimenting with mobile
devices for several years. Some
institutions, like University of South
Dakota (http://www.usd.edu/pda/) and the
University of Minnesota at Duluth (http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/computing/ipaq/)
are requiring students to purchase
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).
One use of mobile computing that has received much attention is the
incorporation of Global Positioning
Systems Technology (GPS). GPS technology
is being used in police and fire rescue,
in weapon design and development,
environmental fields, map making and
verification, car navigation systems, and
the list goes on. During the Spring 2003
semester, ITS partnered with Professor
Adam Burnett, Associate Professor of
Geography and his Geography 345 students
to experiment with the use of the PocketPC
PDA to verify field data collected with
mobile GPS units.
Each of the eleven students in Professor Burnett’s Geography course
was given a PocketPC to use for the
semester. Equipped with specialized
Geographic Information System (GIS)
software and general productivity
software, the Dell Axim PocketPC proved to
be an integral part of the curriculum.
Although defined in many ways, Burnett comments that “GIS can be
thought of as a grouping of computer
hardware and software designed to collect,
manage, analyze, and display spatial
data. At its core, the GIS provides a
vehicle to link map features (spatial
elements) with other forms of information
(non-spatial data). The maps are tied to
a real-life coordinate system that enables
users to explore the wide range of
characteristics and relationships that can
exist at any one location. For example,
one might think of a location in terms of
its soil type, vegetation, depth to
bedrock, aquifer contamination potential,
zoning, etc. GIS is more than making
maps; it is also about collecting and
managing associated data.”
The PocketPC is just one more tool in the GIS toolset that enables
more effective data collection. The
PocketPC application called ArcPad was
used to provide a PDA-based linkage with
the GIS software (ArcGIS) that is used in
Geog 345. As such, the PDA was used by
students in the field to build databases
that were then linked to the map
elements. Specifically, the class carried
out an exercise in which the students
collected information on the land cover
characteristics at the Bewkes Center,
which is a piece of Colgate-owned property
a few miles off of campus. Students
downloaded a recent air photo of the
Bewkes Center into the PDA, traveled to
the Center, and created a new map with an
associated data file that detailed the
land cover as they walked the property.
Professor Burnett said that although handheld computers are
becoming more common in the GIS industry,
he has seen limited evidence of their use
in higher education.
Based on student interviews conducted in the final week of the
semester, students in the class felt that
the PocketPC was an invaluable geographic
tool. One student commented, “I can’t
imagine how the course could be taught
without use of the PocketPC.” Burnett
plans to seek funding to purchase a set of
handheld computers to be used exclusively
in the GIS curriculum.
Along with the Geographic software, other general use software was
installed on the PocketPCs and used by the
students throughout the semester. Each
PDA had wireless email capability and
internet access, a special version of
PowerPoint, in-class polling software, a
dictionary and thesaurus, an eBook reader,
and full Microsoft Outlook capabilities.
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