Hand-held GIS units for Colorado project
Livermore, Calif. – March 3, 2009 – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Roadside Advertising Program recently purchased seven Topcon GMS-2 hand-held GPS units running FAST software from GeoAge to update their inventory of roadside advertising devices. The project includes the inventory and transfer of data to their current Microsoft Access database.
The units are an integral part of the project and will be used by regional field personnel to remotely record and store information on sign placement locations, plus up to 60 additional component data. The precise positioning units with their special software will compile and store data, including the following: highway and milepoint, sign and property ownership, zoning status, a current photo and other relevant data. The accuracy will enable CDOT to better manage billboards and illegal signs throughout Colorado.
Digital photographs using the GMS-2 internal camera are automatically linked to the field data and easily transferred as a single file to any GIS database for easy remote access.
Jerry Miller, Roadside Advertising program manager said, "The great thing about these GMS-2 units with FAST software is that anyone can use them regardless of their level of technical expertise. The software is set up to record just the information needed. The units operate so much like their PCs and PDAs that field personnel are able to help one another in the field. After initial training, further technical assistance from Headquarters personnel has not been required.”
Data is downloaded to the Roadside Advertising database, and linked to all historical data. Then complete files for each structure are uploaded back onto the units for ready field access to all information about each sign. Miller said, "All information necessary, including photographs, is accessible and available to anyone with access to the system, as well as in the hands of field personnel who need it most."
The GMS-2 units were sold to the DOT by Topcon dealer Total Positioning Solutions. Jeff Hull with Total Positioning said, "The GMS-2 platform having a wide range of software options allowed me to suggest a solution that fit the field user. The FAST software allows the DOT to deploy people as GPS collectors who may be engaged in other work, without throwing them into a steep learning or support curve. The system can be easily customized for any DOT application requiring location, attribute and photographic data."
About GeoAge
GeoAge is a leading developer and supplier of mobile data collection, mapping and workforce productivity systems. Its rapid form-creation software enables new levels of management effectiveness in the field for environmental, engineering, and emergency response applications. GeoAge mobility solutions utilize smartphones, PDAs and tablet computers running Microsoft operating systems. GeoAge is a Microsoft Certified Partner for mobility solutions. www.geoage.com
About GeoAge’s FAST software
Field Adapted Survey Toolkit (FAST) software was designed for rapid deployment of “mobile digital forms” using Windows PDAs, BlackBerry smartphones, laptop or tablet mobile computers. FAST also allows easy integration of GPS locations, photographs, videos and digital signatures with data records. Users can implement large-scale FAST data collection solutions over a nationwide area and be productive on the same day. www.geoage.com/software.php
About Topcon Positioning Systems
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc., (TPS) designs and manufactures precise positioning products and solutions for the global surveying, construction, agriculture, civil engineering, mapping and GIS, asset management and mobile control markets. The company has worldwide employee operations and dealer networks. Topcon Corporation was founded in 1932. It is the parent company of TPS and is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732). www.topconpositioning.com
About Topcon’s GMS-2
Topcon’s industry-leading integrated imaging and 50-channel dual constellation satellite tracking are built into one small hand-held GPS receiver, the GMS-2. This innovative system also incorporates an integrated electronic compass, replaceable/rechargeable battery, and an expandable memory card slot. This powerful combination of technology in such a small device has set a new standard for GIS field mapping. The internal GMS-2 digital camera allows users to snap digital photographs of GIS features. These photographs are automatically linked to the GIS feature so that extra time is not wasted linking images to features back in the office. www.topconpositioning.com/products/field-controllers/gms-2.html
