Maa-123.320 GIS Architectures PDAs and Mobile GIS
Tiffiny Rossi Spring, 2005
WHAT IS A PDA? ................................................................ 3 WHAT COMMON FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE IN PDAS? ..... 3 MAIN PDA CATEGORIES .................................................... 4
Pocket PCs (Windows Operating System) ...................................................... 4 Palm Operating System .............................................................................. 5
MOBILE GIS ....................................................................... 5 WHY IMPLEMENT MOBILE GIS? ........................................ 8 CONSIDERATIONS FOR PDA USE IN MOBILE GIS ............. 9
What is a PDA?
Personal Digital Assistants (or PDAs) are handheld devices with mobile computing power. The term is often used synonymously with palmtops, handheld PCs, Palm PCs, and Pocket PCs, though some of these terms refer to specific brands of handheld devices. Originally designed as personal planners, PDAs have become much more versatile over the years. PDAs are behind laptop computers in memory, storage capacity and processing speeds, but they have the advantage of smaller sizes, less power consumption, fast boot-up, quick program start-up time, silent or near-silent operation, and low heat generation. Many PDAs use a microcontroller (MCU) based upon ARM architecture. The ARM architecture offers 8-, 16- and 32-bit architectures. The widely used Intel XScale microcontrollers are based upon ARM technology. XScale products are a RISC- (reduced instruction set computer) type processor featuring high speed, low power consumption, and 32-bit input and output paths, amongst other features.
What common features are available in PDAs?
A typical PDA usually includes such basic features needed for personal planning purposes: a clock, date book, address book, task list, memo pad and a simple calculator. The bulk of the current generation of PDAs have color VGA displays. Most PDAs have a graphical user interface (GUI) operated through touch screen technology and use handwriting recognition instead of keyboards for text input. Some PDAs feature tiny onboard keyboards, though most have keyboard offered as a peripheral. For the GIS user, one major advantage of using PDAs is for collecting field data. PDAs all share the ability to synchronize data with the office or home desktop, laptop and desknote computers. Synchronization is achieved directly through a USB connection cable, or through a peripheral cradle that acts as both a battery recharger and a USB connection to the desktop or laptop. Older generations of PDAs are synchronized through COM port cable connections.
Main PDA Categories
To simplify the discussion on PDA capabilities, the topic can be broken into three main categories, based upon intended usage: PDAs, PDA/Phones and Phone/PDAs. This report will focus on the PDA category, because many of the features discussed can be applied to PDA/Phones and Phone/PDAs as well. PDA/Phones refer to handheld devices that are primarily a PDA and are made by PDA manufacturers, but include integrated mobile phone technology. Whereas the primary use of Phone/PDA devices is as a mobile phone and are predominantly produced by mobile phone manufactures. Phone/PDAs also contain complex personal planning functionalities offered in most PDAs. The PDA category refers to handheld devices where the primary use is for personal computing. PDAs in this category are not mobile phones, though they can be connected to a mobile phone to access the Internet via cable or wireless connection. The PDA category can be broken up into two lines of products, based upon the operating system platform. Pocket PCs (Windows Operating System) Pocket PCs generally refer to PDAs using a specialized mobile edition of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The current mobile edition of the Windows OS, Windows Mobile 2003, evolved from its predecessor, Windows CE. Windows CE is a scaled-down version of the Windows OS, intended for use on handheld devices. In 2001, Windows released Windows CE 3.0, which was called Pocket PC. Pocket PC 2002 had a Windows XP-style interface and provided better system stability than Windows CE. Unlike it’s predecessor, Pocket PC 2002 supported only ARM based microcontrollers. In June 2003, Microsoft released Windows Mobile 2003. Windows Mobile 2003 featured enhanced speed and reliability, better wireless interaction, some cosmetic chances, and more. The Second Edition was released in March 2004. This edition is an upgrade from the earlier edition of Windows Mobile 2003, but includes native support for VGA resolution and landscape mode in all applications. Some of the current producers of PDAs using the Windows Mobile OS include Asus, Audiovox, Compaq, Dell, Garmin, HP, Toshiba and ViewSonic. To illustrate the
features and capabilities of the Pocket PC subcategory, a few examples have been provided in Tables 1 and 2, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each product. Palm Operating System Devices under this category are running the Palm Operating System. The Palm Operating System was originally designed as an organizer style operating system, though support for robust multimedia applications is continuously being developed. Palm OS 5.0, developed by PalmSource, is the latest version of the Palm operating system. This version utilizes the ARM processor architecture, but still supports applications developed for previous versions of the Palm OS. Version 5 offers more robust mobile capability than previous versions. Some of the current producers of PDAs using the Palm OS include Garmin, PalmOne and Sony. To illustrate the features and capabilities of the Palm OS subcategory, an example of one of the most current and popular Palm devices has been provided in Table 3, along with its advantages and disadvantages.
Mobile GIS
For the GIS user or system administrator, perhaps the overlying question for concerning PDAs is: What do PDAs have to offer GIS applications? PDAs are beneficial if the need for a mobile GIS system arises in an agency or enterprise. Mobile GIS is a combination of several different technologies including GIS platforms, PDAs, wireless communication technology for Internet access, and Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. Mobile GIS enables organizations to add real-time (and near real-time) information to their database and applications, speeding up analysis, display, and decision making by using up-to-date, and sometimes more accurate spatial data.
Table 1. Specifications for the HP iPAQ H4350.
Operating System Processor Connectivity Expansion Slot HP iPAQ H4350 Windows Mobile 2003 software – Premium Edition Intel 400 MHz processor with XScale technology Integrated WLAN 802.11b, Bluetooth wireless technology, IrDA (infrared) Integrated Secure Digital (SD) slot – supports SD/MMC (MultiMedia Card) type standard memory, SDIO (SD Input/Output) options 64 MB SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) with 55 MB user accessible) 3.5 “ TFT LCD, 64K colors, 240 X 320 resolution Integrated keyboard; pen and touch interface Removable Lithium ion, estimate battery life of 4 hours Integrated microphone, speaker, headphone jack, MP3 stereo 13.7 X 7.4 X 1.5 cm 164 g 336 € Includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; built-in keyboard; cradle can charge second battery Expensive; larger than an average handheld (due to the integrated keyboard)
Memory Display Input Type Battery Audio Dimensions Weight Price Advantages Disadvantages
Table 2. Specifications for the Garmin iQue M5.
Operating System Processor Connectivity Expansion Slot Memory Display Input Type Battery Audio Dimensions Weight Price Advantages Disadvantages Garmin iQue M5 Windows Mobile 2003 software 416 MHz Intel® PXA 272 Xscale® processor, dedicated 48 MHz ARM7 GPS coprocessor Bluetooth, IrDA, SDIO, USB SD expansion slot, SDIO/MMC compatible 64 MB RAM; 64 MB ROM (15 MB safe storage available) Display: 3.5” diagonal, 320 x 240, QVGA transflective TFT, 64 K colors pen and touch interface Removable 1,250-mAh replaceable lithium-polymer battery; 5-7 hours of continuous PDA/GPS use Microphone, headphone jack, speaker for voice-guidance commands, MP3 player, and message playback 7.2 x 12.8 x 1.9 cm 166 g 674 € Comparable specs with iPAQ, on board GPS; included navigation software Expensive; GPS may not be accurate enough for most field applications--only navigation
Table 3. Specifications for the PalmOne Tungsten T5. PalmOne Tungsten T5
Operating System Processor Connectivity Expansion Slot Memory Palm OS 5.4 416 MHz Intel® Xscale® processor Bluetooth, IrDA, USB SD expansion slot, SDIO/MMC compatible 256 MB (215 MB actual storage capacity: 160 MB internal flash drive, 55 MB program memory for applications and data) TFT active matrix, 64K colors, 320 x 480 pen and touch interface Rechargeable Lithium Ion Mono Speaker, Stereo headphone jack, microphone 12 x 7.8 x 1.5 cm 144.5 g 299 € Sleek and lightweight design; 256 MB of memory; doubles as a USB drive; easy drag-and-drop file transfer; good battery life; bright screen, less expensive No Wi-Fi; some users complain about crashes during operation
Display Input Type Battery Audio Dimensions Weight Price Advantages
Disadvantages
Why implement Mobile GIS?
In agencies and enterprises where fieldwork is conducted on a regular basis, mobile GIS solutions may be a suitable way to reduce the amount of time spent in the field and improve field measurements. Table 4 illustrates several possible applications for a mobile GIS.
Table 4. Some possible Mobile GIS Applications
Purpose Inventory Maintenance/Editing Inspections Incident reporting Data Quality Testing GIS Analysis /Decision Making Applications Field data collection, mapping Edit GIS data in field (text or geometry) On site data entry, code lookup or data quality checking Tracking and data entry concerning accidents, insurance claims, high-risk areas Ensuring data quality, data accuracy In-the-field spatial solutions, access to real-time data
Considerations for PDA use in Mobile GIS
When considering which model of PDA might be appropriate for use in a mobile GIS, there are several issues that may need to be considered. The following is a list of possible list of needs to consider when purchasing a PDA for mobile GIS use: What GIS software platform(s) will be used? This is an especially important
consideration because mobile GIS software applications may only be supported in one type of operating system.
What type of operating system do you wish to employ (Windows Mobile vs. What memory and storage capabilities will be needed? What display type is desired (is grayscale sufficient or is color important)? What wireless capabilities are needed (integrated Bluetooth connections or Is an integrated GPS unit desired, or will a peripheral GPS be used? Are audio recording capabilities needed (quick field notes)? Does the PDA have a rugged or waterproof casing, or will a case need to be Will the PDA have integrated mobile phone capabilities or will the mobile phone Is an integrated camera desired or will that be a peripheral (very few PDAs to
PalmOS; see above consideration)?
peripherals)?
purchased?
be a peripheral?
date have integrated digital cameras)?
REFERENCES
ARM Web Site (no date). Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.arm.com/markets/microcontrollers/ Dave’s PDA.com Web Site (2005). Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.davespda.com/index.php ESRI Web Site (2005). Mobile GIS. Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/about/mobile.html Garmin Web Site (2004). iQUE M5. Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.garmin.com/products/iQueM5/ Halfhill, Tom R. (2005). Microprocessor Report: ARM-BASED MCUS FLEX MUSCLES Actel, Oki, and Philips Launch Innovative 32-Bit Microcontrollers. 4/4/05-02. Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.MPRonline.com Hewlett-Packard Development Company Web Site (2004). Handheld PCs. Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF02d/215348-64929215381.html Intel® XScale™ Microarchitecture Technical Summary (no date). Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.intel.com/design/intelxscale/xscaledatasheet4.htm PalmOne Web Site (2005). Retrieved on 15th April 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://euro.palmone.com/fi/