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XMap Developments

XMap at Work
This is the first of what we hope will be a series of articles that document interesting uses for DeLorme mapping technology and GPS devices. If you would like to share your experiences with other users and possibly win an Earthmate GPS PN-20 for your efforts, refer to the left column of this newsletter for more information.

Using DeLorme GPS Technology to Map Bat Migration

At the recent meeting of the Organization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers (OFWIM), I spoke with Carl Herzog from the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation and learned how he and his colleagues are using DeLorme GPS technology to map and track the migration patterns of the endangered Indiana bat. What follows is his account of this project.

The best data available suggest that populations of the federally endangered Indiana bat have plummeted since at least the 1960s. These bats spend the winter in caves and abandoned mines, emerging in the spring. Until recently, our knowledge of where they spent the warmer months was extremely limited. Learning more about this could prove critical if we are to determine what the causes of their decline might be.

Since bats' entire lives are spent in the dark they are very difficult to study. A number of researchers have attempted to capture bats as they leave their hibernation sites in spring, attach tiny radio transmitters, and track them to their summer range. The effective detection distance of these transmitters is quite short and early attempts to follow flying bats from the ground proved fruitless because the bats would fly out of range too quickly to allow ground vehicles to keep up. In NY, we developed a method of tracking bats from an airplane that has proven extremely successful.

Our strategy involves simultaneously releasing a number of bats while circling the release site at a radius of approximately 5 kilometers. We employ a DeLorme Earthmate GPS-equipped laptop running DeLorme mapping software to keep track of the aircraft's position in real time as we circle. When we detect a bat flying beneath the aircraft, we record a waypoint indicating the plane's position and continue circling. After doing this for approximately an hour, long enough for all of the bats to have left the release area, we compare the location of the waypoints in relation to the release site and interpret this as an indication of the bats' initial direction of flight. It then becomes a simple matter to fly in a straight line from the release site in the bats' direction of flight and eventually either catch up with the flying animals or detect them after they have already arrived at their destinations. On subsequent days, we use a combination of air and ground-based searches to determine that the bats have arrived at their ultimate destination and are not just making a temporary stopover.

The adjacent map shows data for two animals we successfully tracked. The map symbols are color coded according to the individual animal. Stars indicate detections from the circling aircraft; circles show the bats' ultimate destination. The difference between the indicated direction determined by the method described and the bearing of the bats' ultimate destination is fairly typical of our results.

These animals flew only 20-30 kilometers. When you consider that some Indiana bats have been documented flying 150 kilometers or more, you can see the value of the indicated direction in reducing the area that needs to be searched to find the animals at their summer destination. Since all of this takes place at night, it would be virtually impossible to keep track of the aircraft's position and as many as two dozen animals without the constant reference that the DeLorme’s GPS-equipped software provides.

Image source: USFWS

XMap Q&A
I read a forum posting that indicated that there is an API for XMap 5.2. Can you explain what capability this will provide?

One of the less publicized enhancements that was included with the recent release of XMap 5.2 is that it now includes an Application Programming Interface (API). This allows direct communication between third-party applications and any version of XMap 5.2.

The API will allow a limited set of XMap functions to be controlled or driven form an external source. This includes:
• Automatic map rendering at a given location and zoom level.
• Object searching using the same search parameters as XMap’s QuickSearch function (for example, search for an address, search for a set of coordinates).
• Route planning with a specified start, finish, and stops along the way.
• Running commands defined within XMap’s keyboard shortcut scheme.
Since keyboard shortcuts are customizable, and include support for a wide variety of XMap functions, this API option offers a powerful tool for automating an array of XMap functions.

Users of XMap 5.2 GIS Enterprise will also have an API command line capability that offers the option to build scripts or .bat files that drive XMap functionality.

The XMap API has been designed to promote efficiency and streamline the workflow for XMap users who routinely need to input information from other sources. Examples of applications for the API include:
• Work Order Management – Automate route creation and map rendering for field crews
• Utility/One-Call Administration – Generate location-specific maps based on data from dig plans and safe digging systems
• Public Safety Dispatch – Create accurate routes for disaster and emergency response
• Customer Relations Management – Quickly generate a map of a customer’s location to expedite a response

For more information on the XMap API email DeLorme’s Professional Sales Dept. or call 1-800-293-2389

If you have a question that you would like to have answered in the DeLorme Professional Newsletter XMap Q&A section, send it to newsletter@delorme.com with “XMap Q&A” in the subject line.

Tab Tip – Transferring Maps and Data to the Earthmate® GPS PN-20

Last month we discussed the wide variety of map types in XMap that can be used to create a map package for viewing on DeLorme’s handheld Earthmate GPS PN-20 receiver. Continuing with that theme, this month we will look at the process of sending these maps, along with other types of data, to the device.

Depending on the size of the map package that has been created, you can either transfer the file directly to the internal memory on the PN-20 or you can store it on a SD card housed within the PN-20’s battery compartment. The size of each map package is displayed after the file is selected in the Handheld Export tab. Typically vector-based map packages, such as those that are created using just the USA Topographic Data, are relatively small and can be stored in the 75 MB of internal memory. Larger packages such as those that contain image or raster data, or those that cover a large geographic area, are best transferred to the SD card.

In either case, the first step in transferring maps to the device is to connect it to the computer on which the map packages were created using the included USB cable. In XMap, click the Exchange button either in the Handheld Export tab or on the toolbar at the top of the screen. The resulting dialog box displays side-by-side windows showing the data that is available for transfer on the left and the current maps and data that are stored on the PN-20 on the right. Send and Receive buttons allow maps, routes, waypoints, and track files to be sent back and forth.

On the XMap (left) side, expandable lists show all map packages that have be created and saved in XMap as well as preformatted Regional maps that are needed to enable road routing functionality on the device. On the PN-20 (right) side, the Map Packages list contains Internal and External (if an SD card is available) options, which are selected as a destination before the Send button is clicked. Routes, tracks, and waypoints can only be transferred to the internal memory of the device.

While files of any size can be exchanged in this way, it is recommended that a dedicated SD card reader is used to send larger map packages, as the transfer process will be considerably quicker. If this option is chosen, the destination drop-down list at the top of the Exchange dialog box will recognize the SD card and allow the map packages to be copied directly. When complete, replace the SD card in the PN-20, restart the device, and all map packages on both the internal and external memory will be available.

Next month we’ll look at the process for data collection using the PN-20 and the ways in which this data can be used in XMap.