Which Gps??

[wjhanna]

I doubt this has been covered here. We have about 500-750 graves to mark for an annual Memorial Day grave marking detail. The locations, for decades, have been recorded on legal pads, steno pads, 3x5 cards and diner napkins, and appear as, "take the second driveway on the left as you enter the cemetery, go to the tall monument at the top of the hill and walk towards it. As you pass Smith, go about 25 feet to so and so. . ."

2-3 men, annually, complete this task and it usually takes several days. I figured if each were armed with a handheld gps, the task would be simpler.

I know that this is like geocaching, in a manner of speaking and that we could modernize the process by using a gps's with the graves as waypoints or caches. Is there a gps that would be well suited for this meaning the ability to store 500-750 waypoints and possibly have some desktop software where the names of the deceased might be edited and contained in a database?? Another consideration would be the closesness or accuracy factor.

This geocache forum seemed like the logical place to start.

 

Bill Hanna

Syracuse, NY

[+IVxIV]

Another consideration would be the closesness or accuracy factor.

 

I was thinking the same issue when reading your note. I would think the spacing of graves would be too close for a consumer grade GPS to be able to pinpoint one. It's an interesting venture, and would be very useful if you could load stored waypoints and "goto" a specific grave based on it's saved coordinates. Would it be sufficient for you needs if the GPSr just got you "near enough" to be able to read the headstone? (say within 20 feet of a specific grave?) That is possible with current technology.

 

I think if you went along and located a series of graves that were in a straight row, once you got back to your office and uploaded the saves to computer screen, the result would be far from a "straight evenly spaced row" of waypoints.

[wjhanna]

What I was thinking was to enter them as a waypoint by marking it in the GPS as they are located currently, uploading to a database and hopefully having the ability to maintain notes on the person as to their history (birth, death dates, etc.) The info could then be downloaded the next year for the gravemarking detail by sending all 500-750 waypoints to each of the handheld gps's we use.

[+Uncle T K]

I have marked grave sites using a Garmin Legend and then transfering the way points to (GSAK $20) Geocaching Swiss Army Knife to edit and review on your computer.

 

I think that you are a talking about a cemetery assoc. and not relatives graves. The problem is that the way point name is limited to 10 letters on the Garmin Legend. (some units it is 6 or 8 letters)

 

So you must use a coding system because of the letters limit.

[wjhanna]

Any idea on how close or accurate that unit is?? I can live with the 10 character limit on the names. Thanks

 

Bill Hanna

[+Jamie Z]

Any idea on how close or accurate that unit is??

Pretty much all consumer GPSs have the same accuracy. That's not a good feature to use as comparison.

 

Based on your feature requirements, almost any GPS will perform the tasks you want. One limiting factor might be the number of waypoints it can store. All but the cheapest GPS units have computer connectivity.

 

Typically, GPSs hold only 500 waypoints. A couple of Garmin units can hold 1000, there is a Lowrance unit or two that can hold 2000, and the Magellen units can hold 500, but some models allow you to save waypoints to an expansion card.

 

The Garmin Legend is a good value, which I believe holds 1000 waypoints. Waypoint names can be 10 characters. Or you might consider the Magellan Meridian Gold, which will accept an SD card to store unlimited waypoints. The waypoint names are limited to 8 characters, but waypoints have a 46-character comment field.

 

Both units are capable of mapping if you buy the appropriate software.

 

Jamie

[+briansnat]

Any idea on how close or accurate that unit is?? I can live with the 10 character limit on the names. Thanks

 

Accuracy wise, most consumer grade GPSs are about the same. Some may have slightly better sensitivity under difficult conditions, but you're doing your work in a cemetery so that isn't an issue. A cemetery usually provides ideal conditions so any unit is fine.

 

I suggest the Garmin Legend because it will do the job without costing you a lot. It stores 1,000 waypoints which is enough for your planned use and it usually can be found for about $130 if you shop around.

Edited May 26, 2005 by briansnat

[+Sputnik 57]

Another vote for the Legend. Reasonable price, computer connectivity, accuracy of +/- 20 feet under good conditions, 1000 waypoint storage. Also recommend GSAK as a data base on the PC. It lets you manage waypoints, and you can export the data to Excel or almost any other database.

 

By the way, if you buy an old Legend on eBay or something, be sure to get a free upgrage of the firmware from Garmin's web site. The original firmware on the Legend only permitted storage of 500 waypoints, if I recall correctly.

[+scott9282]

I think he was looking for a number value for the accuracy question.

 

With WAAS the accuracy is listed as 10 feet for virtually all GPS units. However, some are more equal than others. I have a Magellan Sportrak Map that on some days is so on target its scary, but most days I settle for 20-30 feet.

 

Your results will vary. I would suggest trying to borrow a couple of different GPSr and see which ones give the best results. You might go to your local newspaper or TV station, they might do a short on what you are trying to do, and this should bring in some replies and units to try. Geocachers tend to be helpful that way, and any time they can use their GPSr for something other than caching is an opportunity to tell the signifigant other, "see, I told you I was doing good deeds."

[+Miragee]

I have the Garmin eTrex Vista, which is the big brother to the Legend.

 

Out in the clear, unobstructed air of Joshua Tree National Park, I got accuracy of 7 feet.

 

Other times, in a canyon with a couple of tall trees and overcast, the accuracy was only 35 feet.

 

The Vista, like the $130 Legend, holds 1000 waypoints

[IceKnight (aka VectorJoe)]

Sounds like you are trying to set up a proper GIS database.

 

If it were me, and I had the resources, I would rent a 'surveyor' grade gps for the initial mapping. A professional grade unit will give you CM accuracy and make for very accurate maps.

 

Then for finding, you can use commercial grade handhelds because they will get you within 10-20 feet.

 

If you use a regular handheld for both parts and stack the tolerances, you can be 40 or more feet off (and that is assuming you can 'see' the WAAS satelites).

 

Just an idea/suggestion.

[+OlatheGIS]

I agree with IceKnight/Vector Joe (in reality, I'm a city GIS Manager who moonlights as a geocacher )

 

You could also contact a local GIS user group to see if they'd volunteer to help you collect the data. Most of the GIS-ers (aka Map Geeks) I know wouldn't hesitate to help with a good cause such as yours.

 

Our software vendor lists the NY user groups here: http://gis.esri.com/usersupport/usergroups/ugselect.cfm

 

Good luck!