Geospatial Science: What Is GPS? - NYS 4-H
Contents
1. a Main Idea Objectives A GPS Receiver GPSr is just one piece of the Global Positioning e To learn to System but it s the piece that most people are familiar with There are use a GPS many kinds of GPS receivers available from simple handheld models to receiver to find larger models with touch screens for use in cars This lesson helps a location or students use the handheld models for geocaching and basic mapping object Motivator If you know how to use a GPS receiver you can find all sorts of things Learning and find your way around the earth Standards Pre Activity Questions See Matrix Before you start the activity ask the students Common a What are some things a GPS could help you to do determine SET Abilities direction plan a route find a specific location measure distance Q What kinds of things would you like to learn about using a GPS 4H projects address Predict Hypothesize Activity l Evaluate State a Problem a A GPS receiver one unit for every two to three Research Problem students Test u The user s manual for the GPS receiver Problem Solve a A handful of temporary place markers cones Design Solutions Frisbees anything that won t blow away in the Develop Solutions wind Measure u A large outdoor natural area gollot Data a Note pad and pencil Bulacan tiA Since GPS receivers have varied settings and appearances Use tools spend a few minutes setting up the receivers to2. Activity Series 4 Science mae Geospatial Science Science Toolkit What Is GPS tn Objectives Main Idea e Learn what The Global Positioning System is a system of satellites ground control global posi units and receivers A GPS can pinpoint a user s location to within just a tioning sys few feet tems are used for and how they work Motivator Global positioning systems are everywhere whether you know it or not Everyone from farmers to fighter jet pilots use the technology If you ve Learning ever looked at someone s home address on an internet map you ve Standards used it too See Matrix Pre Activity Questions Common Before you start the activity ask the students SET Abilities a Who do you think originated the concept of a GPS U S Army u Did you know that a pizza delivery driver inspired the first GPS for 4 H projects use in cars address a When someone asks you where you live in relation to school have Predict you ever answered with a time about 20 minutes away Hypeliesze State a Problem Activity 1 Reseatel oe esi You Measure Distance with a Clock Problem Solve Design Solutions Q Five volunteers a satellite a signal two hikers baer rele and a timer Collect Data Q Stopwatch watch clock with a second hand cell Draw Design phone with a timer etc Build Construct Use tools The satellite should close his her eyes while one of the
3. What Is GPS Activity 2 What is trilateration Three pieces of rope of different lengths Between 10 25 feet long Sidewalk chalk Four temporary place markers pieces of tape cones etc Six volunteers three satellites and three signals Large open area where you can draw with chalk on the floor or Satellite 1 ground ooooo Do this before the students arrive 1 Use a temporary place marker in the center of a large open area 2 Lay each of the three ropes on the floor starting from the original place marker and radiating out in different directions 3 Atthe end of each rope put another place marker Then pick up the ropes and lay Satellite 2 each rope in a pile near its far end place marker Pick up the center place marker With the students 1 Each of the three satellites should stand on one of the three place markers and pick up one end of the rope 2 Each signal should pick up the other end of the rope and walk in a circle around the sat ellite drawing this path on the ground with the chalk 3 Each of these circles represents the area where a hiker could be 4 After the first circle is drawn the waypoint could be anywhere on that circle 5 After the second circle is drawn the hiker could only be in the area where the two cir cles intersect The point where all three circles cross is the location of the waypoint and should be the same as your or
4. hikers Observe stands some distance away The signal will stand by the Communicate satellite Nae 2 When everyone is ready the signal leaves the satellite and Gieh walks do not run to the hiker When the signal reaches the Plan Investigation hiker the signal will yell out stop Have the timer time how Summarize long it takes for the signal to reach the hiker from the satellite Invent 3 Have the satellite keep their eyes closed and repeat this proc Interpret ess with the other hiker This time the hiker should be a differ Categorize ent distance twice as far or half as far is good from the Model Graph satellite Troubleshoot 4 Can the satellite tell which of the two hikers is further away Redesign How By noting how long it is until the signal says stop TE Compare Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what Contributed By was learned 5 james Hooper a Whatis the formula for speed Distance divided by time i e miles NYS hour or meters second 4 H Geospatial a Itis important for the signal to be traveling at the same speed at all Science Team times What would happen if the signal were to speed up or slow IRIS down Errors in the distance between the satellite and the hiker Department of Crop and Soil Science 4 H Youth Development is the youth program of Cornell Cooperative Extension Sci n ce Geospatial Science Toolkit3
5. make them Observe consistent so everyone is looking at the same information Communicate Organize 1 Look through your instruction manual for the section on setting Pie the map datum the set of reference points your receiver will Plan Investigation use as its data Be sure that all of your receivers are set to the Summarize WGS84 Datum See Map datum under vocabulary Invent 2 Now look in your manual for information on setting the Interpret coordinate format Different formats allow you to express your Categorize location in different ways such as hemisphere North South Model Graph East or West followed by latitude and or longitude degrees Troubleshoot minutes and or seconds Set your format to hddd mm mmm Redesign which stands for hemisphere degree minutes and decimal Piyan minutes Compare Contributed By James Hooper Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what was learned NYS Q What would happen if you used a different datum than someone Bd ad ety else in your group Your unit may be referenced from a different IRIS starting point so your waypoints could be significantly different Department of Crop and Soil Science 4 H Youth Development is the youth program of Cornell Cooperative Extension Science Geospatial Science joolkit96 Using a GPS receiver a What is the difference between formats Why are there so many It s kind of like fractions or decimals just different ways of saying the sam
6. small amount of error The unit used by the person who hid the geocache has a small unit or error and your unit had error when you found it compounding to up to 50 feet of error at times After you have found a few geocaches write down a list of the different ways that caches have been camouflaged How has camouflage helped these caches survive Can you think of any ani mals in nature that use camouflage to survive Squirrels are gray to hide in the trees Stick bugs are designed to look like branches Vocabulary CITO An acronym standing for Cache In Trash Out This ethic encourages geocachers to pick up litter and trash and leave the environment cleaner than they found it Geocache A weather resistant container hidden in a public outdoor place with its coordinates re corded on a GPSr and shared with others GZ Ground zero The area in which a geocache is expected to be found Typically GZ is an area of approximately 30 feet around the actual cache Loose bearings The point at which the direction on your GPSr no longer points in the correct direc tion mostly because you ve slowed down to a point that it doesn t know in which direction you re mov ing Muggle A person who isn t familiar with the game of geocaching as in There were a few muggles around so decided to wait for them to leave before looking for the cache Background Information e Geocache Listing Sites www earthcaching com www geocaching c
7. try to find the geocache that you have hidden When you find a geocache sign your nickname in the log book to prove that you found it 5 If you plan to leave your cache in place for more than a few days it s a good idea to use something sturdier than a recycled butter tub Lock n Lock containers and surplus military ammunitions cans make good sturdy geocaches for more durable hides Take a look at Rules For Hiding A Geocache for suggestions on hiding any long term cache Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what was learned Q Would you consider geocaching a healthy form of exercise Why or why not Yes It s a good way to get outside enjoy the fresh air and stretch your legs u Do you think geocaching has an impact on the environment If so is it a positive or a negative impact Can you think of at least one positive and one negative Geocaching can have both positive and negative impacts One benefit is that it can raise our awareness for the environment the negative impact can come when geocachers trample vegetation creating new trails where there were none It is important to take care of our environment Activity 2 a A GPS receiver GPSr ideally one unit for every two to three students Q Computer with internet connection With more than 1 million caches hidden all over the globe the world is your playground with geocaching Plan a geocaching trip with some friends or family members at a local park
8. 1 First you need to find the coordinates of official geocaches There are a few different Web sites that list geocaches but the largest one is www geocaching com You will need to create a free user account to get started 2 Once you have logged into the Web site enter your zip code in the Hide and Seek a Geocache box You will see a list of geocaches near you Browse through the list clicking on geocaches that sound interesting and take a look at the detailed cache description Look for these things e Difficulty and terrain ratings Rated from one to five stars these will give you a feel for how difficult the cache will be to find Start simple and work your way up to more complex caches e What kind of cache is it Traditional caches are the most common but there are many different variations so you will want to know what you are looking for Check out the site http www geocaching com about cache_types aspx for a detailed description of the cache types that geocaching com recognizes e What size is the cache Caches range from very small to very large e Read the description Sometimes the cache hider will give hints about the cache in the Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer Sci e n ce Geospatial Science loolkit Geocaching description e Look at the logs posted by the last people to fin
9. d the cache If the last four or five people to look for a cache couldn t find it it could be missing You can often learn a lot from other people s logs 3 Take a family trip to the local park Park the car and hit the trail 4 Once you get near a geocache you may find that your receiver is giving you mixed signals Check out loose bearings in the vocabulary section 5 When you finally find a cache there are a couple of basic guidelines e Sign the log book Use a nickname rather than your real name e Take something Some caches will have trade items These are there for other cachers to take Feel free to take one e Leave something If you chose to take anything from the cache you are also expected to leave something behind Some folks choose to leave trade items even when they don t take one The rule of thumb is to trade equal or trade up For example if you take a baseball you should leave something of similar or greater value like a small first aid kit e Re hide the cache in exactly the same spot you found it e When you return home go back to the geocaching Web site and log your find This helps the owner and other geocachers to know that the cache is still in good shape Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what was learned Q Sometimes when you find a geocache your GPSr can still say that you are well over 30 feet away How is this possible GPS receivers are not perfect and every unit has a
10. e thing It s typically a regional choice Activity 2 Where am I Where are you The most basic functions of the receiver are to record your current location and to mark a different location Do you know where you are right now Your receiver may not YET 1 Turn on your receiver and let it find the satellites overhead Make sure there is nothing above you like a dense tree canopy otherwise the receiver may not connect to the satellites 2 In your manual find the section about how to record a waypoint 3 Standing outside in a clear open space record your current location Name this first waypoint fest You can delete this later but for now you re just practicing While you are marking this location take a look at the coordinates of the waypoint displayed on your GPS unit This will include a direction and degrees of longitude and latitude On your note pad write down your coordinates 4 Got the hang of it Try it again Move 50 steps away and try marking another waypoint Name this one test 2 On your note pad write down the coordinates of this second waypoint Take a look at the coordinates of test 2 How do they compare to test Are they the same If not are they similar 5 How accurate is a GPS receiver Try this experiment to find out Pick out a nearby landmark a water fountain a light pole etc or simply place a place marker on the ground 6 Have each member of the group take turns mark
11. ig through your recycling bin at home to find a few different Question plastic containers that have good sturdy lids Butter tubs Plan Investigation whipped cream containers or other similar containers make fine Summa iza temporary geocaches Later if you decide to hide a permanent Interpret geocache you will want something much sturdier and weather Categorize resistant Be sure to include a log book or at least a strip of Model Graph paper in a plastic bag in your geocache Troubleshoot 2 Make a visit to a large outdoor space such as a local park or a Redesign friend s big backyard Optimize 3 Using a GPSr take a walk and find a good place to hide your Collaborate container You will want to put it in a spot where it will blend in to Compare the environment You might want to paint it a dark color or cover Contributed By it with camouflage tape James Hooper 4 Once you have hidden the container mark its location on your NYS GPSr It s a good idea to allow your GPSr to rest at the cache 4 H Geospatial Science Team IRIS Department of Crop and Soil Science 4 H Youth Development is the youth program of Cornell Cooperative Extension Science x eospatial Science Toolkit 8 Geocaching location for a few minutes before you actually mark the location so you can get the most accurate coordinates possible 4 Share the coordinates of your geocache with your friends Next time they are in the area they can
12. iginal center place marker Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what was learned a Why is it important to u se three satellites when trying to find your location The points where two signals cross could be thousands of miles apart in real life If you only had one signal your hiker could be anywhere along the arc Q Would it make a difference if your GPS receiver was able to pick up signals from more than three satellites a Using the distance from three different points in order to determine your exact location is called what Trilateration It is how GPS receivers figure out where you are Tri come from the Latin tres word for three while lateral comes from the Latin latus meaning sides Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer 4H Geospatial Science 38 What Is GPS Extensions Sometimes obstacles interfere with the path of the satellite signal Have another student represent a skyscraper or a canyon wall by standing in the field somewhere near the satellite but not directly between the satellite and the hiker When the signal is sent from the satellite the signal should bounce gently off of the obstacle before going out to its normal arc Would this affect the accuracy of the GPS How There are some layers of the earth s atmosphere specifical
13. ing the location of the land marker and saving it in their receiver as test 3 7 Compare your coordinates with the others in your group How similar are they It is likely that they will be very similar but not identical Why do you think this might be Remember that your receiver is communicating with satellites 12 000 miles away 8 Another way to record a waypoint is to type in the coordinates Remember that scrap where you wrote wrote the coordinates to your original waypoints Use your instruction manual and create a new waypoint by typing in those original coordinates Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what was learned Q Do you think your receiver is accurate enough for you Why might someone need theirs to be more accurate You are using your unit for recreation Firemen might need to find the gas shut off valve to your house in the case of emergency The purpose for which you are using the GPSr will determine the level of accuracy that is needed Q Would your receiver be good for recording the locations of telephones in your home Why or why not GPSr s don t work well indoors because they need an unobstructed view of the satellites overhead Activity 3 How can I get there from here Once you enter a waypoint into your unit the receiver stores the coordinates for that waypoint in its internal memory The first step in getting from here to there is finding that waypoint in your receiver C
14. ly the ionosphere that affect the speed of a satellite signal To illustrate this have the signal crab walk a portion of the distance What effect does that have In the real GPS system accurately surveyed ground stations determine correction factors to take this into account and provide accurate readings Vocabulary lonosphere The region of the earth s atmosphere between the stratosphere and the exosphere consisting of several ionized layers and extending from about 50 to 250 miles 80 to 400 km above the surface of the earth ite A device designed to be launched into orbit around the earth n The measurement of three unique distances between points for the purpose of establishing relative positions of the points Illustrated by the yellow beams below exosphere Background Resources Hinch Steven Outdoor Navigation with GPS Wilderness Press Latham Lawrence and Alex Lathem GPS Made Easy Using Global Positioning Systems in the Outdoors Mountaineers Books Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer Activity Series 4 Science En Geospatial Science Science Toolkit achin eocaching Objectives Main Idea e To practice Geocaching is a fun and exciting activity using the Global Positioning more with System GPS to explore
15. om www navicache com e Geocache Hiding Guidelines http www geocaching com about quidelines aspx Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer Science Geospatial Science Toolkit Geocaching Rules for Hiding a Geocache 1 Be Respectful of the Environment When you hide a cache you may soon find a new trail of foot prints from other geocachers straight to your hide Visitors to your cache could end up doing a lot of damage if you place your cache next to a new bird s nest or some species of rare plant Be Respectful of Private Property If you are hiding a cache on land that is not your own be sure to place it on public land If you place a cache on private land be sure to get permission first Never Bury a Geocache You don t want people digging up 30 feet of grass and leaves to find your cache See 1 Don t Hide A Cache Anywhere That it Could Cause Unnecessary Harm If non cachers were to see someone poking around at the cache site would they be panicked You wouldn t want to hide a cache near a railroad track or under a bridge Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer Activity Series 4 Science Geospatial Science Geospatial Science Toolkit3 Using a GPS receiver
16. ontinued on page 3 Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer Science Geospatial Science joolkit96 Using a GPS receiver 1 In your manual look up how to find a waypoint and then look on your receiver for the waypoint called test 2 2 Once you find the waypoint check your manual for help in how to goto or navigate to that waypoint 3 Take a walk with your receiver and see how it works to help you go back to the place that you marked as test 2 Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what was learned a How is your receiver like a compass How is it different It can tell direction but most receivers require that you are moving in order to tell direction Q Does your receiver consider obstacles that might be between you and your final destination How do you know No the receiver only knows the direction and the distance to the final desti nation It always draws a straight line path Activity 4 Putting it all together Note You will need two groups for this activity 1 Give each group a place marker of some sort a cone or a bandana 2 Each group should take a short walk no more than 300 feet in different directions and put their place marker on the ground Each member of the group should mark the location of their place marker on their GPS receiver Once the way
17. points are marked gather back at the starting place Share coordinates with the other group and enter the other group s coordinates into the receivers As a group see if you can find the other group s place marker 3 4 5 Science Checkup Questions to ask to evaluate what was learned a What factors might affect the accuracy of your receiver Extensions e If people in your group have different models of GPS receivers try Activity 4 with various receiv ers and see how accurate they are and how well they locate the placemarkers Take your coor dinates and enter them into Google Earth or mapquest com to see your location from above or a street map of your location These programs show you two of the myriad ways you can use co ordinates to find a location or find your way around Vocabulary Coordinate Any of a set of two or more numbers used to determine the position of a point line curve or plane Map Datum A set of reference points on the earth s surface against which position measurements are made Coordinate Format Any of a number of methods for displaying the coordinates of a given location on earth Typical examples would include HDDDDDDDD HDDD MM MMM or HDDD MM SSS where H is the Hemisphere North East South or West D is degrees of latitude or longitude M is minutes 1 degree 60 minutes and S is seconds 1 minute 60 seconds Waypoint Waypoints are named coordinates representing points on the surface of
18. the Earth Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer Sci ence Geospatial Science joolkit 8 Using a GPS receiver Background Resources e Download a manual for your GPS receiver at Garmin http www8 garmin com support userManual jsp Magellan http www magellangps com support index asp DeLorme http Awww delorme com support search aspx Lowrance http www lowrance com en Downloads Manuals e Check out geocaching com for more information about GPS units and the sport of geocaching Find this activity and more at http nys4h cce cornell edu Cornell Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity affirmative action educator and employer
19. the great outdoors Imagine a giant treasure GPS units hunt with thousands of treasure boxes hidden all over the world It s fun by learning for everyone and it s a great way to get exercise and make new friends in about geo the geocaching community caching Motivator Learning As of the writing of this Toolkit there are more than 1 million geocaches Standards hidden all over the world and more than 65 000 geocachers registered at www geocaching com Those numbers are growing every day See Matrix Pre Activity Questions canon Before you start the activity ask the students SET Abilities Q When you head out on the trail what should you bring with you first aid kit water bottle snacks GPS receiver map compass etc 4 H projects a What kind of clothing do you think would be appropriate for an address outing Long pants long sleeves boots and clothes that can get Predict dirty Hypothesize Evaluate State a Problem Research Problem Activity 1 cals Problem Solve a A GPS receiver GPSr ideally one unit for every Design Solutions two to three students Develop Solutions a A variety of weatherproof containers of different Measure shapes and sizes poled paa u An outdoor natural area ideally a blend of natural Bulle Constuict areas including forest and field but any outdoor Use tools area will do Observe Communicate There are many kinds of geocaches but the simplest type is known Organize as a traditional geocache Infer 1 D
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