Satellite-aided
Field Forestry Applications Hardware Solutions
Several pen-based computers
are currently on the market that are ideal for forest
management
tasks. To assist
in a comparison of current handhelds, researchers at
the University of Minnesota’s Department of Forest
Resources categorized them based on size - small, medium
and large. The table below summarizes differences
between these sizes.
Comparison
of three handheld pen-based computer size categories
Small pen-based computers
include products such as the PalmTM and Compaq iPAQ
(below). These are commonly used as personal managers;
however, their technological
capability also allows users to display imagery and sketch,
store, access and visibly interpret information which
together matches the field-based information needs of
forest crews. They are an ideal platform for collecting
forest attribute data, such as species and timber volumes.
Medium pen-based computers
include products like the Fujitsu Stylistic 3500 (below).
As opposed to the small handhelds, medium pen-based
computers are designed
for more than personal management. They are essentially
a small version of a laptop and can be used as both
a field and desktop computer. They are ideal for field
forestry tasks with a heavy emphasis on spatial data,
such as delineating roads, stands and streams.
The midsize option has the advantage of being lightweight
and portable like the small handheld computers; however,
the larger screen dimensions and resolution better assist
in spatial data collection and visualization. Aside from
these advantages, other valuable aspects include more
memory, faster processors and more resident data storage.
Large pen-based computers include
products like the Fujitsu LifeBook® E2000 Notebook.
These large handheld computers approach the power and
flexibility of laptop
computers and have the ability to run virtually any software
that a desktop computer runs. This important aspect allows
for seamless integration with desktop systems. The main
disadvantage of large pen-computers is the combination
of size and weight.
Compaq
iPAQ
 |
Fujitsu
Stylistic 3500
 |
Software
Solutions >>
|
