To cut time
and costs and make quick,
well-informed decisions, we
recently opted for Capturx
for ArcGIS Desktop, a new
“digital pen” technology.
Previously, our field force
captured data with traditional
pens and paper. Personnel
liked this method
because it let them “huddle
and scrawl” around maps
and documents. But because
of logistical problems such
as the long time lag between
data collection and entry
into the central database, the old
method was increasingly unfeasible.
We tried tablet PCs, but they
were uncomfortable to carry and
easily dropped. We found GPSs
lacked menus with enough options
for the level of detail we needed.
In contrast, the Capturx digital
pen is efficient and easy to use.
Field staff and engineers take notes,
make comments, and draw sketches
or diagrams on paper maps as they
normally would, and the digital pen
records each stroke as “digital ink.”
Maps are printed on regular paper
that is watermarked by a special pattern
to record the geospatial component
of the data. Back at the office,
staff dock the pen into a USB port
on a PC or laptop. The ArcGIS software
syncs the captured data into
the central database and makes the
marked-up maps immediately available
without additional work.
The pen has proven especially
useful in recent wetland delineation
projects. These are a response
to meet nationwide permits under
section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
Environmental engineers must
mark up maps during site visits to show the current condition of areas
thought to be wetlands. As permits
require, our engineers annually
take inventory of the total number
of trees in wetlands and their measurements.
This helps keep track of
whether trees are growing and can
survive on their own without harm
from animals or disease.
Each time we build a reservoir
or put in a water pipeline, we take
care not to destroy too much habitat.
Field personnel use the pen to
note on maps the number of trees
by species native to the specific
area. We also evaluate and note
soils that do well in local environments.
Using the pen to document
this kind of data makes it easy for
government bodies to monitor our
work as permits require. For example,
for all trees destroyed, we must
create so-called mitigation areas
where the same species of trees get
replanted according to specified
ratios. The government checks our
records as part of the long-term
management of trees.
The pen also comes in handy
for our asset-management teams.
Here, field personnel such as planners, engineers, and construction
workers record inventories of gas,
water, sewer, and electrical systems.
Data might include, for example,
model, size, and condition
of power poles, and where they are
spatially located on a map. This information
populates utility models
for doing detailed system analyses.
So far, our experience with the
digital pen has been smooth with
no downside. One intangible benefit
is that field and office staff have
taken to the solution. In the near
future, we plan on also using Capturx
for AutoCAD so we can instantly
mark up, annotate, and redline
any CAD drawing, then upload
the field data into AutoCAD
on return to the office.
The digital-pen technology is
available from Adapx, 821 Second
Ave., Suite 1150, Seattle, WA
98104, adapx.com
—Mark Valentino
Mark Valentino is the GIS
coordinator at Freese and Nichols,
a Texas-based engineering and
architecture firm.