GPS Field Test

A hands-on test for GPS capabilities while incorporating topographic maps

Submitted by Troy Schwemm of Southeast Polk High School

Purpose:
This lesson was developed to give me a better idea of the student’s capabilities involving the use
of our Rhino GPS units. Along with the hands-on GPS Field Test, knowledge of topographic maps
was also tested indirectly. Finally, this was used as a reward for all of the hard work my students put
in during class throughout the semester. (The students didn’t see this as a test, they viewed it as a
reward.)
To be honest, I also used it to increase student involvement in class and increase class attendance.
Only students with 80% attendance or higher were eligible to go, those that didn’t have 80%
attendance were given their GPS field test at our field site.

Preparation: (4 weeks)
In order to make the day run smoothly, the following things were done in advance so there was
minimal instruction on test day.

• Students learned about the global positioning system and were given 2 weeks of hands-on
instruction in various settings using our Rhino GPS units. Along with locating waypoints,
students practiced marking waypoints and transmitting waypoints between units.

• This was all done in conjunction with my topographic map unit, in which students were not
only introduced to topographic maps, but also asked to draw topographic maps of different 3-
dimensional models and make models given topographic maps.
(This portion of the field test is optional, but is very valuable in helping students truly
understand topographic maps. There was a new found understanding and appreciation of
topographic maps after the field test was conducted.)

• All students were asked to have their parents fill out permission slips, which were required to
attend the field trip. Although not all of my students were eligible, I did receive all
permission slips well in advance of the field trip. Also, I provided a detailed explanation of
the day including all activities and included the guidelines that must be met in order to attend
the field trip. (As it turned out 3 of my 23 students were not eligible due to attendance issues,
needless to say they were not very happy.)

• One week prior to the field trip students were asked to form groups of three to plan their lunch
for the field trip. Each group was responsible for their own lunch and refreshments, as well
as, an item that was needed for the group. These included condiments, charcoal, plates and
utensils. Students were not allowed to bring plastic, throw away utensils or containers,
because we were trying to be eco-friendly. Because it was an all day trip, students brought
their own food which we grilled at a shelter for lunch. (Students were ready for this one hour
break, most were already tired because of the large amount of hiking that was required. Most
flags were placed between 1/3 and 2/3 of a mile apart on very hilly terrain.)
 • The day before the trip, 3 independent research students and I traveled up to Ledges State
Park and labeled and placed all 40 flags. (It is very important that only advanced students do
this, any mistakes will become minor disasters on test day. Invariably there will be problems,
keeping them to a minimum is important if you are going to enjoy yourself along with the
students.) Each flag had a number in the center of the flag, which was the identification
number of that flag, as well as, another smaller number in the upper right hand corner, which
identified the next flag the students were required to find.

Test Day

• During the bus ride to Ledges State Park (1 ¼ hours), students were given packets of
information to study in preparation for the day. The packets included an aerial photo of the
park, a topographic map of the park, a general map of the park provided by the DNR and a
schedule of the day’s activities including instructions for the start of the test. (Both the aerial
photos and the topographic maps were downloaded from the Iowa State University GIS site.

• When we arrived at the park, students checked out their GPS units and prepared to begin the
first part of their test, which was scheduled to take up to 2 ½ hours. Students and their
partners were given a short instructional review of the goals for the day and were assigned a
“starting” flag number. All students were required to find their three assigned flags, however,
they didn’t know the numbers on any of the flags except the first one. By setting up the test
this way, I knew immediately which flags could not be found. Students that could not find the
first flag were given the number of their second flag via the walkie-talkie function of the GPS
unit and told to continue. All groups were told to radio into me when they located one of their
flags, so that I could keep track of the progress of each group. At the same time my three
advanced students located any flags that could not be found by student groups using their own
GPS units. If flags could not be located by my advanced students then it was assumed that the
flags had been marked incorrectly, or had been taken.
(In general, this worked pretty well, however, as is the case in almost all regions there were
some areas that did not receive good GPS reception, which is why my other chaperone stayed
on the opposite side of the park from me. By doing this, we were assured that all groups
could contact an adult at all times. This is very important for safety reasons.)

• After student groups found there 3rd flag, they were given instructions to continue to a given
shelter marked on their maps provided by the DNR as well as on their aerial and topographic
maps provided by me. This was more a test of their map reading skills than of their ability to
use a GPS unit, as their GPS units didn’t have this location stored in memory. (I wanted to
see how student groups proceeded from their final flags to the shelter. I was curious how
many students would look at all the maps, determine the general direction they needed to go
and then use the topographic map to determine the easiest way to get from their last flag to the
shelter.)

• As students arrived at the shelter they were allowed to relax or begin grilling their food. I had
started charcoal fires on three different grills about ½ hour before the first groups began to
arrive so that students didn’t have to wait 30 minutes to begin cooking their lunch. I would
highly recommend this if you plan on grilling, or 1 hour is not enough time for lunch.
• While students ate their lunch, I performed two tasks.
1) I loaded the track log data from each groups GPS unit on to my computer using the
Garmin software provided by the Minnesota DNR, and made a new layer on a GIS
map I had created using ARC GIS. This GIS map included an aerial photo layer of
Ledges State Park, a topographic map layer of Ledges State Park, the waypoint data of
all 40 flags and the students track log data collected as they located their three flags in
the morning test. This allowed my students and I to see the paths they had taken to get
to each one of their flags. By doing this, students were able to see how they could
have completed the task much quicker than they did, as well as the power of GIS.
(All most to a student, they were amazed that this technology existed and was being
used in all facets of today’s society. It was a great way to introduce GIS, which is
what we did for the next few weeks.)

2) I instructed them on the second part of their test which was planned to last up to 1 ½
hours and included marking waypoints and placing flags, as well as, finding a few
more. This allowed students to get additional instruction from me if needed, so that
they could demonstrate proficiency before leaving the park.

• For part two of the test, students were required to place and mark two flags within the park
boundaries. The only requirement was that flags needed to be at least ¼ mile apart. Students
then switched GPS units with another group and located each others flags. By performing
this portion of the test, I was able to check which students were keeping an eye on their GPS
reception while marking waypoints and placing flags. If this is not done, the GPS units will
not be able to accurately mark locations and thus student flags may not be found. (Too many
students trust their technology without understanding that it is only as good as the operator.
They have blind faith in its abilities. This portion of the test forced my students to gain an
understanding of the limitations of the GPS technology in a real world setting.)

• Finally, when all student groups had returned to the shelter, students were given instructions
concerning the last part of the test. (This one was just for fun) Students were divided into
groups of four. (I just combined two groups of two, usually one successful group and one
group that may have struggled in the first two portions of the test) They were given 10
waypoints located throughout the park which were stored on their GPS units the day before by
my advanced students and I. (At this time, all GPS units were off, so no students could get a
head start on others and to ensure that I had their complete attention. I also forced groups
to take different GPS units then they had used in the morning, alleviating the “your unit
must work better than mine syndrome.” Believe me, you will have kids leave the park,
honestly believing that they were not completely successful because of the GPS unit they
were assigned.) They were then instructed that there was a competition to see who “earned”
10 extra credit points. Their task was to find and bring to the bus on the other side of the park
2 flags marking the before mentioned waypoints. In other words, students were required to
turn on their units, locate the waypoints mentioned and decide which ones to go get in
returning to the bus. However, this brought in an entire new level of complex thinking skills.
While most students turned on their units and began racing to a waypoint, the winning groups
almost always brainstorm a little first. While they are finding the waypoints on their GPS
units, they also determine the distances and directions to each. This allows them to take many
things into consideration before beginning, these include:
1) Which flags lie between my current location and the bus or finally destination?
2) Can we get to a given flag before the other groups grab it?
3) Would it be advantageous to break up into groups of two to simultaneously get
two flags at once (the winning realization, which many groups do not do until well
on their way to the first waypoint or flag.)

If nothing else, this leads to a lively discussion on the way back to school, with four students
getting bragging rights for the rest of the semester.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief outline of my GPS field Test.
Troy Schwemm
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