Have you ever ever misplaced one thing and by no means discovered it once more? I simply generally want that every little thing ought to have some kind of a GPS gadget connected to it in order that we all know its location all the time. Would possibly sound fairly impractical however then simply think about, I may have discovered my favourite jacket that was left behind on a connecting flight or the Bluetooth headphones that went lacking on a bumpy bus experience and even an umbrella that was forgotten in a rainforest. However I’m not right here to present you an account of misplaced umbrellas; somewhat, I hope that my expertise will assist you to find what you’re in search of.
My work with consultancies and analysis organizations entails conducting wildlife and forest surveys. These entail touring to distant places to doc various habitats and the species they help. A serious a part of my work entails mapping these habitats to know the research space and what species to search for there. I take pleasure in each little bit of the expertise, being outdoor, assembly individuals and watching their amused faces, once I ask if they’ve noticed a “chamgadar” or bats. It additionally feels a bit like a detective, following leads, attempting to uncover the secrets and techniques of nature.
After I first began doing these surveys, I used to be utilizing a devoted GPS gadget, one which precisely triangulated my place to about three-meter accuracy. I used to be utilizing a Garmin eTrex 20 (mockingly, I feel I misplaced a type of too—a tool meant to seek out locations), which is a rugged piece of hardware for the sphere. Nonetheless, when you understand that every little thing from little toys to fridges have contact screens now, a tool with out one begins feeling nearly prehistoric.
To my amusement, I’ve discovered myself tapping on its display on a couple of event. The gadget additionally did not have any map within the background as a base map. Think about Google Maps to be only a clean display with an arrow exhibiting your place. Making an attempt to determine methods so as to add a base map to the GPS additionally appeared like an excessive amount of work.
So, after a couple of trials, I started researching Android apps that might serve the identical goal. Factors collected utilizing the GPS are considered utilizing the desktop-based Google Earth software program, however there was no Google Earth for android again then. Enter Locus Maps Free.
Locus Maps is exclusive, for its means to help a lot of file codecs which are utilized in totally different desktop mapping software program. It additionally acknowledges the usual “.gpx” extension information generated by the GPS gadget. With an intuitive interface and a built-in compass, this software program wins you over utterly. To prime it off you’ll be able to select any base map within the background by putting in an add-on app from the Google Playstore. This enables one to load Google imagery as a base map.
Rohit Pansare
Photograph Credit score: Locus Maps seems rather a lot like Google Maps however you’ll be able to import GPS information
So now, earlier than I start my field-work, I switch all the information layers just like the research space, forest or protected space boundaries, settlements, and water our bodies to my android gadget after which load them onto Locus Maps. This manner I do know the place I’ve to go to and may visualize and plan my subsequent survey location based mostly on street connectivity and time constraints.
Nonetheless, there may be one incident that made Locus Maps everlasting in my app-list. This occurred at a distant location in the midst of a scrub forest (whose location shall stay undisclosed as a consequence of a confidentiality settlement). It may have occurred to anybody. I imply so many people have forgotten our telephones in an autorickshaw or left it on the restaurant desk. Sadly, this time the cellphone wasn’t left behind in such a straightforward to entry location.
The entire of that day had been a washout with hardly any sightings. My colleague and I had been on a lookout for raptors or birds of prey like eagles or buzzards. Sightings, though uncommon, had been crucial for our research as these birds are thought of vital. This scrub forest appeared promising however was navigable solely in a four-wheel drive with an skilled driver. So, we had taken our time and scheduled this a part of the survey for the night. Whereas on one in all these tracks, I noticed a chicken, perched on a small stump. The setting solar was proper behind the chicken, which made it unimaginable to determine it.
We stopped at a protected distance in order that we do not disturb it. I slowly opened the door, acquired down on all fours, and began crawling in the direction of the chicken with my digital camera swung on to my again. To get near it, I needed to be fast earlier than the solar disappeared behind the horizon however accomplish that stealthily. I found that it was an grownup Lengthy-legged Buzzard, a raptor that breeds within the Himalayas and Central Asia and spends winters within the North Indian plains. I shortly acquired some photos and returned to the automotive. We determined to go again to the lodge after noting down the final survey level.
About half-an-hour into the drive, I noticed my cellphone was lacking. I searched calmly on the seat, in my bag and every of the six to eight pockets of my cargo pants. Nothing! Panic-stricken, I instructed the motive force to activate the cabin mild because it was getting darkish and started looking out once more. That is when it hit me!
Whereas getting out of the automotive to take that final image, I had acquired down on all fours. Figuring out that I might need to crawl, I had taken my cellphone out from my entrance pocket and positioned it—not in my bag, not on my seat, not in any of my seven different pockets, however the small house on the footrest of the automotive. I instructed the motive force to cease and jumped out of the automotive to test if my cellphone had managed to cling to the footrest with its pricey life. In fact not, who was I attempting to idiot?
The following issues occurred quick, we turned the automotive round and began heading again in the direction of our final location. Reaching there earlier than darkish was vital. Fortunately, I had introduced one other cellphone loaded with Locus Maps, which I had been utilizing for recording the survey factors. I tapped on the final level, that introduced up a small pop-up with particulars like the space and path from my present location. I tapped on an choice to navigate to the purpose. Similar to Google Maps, Locus Maps began giving me directions at every flip. By the point we entered the scrub forest, it was already darkish. My colleague began calling on my quantity hoping that our ears will be capable to decide up the ringtone because the automotive winded its manner in the direction of the final level. A couple of hundred meters from there, my eye caught a dim mild within the dusty monitor beneath. There it was, lined in mud however nonetheless intact. It was a miracle that we hadn’t run over it within the first place, however fortunately, Locus Maps had saved the day!
Rohit is an unbiased environmental marketing consultant, skilled coach and a documentary photographer based mostly in Mumbai. During the last decade, he has been part of inter-disciplinary analysis and consultancy tasks on local weather change, city biodiversity, environmental schooling, open-source mapping and citizen science initiatives.
When not together with his digital camera, he could be discovered tending to vegetation or preventing author’s block on his Instagram deal with. You may also mail him .
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