New GPS upgrade a hit
From the Summer 2007 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.
New GPS units are now being used for harvest planning and supervision in Forests NSW North East Region, and are being assessed for use in other native forest regions in Central and South Coast. Photo by Howard Spencer
The new generation of geographic positioning systems (GPS) has brought changes to the way Forests NSW harvest planners and supervising forestry officers work.
GPS units have all but replaced the compass, hip chain and printed map.
The hip chain is a container of cotton, with a measuring device to record the length of material passing through it. The cotton is tied to a tree and as the op-erator follows a compass bearing, the meter indicates the length of line pulled out, showing the distance travelled.
“This creates all sorts of interesting manoeuvres in the forest when the operator comes across a tangle of trees on the ground or some other obstacle,” said geo-graphic information officer Rob Kirwood.
“It might have taken a day to mark out an area to be excluded from harvesting.
“With the current generation of highly sensitive GPS units, the operator simply sets a way point, moves to the point he wants to measure the distance to, and it appears on the screen as a direct route measurement,” he said.
“We have found it hard to get the units back from the field staff to do any adjustments, the operators are so keen,” Rob said.
“The previous generation GPS units had difficulty receiving under dense canopies, but the latest models can be used in all areas of forest to accurately map roads, streams, exclusion zones, log landings and other features. They are also a useful tool for travelling in the forest, as our maps can show all roads, tracks and streams.”
Howard Spencer Public Affairs & Media, Coffs Harbour
