[meteorite-list] Using GIS for Meteorite Hunting and Study

[Del Waterbury]

One huge difference between Google Earth and all the other GIS software packages I've seen so far (except a few) is the fact that I don't have to fork out 5,000+ dollars to use it... Google Earth only costs me 20 bucks a year.

Don't get me wrong because I'd love to use the high end GIS software (especially since I use high end CAD software at work), but that's a very steep price to pay just to plot out coordinates of my finds. 

Del


--- On Thu, 6/26/08, McCartney Taylor <mccartney at blackbearddata.com> wrote:


> From: McCartney Taylor <mccartney at blackbearddata.com>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Using GIS for Meteorite Hunting and Study

> To: "MeteoriteList" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008, 2:56 PM

> I, too, am a GIS person. Since Land ownership & GIS has

> just been

> brought up, I have to take this one step farther and

> mention good & free

> GIS packages.

> 

> Someone just brought up ESRI as a GIS progam, and I would

> like to

> discourage people from using it.  ESRI gives you piecemeal

> crippled

> software that you'll have to pay licenses for each

> piece you enable.

> While there base 'hook' product is free, you can

> quickly spend $2500

> getting the 'Basic GIS' which is just decent GIS

> (ArcGIS $1500 and

> ArcView $950).  Then the extensions can cost $12,500 to

> bring you up to

> a complete GIS system that gives you map webpublishing and

> db

> interoperability.  All of that is about the same as what

> GRASS does, but

> its free.

> 

> There are some excellent Open Source GIS programs currently

> available.

> You can download these for free and have them running

> within the hour.

> Quantum can quickly import your GPS data.  Both of these

> run under

> Windows or Linux.

> 

> Quantum GIS --  Young, small, and runs fast on old

> machines. Think of

> this as a 'dune buggy' of GIS.  Use this one first,

> if you're new to

> GIS.

> http://qgis.org/

> 

> GRASS GIS -- Mature, stable, powerful, but very complex. 

> Good for 3D

> and 4D plotting.  Like if you wanted to plot a strewnfield

> thru a

> mountainous area then do a time lapse flyby. Think of this

> as a diesel

> MAC truck of GIS.

> http://grass.itc.it/

> 

> There are a couple of other Open Source GIS packages, but

> they are

> immature and not ready yet, IMHO.

> 

> On getting the basemap to use as your main layer,

> here's a starting

> point.

> 

> http://www.gismonitor.com/data/index.php

> http://seamless.usgs.gov/

> 

> 

> Steps to take once you have your program and basemaps.

> 1. Load basemap into GIS

> 2. Load GPS finds into GIS.

> 3. Make sure you have all data layers on the same

> projection (like

> NAD83)

> 4. Draw polygons of area searched!  Important to know where

> you've been.

> 5. Draw polygons of area you are ALLOWED to search. 

> Important to know

> where you can't go.

> 6. Plot points of where meteorites where found.  High

> Confidence Data

> gets a special symbol.

> 7. Plot point of historically found meteorites that you

> have low

> confidence of where you think they were found.  You could

> even draw

> small circle polygons to represent the 'fuzzy' find

> location.

> 8. Draw Line of best guess of upper limit of Main fall

> axis.

> 9. Draw line of best guess of lower limit of Main fall

> axis.  The space

> in between is your best greatest statistical chance of

> finding more.

> 

> -mt

> IMCA 2760

> 

> copyright 2008 - I reserve all rights to put some of this

> in my upcoming

> book.

> 

> 

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