How to Map a Point with the Skadi Smart Handle™: Using the Invisible Range Pole™ and ArcGIS® Field Maps

This video guides you through the setup and workflow for collecting a point using the Invisible Range Pole^™, a mode of the Skadi Smart Handle^™, with ArcGIS^® Field Maps.

Please note that the Skadi Smart Handle is an optional upgrade from the Skadi Standard Handle™ and must be added on with your Skadi Series™ receiver purchase. The smart handle may be used with a  Skadi 200^™, Skadi 300^™, or Skadi Gold^™ GNSS receiver from Eos Positioning Systems^®.

Watch the video to get started or follow along with the transcript below!

Video

Transcript

In this video, I’m going to show you how to use the Skadi Smart Handle in Invisible Range Pole mode. I’m going to show you every step, from Bluetooth^® pairing your Skadi receiver through capturing a point in ArcGIS Field Maps. If you’re already familiar with some of these steps, you can use the chapter labels, which are displayed on the video or in the YouTube description, to skip ahead.

How to Bluetooth^® Pair Your Skadi GNSS Receiver

The first thing I’m going to do is Bluetooth pair my Skadi GNSS receiver to my smartphone. Today, I’m using iOS^®.

I’m going to launch my phone settings and navigate to the Bluetooth settings, making sure that my Bluetooth settings are toggled on.

I’m going to look for my Skadi GNSS receiver. I see it under other devices, so I’m going to select it.

Now, we’re connected. The next thing I’m going to do is launch Eos Tools Pro and configure a couple of key settings here.

How to Set Up Orthometric Height in Eos Tools Pro

The first one is that I want to be using orthometric height instead of ellipsoidal height.

So, I’m going to click my Eos Tools Pro settings icon in the top right corner.

Altitude Reference Settings

And I’m going to scroll down until I see Altitude Reference.

I’m going to select that setting.

And you see how it’s automatically toggled to Ellipsoidal height? I’m going to select Orthometric height.

Select Your GEOID Model

And it’s going to ask me to select my country and my GEOID model. I’m in the U.S. It seems to already remember that.

So, I’m going to select the GEOID12B model. If you’re not sure which model to select, contact your GIS administrator.

If your country isn’t shown or your GEOID model isn’t shown, contact Eos technical support and we can get that added for you.

How to Set Your RTK Connection in Eos Tools Pro

The next thing I’m going to set in Eos Tools Pro is my RTK connection. To do this, I’m going to navigate using the bottom navigation menu.

Right now, I’m in Status and I’m going to tap Differential. In Differential is where I would add my RTK credentials.

They’re already in here; I’ve got my connection info, my protocol, my IP address, the port, my login credentials, and then the mountpoint that I’ve selected in that RTK network. These were provided to me by my RTK network provider. If you’re unsure of what to enter in here, contact your RTK network provider.

If you don’t yet have an RTK network provider, reach out to your Eos representative or our technical support team, and we can help you find the best local RTK network for your field work.

I’m going to click Start Streaming. Now, currently it’s connecting to my RTK network and it’s going to go from Float to Fixed.

We’re going to proceed only once we’ve got a Fixed status, which we do.

How to Enable and Initialize Your Skadi Smart Handle

So, the next thing I’m going to set in Eos Tools Pro, is that I’m going to go back to the Position page of Eos Tools Pro, and I want to enable and initialize my smart handle.

To do this, I’m going to tap the smart handle icon in the top right corner of the position tab.

You’ll see that it’s currently grayed out. This means it’s not enabled, and it’s not initialized.

Enable Your Smart Handle

When I tap that icon, I launch the Skadi Smart Handle settings.

To enable the Skadi Smart Handle, I’m simply going to toggle on that smart handle button. I’m enabled now.

Initialize Your Smart Handle

To initialize the Skadi Smart Handle, I’m simply going to perform the initialization movement. What this is, is a level back-and-forth motion with the Skadi Smart Handle.

Simply make an initialization movement. It should quickly initialize.

Now that I’m initialized, I’m going to choose my mode and go to ArcGIS Field Maps.

How to Set Your Location Provider in ArcGIS Field Maps

In ArcGIS Field Maps, I want to set a couple of key settings.

To do this, I’m going to select my profile icon in the top left corner.

The first setting I want to set is Location Provider. So underneath the Location fields, you’re going to see Provider as Integrated. Tap that.

This is telling ArcGIS Field Maps to read GPS coordinates from the receiver that’s integrated into my smartphone. I don’t want that. I want it to be reading the GNSS coordinates from my Skadi receiver.

So, I’m going to add my Skadi receiver as a location provider option.

To do this I’ll tap Add in the top right corner, and it can see my GNSS receiver.

So, I’m just going to confirm that I want to add that.

For Antenna Height we’re going to leave this at 0. Always leave this at 0 in Field Maps.

I’m going to select Done. And now, I can select my Eos Positioning Systems receiver as a location provider.

In my case, I’m getting a pop-up notification that my location profile might be incompatible with the GNSS receiver that I’ve selected. That’s no problem, because location profile is actually the next setting that we’re going to configure.

So, I’m going to select Ok and go back to my Field Maps settings.

How to Set Your Location Profile in ArcGIS Field Maps

The next setting I want to configure is my Location Profile. What I want to do in the location profile is essentially tell ArcGIS Field Maps how to read the coordinates coming in from my Skadi GNSS receiver.

So, I’m going to select Add to add a location profile. It’s asking me for my GNSS coordinate system. This is the coordinate system that my RTK network is using.

The GNSS coordinate system that my RTK network is using is NAD 1983 2011. So, I’m going to type that in.

And I want the first one that comes up. So, I’m going to select that.

Now that I’ve selected my GNSS coordinate system, it’s asking me what my map coordinate system is. This is the coordinate system that my ArcGIS Field Maps map is using. So, for me, this is WGS 1984 Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere.

And I’m going to select WGS 1984 Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere. The next thing I’m being asked to select is my map extent. This is basically asking me where I am doing my field work today or in this map.

So, I’m going to select the Chicago area as my map extent and tap Next in the top right corner. The last thing that Field Maps is asking me to confirm is my datum transformation that I want to be using.

Now, I want to be using the first one in this list here. So, I’m going to select that.

If you’re unsure about any of these settings, contact your GIS administrator, and they can help you identify the correct coordinate systems and datum transformation. Now, you’ll notice that ArcGIS Field Maps is asking me to give this location profile a name.

This is really helpful, because I can give it a name and save the profile so that any time I’m using this RTK network in this area, I can easily and quickly select the same datum transformation. I’m going to call this “Field Demo.”

And select Save. Now, from my list of available location profiles I can select “Field Demo” and go back.

Now, all of our ArcGIS Field Map settings are complete to be able to continue using the Skadi Smart Handle in Invisible Range Pole mode.

How to Collect a Point in ArcGIS Field Maps with the Invisible Range Pole

Now that we’ve configured all of our settings in both apps, we’re ready to do our field work. Today we’re going to be working with this storm asset.

In Eos Tools Pro, we’re enabled, we’re initialized, and we’re in Invisible Range Pole mode.

We’ve got a great RTK connection, and we’re fixed with terrific accuracy.

Understanding GNSS vs. Compensated Coordinate Values in Eos Tools Pro

And again, I’m in that Position tab, so that I can see that my GNSS and Compensated coordinates are exactly the same for the X and the Y, or the latitude and longitude, because they’re both representing the X and the Y value of this antenna physically.

Meanwhile, the Z-value for my GNSS column represents this antenna’s Z-value …

… and the Z-value in my compensated column represents, if you can imagine it, our invisible range pole at the tip over our asset.

This is exactly what I want to be capturing.

Data Collection Workflow in ArcGIS Field Maps with the Invisible Range Pole

So, let’s go ahead and collect this asset. So now I’m going to open up Field Maps. It’s got my location accuracy; I’m sub-inch.

I’m going to tap the blue + button in the bottom right corner.

I’m going to select the type of feature I’m collecting today, which is this storm drain.

I’ll update my point.

Now, my company prefers that I take photos. So, I’m going to go ahead and make my camera viewer free by swiveling my Skadi phone bracket.

I’ll take a good photo of the asset and select to use this photo.

And finally, I’m going to Submit the point. This is exactly how we would capture a point in ArcGIS Field Maps using the Skadi GNSS receiver with the smart handle in Invisible Range Pole mode.

Learn more about the Skadi Smart Handle by launching the full Skadi Smart Handle playlist on YouTube!

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