Global Positioning System (GPS) and Electronic Distance Measuring Equipment

GPS, laser range finders, and an electronic transit support field studies by accurately locating positions of samples or objects.  Our three best GPS systems are capable of real-time 1-2 meter accuracy, and can be used in conjunction with laser range finders to locate additional offset points. One student used this system to map the precise location of bird boxes in our nature center as part of a research project on territorial behavior of wrens. We have ten additional smaller receivers which are capable of similar accuracy with differential post processing.   Students in several introductory courses have used these units to record the locations where they collected samples. Data from these systems are readily translated into our GIS  laboratory for plotting on base maps.

Our Leica TC 805 total station is a precise surveying instrument, accurate to 1 mm over distances over several km.  It allows projects such as precise determination of water levels in wells and detailed mapping of sediment temperatures around springs in the river bed.

The electronic mapping equipment was provided by a grant from the National science Foundation to Drs. Beth and Tim Lincoln, Department of Geological Sciences.

Example of a student research project:

Erika Miller (’00) Groundwater influence on temperature of the upper Kalamazoo River’s branches.  Erika mapped water temperature variations along the river using a digital thermometer and a GPS receiver to record locations. In the summer, when the river is warm, cooler temperatures mark zones of high groundwater discharge. Detailed mapping of sediment temperatures in "cool water zones" revealed several localized recharge areas in the river.