Receive signal from GPS device | Feedback E-mail this topic Print this topic

If your computer is GPS enabled, or you have a GPS receiver connected to your computer that supports NMEA, you can show your current position on the map, track your position and enter waypoints for your position. On the display tab check the box to receive a GPS Signal. The signal will be detected and the current position received by the device will be displayed on the map.

##### GPS port settings

This dialog may appear the first time you try recieving a signal from your GPS device. If it appears, it is likely due to the COM port or baud rate. Refer to the documentation for your GPS receiver and set the appropriate COM port and baud rate. After setting the baud rate, click Open Port to establish a connection. The GPS port settings dialog will disappear when a GPS device NMEA sentence is received. You may need to click open port a few times.
For most devices Parity (None), Stop Bits (One) and Data Bits (8) should remain at their default settings. Refer to your device manual and make adjustments as needed.
Some GPS receivers have settings that allow the computer to receive an NMEA sentence from the device, and some do not support NMEA sentences at all. The GPS receiver functionality in ArcGIS Explorer only supports NMEA sentences. If your device does not output an NMEA sentence ArcGIS Explorer will not detect the receiver. There are third party software packages that are capable of creating virtual COM ports with an NMEA sentence or will convert the proprietary information from a variety of devices to NMEA. You will need to use a converter if your device does not output NMEA sentences natively.

##### Signal Status

A green dot indicates a full GPS fix. All global positioning information is being received and used to establish location. For a good signal you will need a clear un-obstructed view of the sky. Tall buildings, Trees and overhead electrical lines can affect the signal.

A blue dot indicates that there is only a 2D fix for the current position.

A red triangle with exclamation displayed at the last known position indicates that there is no GPS fix for the current position.

##### Center Location

Check Center location to automatically pan the map to the current GPS location. Set the tracking interval (GPS options ) to control how often the update occurs.

##### Track Location

Check track location on the GPS receiver tab to automatically place a yellow flag at the current GPS position and draw a line between received locations. The tracking interval can be used to control how often a flag is placed. The popup information for the flag will contain coordinates for the current position as well as the time. The time clock on your computer is used to establish the time zone preference.

##### Capture Waypoint

Press the capture waypoint button to place a green flag on the map at the current GPS coordinate. The popup window appears in edit mode, so that extra information relating to the significance of the location can be quickly added.

##### GPS Options

Click the Options button to see information about the GPS receiver signal. You can also set the tracking interval and 3D placement.

- Satelites in view - The number of satelites currently detected by the GPS device.
- Satelites in use - The number of satelites used to determine the current position.
- GPS fix - The current status for the current GPS position.
- Position Dilution of Precision - The lower the number the more confidence in the positional accuracy. A value of 1 indicates the highest precision. Values of 2-5 are good for most geographic decisions.
- Time Zone - The current time zone that your computer is set to.
- Tracking Interval - The time in seconds to use for centering the map on the current location or tracking the current position.
- Tracking features - Choose whether to draw a point, line or both when tracking the received GPS postion.
- 3D placement - In 3D view you can choose to place the GPS marker on the surface or at the Z value specified in the received GPS coordinate.