Soil Explorer vs GMDE Lite

Explore detailed maps of soil properties and landscapes for various U.S. states, as well as small-scale maps of soil distributions for the world. Examine the details for a specific area, but also see the overview for a large area. Learn how features shown on the maps correspond to what you observe in the field. Soil Explorer utilizes detailed soil survey data from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and data and maps from the U. S. Geological Survey and other sources to produce informative, highly engaging maps. These maps are designed to show the complex interrelationships between soil properties and the landscapes in which soils occur.

GMDE Lite has been designed from the ground up with small phone-sized screens in mind although it also works very well on iPads and spectacularly on iPads with an Apple Pencil. We borrow the best from both GMDE Mobile and Stereonet Mobile and present that functionality in a clean, simple, map-centric interface. Data can be exchanged between GMDE Lite and Desktop, and imported from Stereonet Mobile, GIS programs, as well as uploaded or downloaded to/from StraboSpot. Some things GMDE Lite can do: • Set a point of interest (POI) at your current location or anywhere on the map which is immediately tagged with location time and date and to which you can attach a photo and an extended description. You can email a POI, complete with photo, to a field partner, Advisor, etc. • Annotate photos or make digital sketches attached to points of interest. • Enter an orientation by any of six methods: (1) using the device orientation, (2) tapping 3 points on the map and having the device calculate the orientation, (3) sighting along the contact plane either in the strike or dip direction, (4) best fit plane to selected vertices on a path, or (5) type typing in the orientation at the location that you specify. You can project a contact temporarily as a check on the validity of the orientation; the projected contact can be converted to a regular contact. • Read in and display POIs, orientations, and contacts on the map data from Stereonet Mobile or GMDE Desktop. Use copy and paste between devices registered to the same Apple ID using Apple HandOff technology. • Enter contacts by tapping and dragging a path, by recording a GPS track, or by projecting a planar orientation across the landscape. Edit contacts by lassoing and deleting vertices or tapping and dragging individual vertices (works way better on an iPad with Apple Pencil than it does with your finger on a relatively tiny iPhone screen). • Use the device camera/orientation as a rangefinder and plot a point of interest at the sighted location. Rapidly use the rangefinder to determine azimuth, inclination, slope, horizontal, and vertical distance to the sighted location. • Display orientation data on an equal area, lower hemisphere projection which can be filtered by data type. Mean vectors, cylindrical best fits, poles to planes, and rose diagrams can be displayed. • If you have a data connection, GMDE Lite can display your data on Apple Maps within the program as well as get point elevations from an online server and download map tiles for offline use. • Use a variety of icons and colors to represent different types of data. • Access all of your data on your device from, and upload to and download from, the Files app on the device. Upload to and download from StraboSpot. Copy and paste between GMDE Lite and Stereonet Mobile. Skills you need to take full advantage of GMDE Lite: GMDE Lite can be used "right out of the box" with a cellular data connection using an online satellite or road base map or downloadable map tiles, and online elevation server, in 2D to measure and collect strikes and dips, plot contacts, do 3-pt problems, etc. To experience the full power of GMDE Lite, and for complete offline operation (essential in remote field areas), you will need to know how to do the following: • Produce base maps from whatever source you want in MBTiles format. Because you are producing your own base maps you can use whatever you want (existing geologic maps, USGS Topo Maps, LiDAR hill shade images, etc.). Maps can be produced with my free desktop program MBTileMakerViewer. • Download and format digital elevation models (DEMs) in GridFloat or BIL format. Having a DEM on the device is what allows GMDE Lite to perform its magic such as calculating an orientation from three points. DEMs can be produced with my free program DEM Masher (requires GDAL). • Know enough about your digital devices to understand how to move files onto or off the device from/to your desktop computer.