Interactions on Global Positioning System - GPS

The Environment and Forest Department of Mara Autonomous District Council and Samrakshan Saiha field base recently organized sessions to share learning and experiences focussing on GPS. These primarily concerned the ground level staff in order to get them acquainted with the equipment, enable them to  use it optimally and raise their awareness and enthusiasm levels.

While the proposal had us excited we realized that we recently had been using neither the equipment nor the associated software. We checked the batteries and took a trip around the New Saiha market and Tlangkawn area, walking about 3 kms in the process and discussing aspects that we could share with friends in the department. We understood

ü  We will need to walk with them.

ü  Each of them would need to operate the unit.

ü  They will need to be shown the map in the computer at the end of the exercise.

First of all we had a discussion at the conference hall. To address the quandary that the word GPS presented to many of them we compared it to the mobile phone, an instrument used by most of them. We discussed preliminary information here like -

ü  It was developed for defence purposes but is currently also used for civilian ends and today within our country we use it for actions like laying cables & drains, driving vehicles, tracking wildlife and more.

ü  It tells you the exact position where you are on the earth using latitude, longitude and altitude; it helps you map your path also telling the distance travelled and speed of travel, the sunset and sunrise time and more.

ü  Signals are received from satellites and more the satellites better the accuracy. This is akin to the mobile phone reception from towers! Further, the GPS does not perform well under dense cover or very cloudy skies.

ü  We also discussed the equipment we had then Garmin – GPS 60. Functions the keys offered, it being battery operated and could talk (be connected) to a computer.

Select figures were drawn on the board and experience of the survey undertaken for Tokalo Wildlife Sanctuary was discussed.

We then undertook the exercise of walking with the GPS with 3 different groups of personnel at 3 seperate locations. Locations where these personnel were based; Saiha town, Kawlchaw Nursery (apx 35 kms from Saiha town) and Tlangpui Plantation (apx 8 kms from Saiha town). First walk was within the town to understand the GPS solely while the 2 following exercises also helped map the forest department campuses since we walked the boundaries.

During these walks we discussed and worked on waypoints and tracks only. It was interesting to see the initial awe and confusion give way to confidence and fun as they discovered the correct mannerisms of assigning names to waypoints and checking the tracks on the GPS screen. There were some confusions on naming of waypoints on why we needed to be exact (PostA was different from Post A) and again mobile phones came to our rescue! Also till the readings got stable we could not mark a waypoint accurately and we had to wait for at least 2 minutes each time we marked a point. They also wanted to know of the cost of that particular GPS model which we used. After each of these walks we saw and discussed the very map on the computer and the distance we walked!

The exercises away from the town offered possibilities of sighting birds and building on the opportunity we took our field guides, binoculars and of course cameras. Some of them very interestingly took these from us to make use of them. The discussions also gave us space to discuss our conservation education efforts with them and elicit their views on the same.

All the sessions were interspersed with generous doses of tea, chang (snacks) and of course kuva (betelnut)! During these sessions some of them walked away stating their being already aware to it or it not being of much use. However those who continued asked for more with enthused eyes and left us charged up for the next step! 


Thanking the Environment and Forest Department of Maraland and all the participants.