Siting using the Vernier LabQuest, GPS sensor, and Light (or wind) Meter & Downloading Data for Use in ArcMap You will now have the opportunity to obtain simultaneous light intensity and location data using
the Vernier Labquest. You will then export the data via LoggerPro software from Vernier into a
usable format for ArcGIS.
Obtaining data 1. Grab your Vernier LabQuest, GPS sensor, and light or wind
sensor
2. Set the light sensor to the largest range, 0-150,000 lux, for
being outside
3. Plug-in the two sensors to the LabQuest and head outside.
The GPS sensor plugs into the USB port at the top of the device.
4. Once outside, wait for the GPS to acquire a signal. This will be evident when the latitude
and longitude change from 0.00000.
5. Touch the “mode” box on the right side and change the selction from “time based” to
“selected events”. A name is not required.
6. On the top of the screen, tap the x-y column data to enter the table screen. The
graphing screen is not helpful with this type of measurement.
7. Get into the desired position and hit the play button
This lesson was created for NYSERDA School Power…Naturally by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT) under the Applying Geospatial Technologies for Expansion of School Power Naturally Program, Grant # 10981 8. Info will now be stored in the table.
9. Move to your next location and hit “keep”
10. Repeat for as many steps as needed/desired.
11. Click the stop button to end data collection
Downloading data 12. Begin by making sure the data collection has stopped.
13. Open up LoggerPro on the computer. It is listed under Program Files Æ “Vernier
Software”.
14. Unplug the two sensors, then use the USB wire to connect the LabQuest to the USB port
of the computer.
15. LoggerPro should recognize the LabQuest and ask you if you want to retrieve the remote
data. Click “yes”. It is fine to load it into the same window, so click “OK” to import the
data into the current session.
16. You now have a table of x-y data based on latitude, longitude, and light intensity.
Altitude is there as well, but not useful for this lab.
Exporting Data to ArcMap Note: To export the data for use in ArcGIS or other GIS software, you have a few options.
You can export as a text file (.txt), a .csv file, or GIS format. It is also possible to export
directly to Google Maps and see your latitude/longitude data on a GoogleMap, but it will not
show other data.
17. Make sure you have exported the data from your Vernier unit to a .txt or .csv file and that
you have exported to a location you will access in future steps. Write down the path to your file
below.
Saved location: _____________________________________________
Note: You can export from Vernier as a GIS Shapefile. If you do this step, you will only
need to Add Data. You will not need to go through the Add XY coordinate steps.
However, you will need to define the projection for the file.
This lesson was created for NYSERDA School Power…Naturally by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT) under the Applying Geospatial Technologies for Expansion of School Power Naturally Program, Grant # 10981 18. View your .txt document in Notepad. Double check to make sure you have all the important
information and do any cleanup that may be necessary.
19. Open the ESF Vernier.mxd ArcMap document.
Mapping Your Locations 20. Connect to the folder of your saved location above by using the “connect to folder button”.
This will give you access to the location and all the data that you have in there.
21. Add your lastname.txt to your map document by clicking the "Add Data" button either on
the menu bar or from File > Add Data.
This lesson was created for NYSERDA School Power…Naturally by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT) under the Applying Geospatial Technologies for Expansion of School Power Naturally Program, Grant # 10981 22. From your menu bar, select "Tools" and "Add XY Data."
23. Use the drop down arrow to select your lastname.txt file. Specify the X and Y coordinates
based on the column names for latitude and longitude used in your text document. Do NOT hit
OK yet. Select the "Edit" button to assign a coordinate system.
24. After hitting "Edit", hit "Select" a predefined coordinate system and navigate to the WGS
1984.prj file:
Geographic Coordinate Systems > World >
WGS 1984.prj
This lesson was created for NYSERDA School Power…Naturally by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT) under the Applying Geospatial Technologies for Expansion of School Power Naturally Program, Grant # 10981 When your screen looks like this, hit OK.
25. Select "OK" to a message that looks like:
**You have now added the points that you collected in the field to your map. Now it’s time to
look at the additional data that you collected at each point.**
Symbolizing Your Data
26. On the left side of your screen, highlight the layer you just
created from the XY points. Right click the layer and select
"Properties".
This lesson was created for NYSERDA School Power…Naturally by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT) under the Applying Geospatial Technologies for Expansion of School Power Naturally Program, Grant # 10981 27. Select the "Symbology" tab. Select "Quantities" on the left side and fill in the "Value"
box with the field name that contains the information collected from the Vernier Sensor (i.e.
Illuminati). Hit "OK."
Congratulations! You have now created a map using Vernier Units with GPS sensors. This lesson was created for NYSERDA School Power…Naturally by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT) under the Applying Geospatial Technologies for Expansion of School Power Naturally Program, Grant # 10981