Ahrr! Just tell me what to buy! (click on image)

GPS2MDB is a simple program that takes the data file created by GPS2PDA or GPS2LT and exports the data to a standard Microsoft Access database file. This utility is the request of several users who want a way to get the data they collect in the field into a GIS system like ArcGIS. Both GPS2PDA and GPS2LT store the speed of the vehicle each second; this is the data that is used by PC-Travel to generate all of the statistics and graphs you know and love. However, the programs also store the latitude, longitude, and a couple of other parameters that are output by the GPS receiver each second. We didn’t know what we would do with that data but figured we would use it somehow (and we were right).

The program is simple to install. You just copy the GPS2MDB.exe file into the same folder on your computer as the PC-Travel for Windows.exe file.

When you run the program, this is the first screen you see. The software reads the PCT4W.bin file on your computer, which stores all of the Preferences settings for PC-Travel for Windows. It reads the Field Data Files path and shows you the GPS data files in that folder. This is typically where you would store your GPS data files. You select the data file you want to export and click on the Select button.

The software shows you the GPS data found in the data file you selected. If you use GPS2LT or GPS2PDA then you will be familiar with this screen since it is used in PC-Travel as well. If you have any missing data points (this is somewhat common with GPS receivers) then you can fix them here. The software finds the missing data and then will calculate the probable values for those data points.

When all of the data points are fixed, the Ok button will turn green and you can click on the Ok button to export the data to an Access database file. The file is given the same name as the GPS data file and stored in the same folder.

The result is an Access database file with all of the data from the GPS data file stored in one table called GPSData. Here is an example of what the data file looks like in Access. Each row (record) is one second of data. You can see the time, latitude, longitude, speed and other fields across the screen.

Here are the field definitions for the Access database table. A complete description of these fields is in the User’s Guide.

What can you do with this data? That is a good question. And we are hoping you will give us some good (and clever) answers. Certainly you can plot the data on a map and see the route. You can separate the runs using different layers if you want. You can color code the data based on the speed of the vehicle, or based on the delay of the vehicle (which would be found by comparing the actual speed minus to expected speed for that segment). These are just a few ideas; we are sure you will develop many other interesting ways to present the data.

The software and the User’s Guide can be downloaded from the Downloads page. Have fun and good luck.

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