1. Troubleshooting Mobile Device Issues from Support Perspective
July 12, 2011
Troubleshooting Mobile Device Issues from Support Perspective
Todd Stuber and John Gravois
Welcome! Hello everyone, my name is Todd Stuber and my co-presenter is John Gravois. Can you hear us okay?
This presentation is “Troubleshooting Mobile Device Issues from Support Perspective” and is geared for Windows Mobile users who use these devices in the field and will cover some troubleshooting tips and best practice recommendations. Let’s get started.

2. Agenda Hardware Software Device Connections GPS Tools Data
Project Scope
Mission Planning
Agenda
Hardware
Software
Data
Project Scope
Mission Planning

3. Hardware Mobile devices Laptops Tablet PCs Laser rangefinders Cameras
GPS
Scanners
On the screen are hardware devices, but in no way is this a complete list.
Can you name additional hardware units?

4. Hardware Challenges Device limitations GPS Accuracy Device settings
Physical memory
Screen size
Processor power
Storage options
GPS Accuracy
Device settings
COM ports
Baud Rate
Protocol
USB/Bluetooth partnerships
NEED NOTES HERE

5. Software Mobile GIS software Connection software GPS software
Device software
Ask audience what mobile GIS software they use currently or are intending to use for future mobile GIS projects.

6. Software Challenges Error messages and common issues
GPS Not Found
Error 55 or Error Code 5 (ArcPad)
No GPS Fix
Troubleshooting Tips
ActiveSync/Mobile Device Center
Find GPS/GPS Debugger (ArcPad)
GpsGate (Franson)
Workflow
Unsupported data types
Order of operations
Invalid features
“Error 55 opening COM1” message when activating the GPS can occur when software application attempts to open the serial port, such as COM1, when port is already opened and in use by another application. Try soft reset of the device, another suggestion is to uncheck the ‘Allow serial or infrared connection to this OCM port check box in ActiveSync Connection Settings as some PCs will have ActiveSync running in the background resulting in locking the serial port.
ArcPad’s Find GPS utility & GPS/Rangefinder Debug tool
Trimble’s GPS Controller utility
GPS Hyper Terminal
Franson’s GpsGate

7. Connections Mobile device to desktop PC External device connections
Mobile Software Deployment, Data Transfer
External device connections
GPS, camera, rangefinder, scanner
USB, Bluetooth, Serial
GPS tools
Find GPS, GPS Debugger, GpsGate
In this section we will talk about connections, and in this context we are referring to physical and virtual connections.
First - there is the connection between your mobile device and desktop PC. These days typically connected via USB cord. There are also Bluetooth and Serial connections between devices and PCs and all can present challenges particularly when you have a new unit you are connecting or perhaps connecting via different method than before or even when you haven’t used your mobile device in some time. One of the challenges I encounter when traveling between Redlands and Charlotte Support offices is related to GPS functionality. Sometimes it can be 20 minutes before the GPS has a fix on my new location.
The other types of connections are external devices connected to your mobile device (laptop and tablet as well) and include GPS units, digital cameras, laser scanner, rangefinders, scanners and then probably the most important connection for any mobile GIS project is connection to GPS functionality. We will demo the top 3 used by Support analysts to troubleshoot and test challenges that users have reported: Find GPS, GPS Debugger, and GpsGate.

8. ActiveSync / Windows Mobile Device Center
Windows XP
Mobile Device Center
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Connect without setting up your device
‘Hardware devices not detected or not working’ – try running Microsoft FixIt utility,
ActiveSync: "Unable to Connect to Mobile Device" Error,
Some Windows Mobile Device Center errors can be resolved by manually killing wmdc.exe in Task Manager and then restarting the application,
Sometimes simply restarting your desktop PC will resolve errors with ActiveSync/Mobile Device Center – particularly if you swap out different mobile devices frequently.
If you are the only person in your office doing GPS data collection on a mobile device then go ahead and set up your device in ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center. If you have multiple mobile devices that you will be deploying projects to then Support recommends that you do not set up the device; instead use the connect without setting up your device option. The first option only allows you to create partnership with 2 units.

9. Find GPS / GPS Debugger
The GPS/Rangefinder Debug window with NMEA 0183 GPS and rangefinder data
Even if you are not currently using ArcPad for GPS data collection you can still benefit from some of its inherent tools. Esri offers trial version of ArcPad – it’s full functional version of the software yet runs for 20 minutes before it will shut down and need to be re-opened to continue working in ArcPad.
From Support Perspective, two of the best functionalities is the Find GPS tool and GPS Debugger. Screenshot on the right shows the GPS/Rangefinder Debug window with NMEA 0183 GPS and rangefinder data
First observation to make when opening the GPS/Rangefinder Debug window is whether any information is being displayed at all.
If NO information displayed in the GPS/Rangefinder Debug window indicates a GPS connection or configuration problem. Problems are caused by any one of the following factors:
Your rangefinder is not turned on or has not been configured to output data in the protocol specified in the Rangefinder Preferences.
The cable connection between your rangefinder and the device running ArcPad may be incorrect. Add a null modem adapter if you are not using one, or remove the null modem adapter if you are using one.
The rangefinder port communication parameters selected in the Rangefinder Preferences dialog box do not match the serial communication parameters set on your rangefinder. For example, your rangefinder may be set to output at a baud rate of 4800, while a baud rate of 9600 has been selected for the rangefinder port settings in ArcPad.
If using Bluetooth, your Bluetooth connection to your rangefinder is not defined correctly. Make sure that you can connect to your rangefinder from the Bluetooth Manager on your mobile device.
if time allows, show quick demo of the Find GPS and GPS Debugger utilities

10. GpsGate Supports Bluetooth GPS receivers
No GPS or NMEA data
Valid GPS data but no fix
Valid GPS position fix
Supports Bluetooth GPS receivers
Supports Garmin USB GPS receivers
Share one GPS with several applications via Virtual COM ports
GPS simulation and logging
GpsGate is 3rd party utility (Franson Technology) but is used my great number of Esri Mobile GIS users and some of the benefits are the ability to run many GPS applications using one GPS, share GPS over networks,, comes with GPS simulator and logging, and more. Has been proven to be very useful for everything from single users to large enterprises.
Tray icon colors and shapes
The tray icon indicates the status of GpsGate. Mobile device screenshot on lower right shows the shapes and colors of the GpsGate icon.
RED - No GPS or NMEA data is detected by GpsGate.
YELLOW - Valid GPS data has been detected at the selected input, but the GPS data has no fix, that is it cannot determine its position (yet).
GREEN - A valid GPS position (fix) has been detected at the selected input. If the tray icon is not green your GPS application will not display/use a correct position.

11. Data Vector Raster Shapefiles Feature classes Basemaps Tables
NEED NOTES HERE –
Supported vs unsupported
Unsupported data types
Unsupported features
Unsupported tables

12. Data Challenges Size Labels Symbology Complexity Data Types
Data Validation
GlobalID
Registered as Versioned (recommended)
There are many challenges related to GIS data when working with mobile GIS projects. Would be good to talk about some here. Most Mobile GIS software doesn’t support all data types, features, functionality that is supported in ArcGIS.
Also, there are additional considerations when talking mobile GIS projects.
Can discuss connected vs unconnected,

13. Check In / Check Out Spatial reference Background layers
Reserved words
Schema changes
Hibernation
ArcGIS license level (relationship class)
NEED NOTES HERE

14. Workflow Order of operations Invalid features
NEED BEST PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS HERE – more generic, not specific software items
Workflow
Order of operations
Invalid features – discuss Validate Features utility (Editor toolbar)
Time out in the field

15. Demo
This should be good time to demo some of the DATA topics just discussed.

16. Project Planning Mobile Geodatabase Best Practices Scope of Project
Enterprise GIS
Mobile GIS
Data Collector
Mobile Geodatabase
GlobalIDs
Versions!
Best Practices
Labels, and Symbology, and Map Extents – OH MY!
Limit data and attributes to what field project requires
Map optimization via Analyze Map tool
(Map Service Publishing toolbar)
Scope of Project
User Interface
Performance
Security
This slide can be used to talk about actual planning a mobile project and link together previous topics such as software with compatible hardware and types & size of data. Also bring up weather, environment, safety, color blindness, field crew knowledge, etc.
Briefly touch on the concept of Mobile Geodatabase and how mobile project shouldn’t be a minimized version of their production projects but instead be separately unique field projects to perform specific tasks in specific areas for best performance.

17. Mission Planning
Mission planning software is a GPS tool that can help determine GPS station availability during project planning. This slide shows GeoSkyII developed by Fugro,
In addition to PC-based GNSS mission planning software, some manufacturers offer “skyplot” charts on their data collectors that provide a graphic illustration of which satellites are in view and which are imminent. This feature is not helpful in planning your work, but can be valuable while troubleshooting in the field.

18. Mission Planning GPS Controller GPS Almanac Planning Software
Trimble’s GPS Controller is a free program designed to allow you to configure a range of GPS receivers,
GPS Almanac
An important “gotcha” is making sure the software is using a recent almanac (within a week or so). An almanac can be downloaded from the vendor-specific receivers (eg. Leica almanac from a Leica receiver) or most of the manufacturers post a recent almanac on their website (from the same web page where you downloaded the software). There is also a generic almanac from the US Coast Guard here. The “YUMA” almanac format is common and accepted by most, if not all, GPS mission planning programs. However, it doesn’t include GLONASS data.
Remember that without a recent almanac, mission planning software will provide the wrong answer.
Trimble’s Planning Software, is a good one and Topcon’s Mission Planning software, and other utilities are out on the Web so do some research to find more information.
The bottom screenshot is sample plot from Topcon’s software using a location of Miami, Florida with an elevation mask of 15 degrees. The horizontal axis on the plot is the time of day on August 11, 2009 (next Monday) from 7am to 6pm. The vertical axis is the number of satellites in view. The purple line is the number of GPS satellites in view. The brown line is the number of GLONASS satellites in view. You can see that in the 9:30a-11:30a window, RTK using GPS-only will not be effective. Using GPS/GLONASS during that time would help significantly and could make the difference between working and not working, adding two to three more satellites (3 minus 1 and 4 minus 1, respectively).
GPS World article on Satellite (GPS, GLONASS, SBAS) Mission Planning

19. Troubleshooting Mobile Issues with Esri Support
Desktop streaming with Support
My Mobiler
Jing / SnagIt
Hardware Inventory
Discuss how we troubleshoot mobile issues in Support and mention we do not always have access to every possible mobile hardware unit needed for testing purposes. There may be occasion when Support asks the reporting customer to provide a specific unit to Support for further testing of the issue further.

20. My Mobiler Mobile device users best friend
View your mobile screen on your desktop PC
Ideal for demonstrating behaviors to your mobile support analyst in conjunction with desktop sharing application
Training and demos
do brief demo of MyMobiler utility & explain how it was used during this presentation and
demo to present the topics covered today on actual mobile device(s)

21. Questions?
Any questions?
That’s a great question….

22. We want to thank you all for attending this presentation/demo.
Enjoy the remainder of your Esri International User Conference! Thank you again.

23. Data Demo
Todd Stuber and Denise King