This thesis describes in detail how a mobile Geographical Information System (GIS) was designed, implemented and evaluated for the prevailing circumstances of a land regularisation project in Lesotho in Southern Africa. The GIS was developed as an application for the Android platform, primarily with the tablet-computer format in mind, to be used for land registration field work.
The main purpose of the paper is to determine whether an adhoc mobile GIS solution can improve the efficiency of the field work as well as the integrity of the data collected in the field work of the land regularisation project in Lesotho. The aim is also to evaluate the performance and usefulness of modern tablet computers in this context.
The application was developed and tested on site in Lesotho on two tablet computers borrowed from Samsung Electronics AB in Sweden. After the development phase, the solution was later implemented on tablet computers of a different model for the remainder of the land regularisation project in Lesotho.
The design process started with a field visit where the work-flow of the project was analysed. From this a needs analysis were formed together with the management staff on site that served as a base for the development process. The development and implementation was then performed with continuous communication and evaluation with the personnel of the project. As the development progressed, the solution was also tested and evaluated continuously in the field work.
Not only did the solution perform well both software- and hardware-wise, despite strong sun from high altitudes and lack of internet connection in Lesotho, it also exceeded the expectations of the staff. The solution significantly improved the work environment for the field workers of the project and the efficiency was raised, according to the evaluation. A unified management staff concludes in the evaluation of this paper that they will consider using tablet computers together with an ad hoc application for the field work of their next project.
Source: KTH
Authors: Bronder, Axel | Persson, Erik