Kalu Yala Internships has purchased a Garmin etrex 30 GPS unit to be used for intern projects and the mapping of the jungle property in Tres Brazos, Panama. We plan to integrate the unit into projects for all three current Kalu Yala-based intern programs: Biology, Agriculture, and Outdoor Recreation.
During the last stint in Kalu Yala, I started obtaining the UTM coordinates of important features in the area. In addition to its usefullness in navigation, it provides many benefits for planning and for the mapping of Kalu Yala. My goal is to create a digital map using ArcGIS that includes many of the important features.
Things to map (now and in the future):
-rivers (Iguana, Pacora, tributary)
-roads
-route to San Miguel
-the water system
-all of the trails
-trees (fruit and lumber)
-outdoor recreation park and zipline
-swimming and fishing spots
There is also an enormous amount of environmental applications for the GPS.
Here are just a few more:
-calculate the area of each crop and total area of land used for agriculture
-monitor agricultural productivity of certain crops or certain parts of farm
-collect water and soil samples and correlate them to gps locations
-analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of soil and water characteristics
-mark UTM coordinates of rare jungle plant species or medicinal plants
That’s all I have for now, but anything you can think of is a potential project for the GPS.