Beta-testing of Android cave surveying app Abris

chupakabra

New member
Fellow cavers,

We are looking for your help in beta testing of Android cave surveying app Abris. Together with my husband we are developing app that is aimed to help cavers do all the surveying work on their devices - no more paper and pencil in the caves  ;)
If you are interested, please join our testers group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/abris-testers
 

chupakabra

New member
Yes, it's for real.

Here is an extended elevation of recently surveyed cave done in Abris. This is what was drawn directly in the cave:

526339_509745715766123_2024664190_n.jpg
 

graham

New member
Looks good and I gather that it is compatible with input from a Distox.

What tablets do you run it on and how do you protect them from water mud and dust while underground?
 

chupakabra

New member
graham said:
Looks good and I gather that it is compatible with input from a Distox.

What tablets do you run it on and how do you protect them from water mud and dust while underground?

Thanks Graham!

Currently, Abris doesn't support Bluetooth pairing and direct input from DistoX.

We used Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, it's a 4.5" phone and Kindle Fire. Samsung was used in a vertical cave, so I put it in a zip-lock bag and attached to myself with a small cord. Didn't have any problems with touch response of a phone in a bag, just make sure it's tightly wrapped.

Kindle was used in its leather cover - the cave was dry.
 

Ouan

Member
I have successfully used a DistoX bluetoothing to a Samsung Galaxy Ace phone running TopoDroid. The cave was short and dry so the phone was not protected.
Didn't try to draw a sketch on the phone as this is very fiddly on a small screen with a fat, sweaty, finger and you can't get as much detail in the sketch when drawn on a PDA/tablet compared to paper and pencil. It was useful to see the survey centre-line drawn to scale and not having to type the survey data into the surveying program removed the risk of transcription errors.
 

sluka

New member
I tested TopoDroid on Panasonic Toughbook B1. It is not a cheap solution, but it is investment to many years, I hope. The communication with DistoX is without any problems. But the TopoDroid is too complicated for real use. I prefer the PocketTopo from Beat Heeb a final redrawing in the Therion. PocketTopo is simple as possible and as fast as possible. There is a complication with numbering of stations - the special Toporobot method - but it is quite easy to understand.

I'm waiting now for Android version of PocketTopo or Abris to be able to export data for Therion.

The two steps sketching is much faster than to try to make final map in cave. And the time in a cave is important, not the time in front of a display!
 

graham

New member
Have never seen TopDroid, though am very familiar with PocketTopo (and Martin, isn't the station numbering think fixed now?) but either way, I have the confidence that the caving world has the programming ability to get this part right. I agree with Martin that the PocketTopo (or Abris?) combination with Therion is a very powerful tool.

What we really need is a decent robust replacement for the PDA for the data collection and initial drawing in the cave.
 

sluka

New member
graham said:
Have never seen TopDroid, though am very familiar with PocketTopo (and Martin, isn't the station numbering think fixed now?) but either way, I have the confidence that the caving world has the programming ability to get this part right. I agree with Martin that the PocketTopo (or Abris?) combination with Therion is a very powerful tool.

What we really need is a decent robust replacement for the PDA for the data collection and initial drawing in the cave.

Check the B1 - variant without G3 isn't so expensive compared to others waterproof  solutions. The display hasn't the digitiser, but you may use finger on other hand (or capacitive stylus). And it is armyproof!
PocketTopo: I worked several years with Toporobot, so I may continue. :) And in Therion each numbering is part of particular survey...
 

chupakabra

New member
We have publicly released our app Abris!
In addition, we have launched dedicated site where you can find manual, link to Abris on Google Play and read about ways you can help us.  :beer:
 
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