Floating GPS Device

Floating GPS Device:

Description: A GPS capable smart phone enclosed in a water-tight capsule running the Android/Google app My Tracks.

This device runs the My Tracks app while in the canal. It will track the position that it’s in with the GPS in the phone. The app also tracks how long it is running to calculate the average velocity the device was moving. We compared this device with the past IQP measuring device to assess its accuracy. We found that the data outputted by the app requires correcting for the track to represent the actual path travelled by the device, making velocity measurements from this device somewhat inconsistent. However, the device is effective at depicting the direction that the current is moving; if several devices could be released into many canals simultaneously, the overall flow through the canals at a given time would be represented.

GPS capable smart phone that runs the MyTracks app while inside a PVC capsule in the Venetian canals.

Left: Water-tight, floating capsule for housing the phone. Constructed from PVC pipe and painted fluorescent colors for visibility in the water. Right: Diagram of phone/capsule setup in water