TOPIC:

Im at one of the BIA's training and we got to talking about Rico Cameras. I think this device would be perfect for our cemetery crew, except we need good accuracy for the headstones. I was told I could use bluetooth to piggyback the GNSS reciver from my GeoExplorer 7x to have better accuracy on the Rico camera? Is it possible? Is it worth it? Is there a better way?

Yes, the Ricoh series of GPS Cameras have the ability to not only use their optional on board GPS but they also have the ability to receive NMEA GPS from any GPS receiver over Bluetooth. So it is completely possible to configure the Trimble Geo7X to send NMEA data out over Bluetooth. The NMEA data being sent over Bluetooth from the Geo 7X is the corrected data meaning that it is the full accuracy of the Geo 7X in real time (same as what you would receive on the Geo in real time). In this workflow the Geo is simply supplying the GPS data and all of the work is done on the camera. So once connected in a nut shell the user is taking pictures. The Ricoh does have the ability to collect up to 20 attributes all through the camera interface. Which way is better for collecting data the Geo vs. pairing it to the Ricoh? That all depends on the end user. The camera is easy to use and does deliver a better picture. However all of the tasks can be done on the Geo without the need of the camera. This is assuming you are trying to get high accuracy of course. Since the camera can have its own on board GPS (2 - 5 meter accuracy) the camera stand alone does have some real benefits.