Rigorous Independent Testing
Before new equipment may be included in a BPA, the USFS subjects that equipment to rigorous testing. Each handheld computer must meet established physical, operational, performance, environmental and communication standards. These standards aim to minimize downtime while in the field and to maximize employee productivity.
Field crews operate in demanding outdoor environments. So crew equipment needs to withstand extreme operating temperatures and wet
conditions. Given the cost of collecting data can sometimes exceed the cost of a handheld, with a great deal of
work in remote areas, hardware reliability and longevity are crucial.
The USFS’s extensive laboratory conducts environmental testing on rugged equipment to assess the device’s ability to operate in extreme hot and cold operating temperatures as well as its water ingress protection (IP), shock resistance, battery life and other operational parameters.
The Workabout HDS met all USFS standards.
Forestry Data Collection Applications
The USFS has developed several in-house applications for the Workabout HDS, and authorized employees may download those via the USFS Intranet. Custom-built applications streamline internal processes, reduce errors during field data collection, and seamlessly integrate with back-end systems including FSVeg and
Cruise Processing for the generation of accurate and detailed timber volume reports, insect damage reports and vegetation cover reports.
To develop its software applications, the Forest Service relies on a small team of programmers, graphic designers and interface experts along with the tools and guidelines included in the Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK.
Because the SDK is standardized, applications are extremely stable and consistent across several different hardware
platforms.
Available in-house applications include:
- The FSCruiser application that gives foresters the ability to gather tree information on-the-go using their Workabout HDS
- The FSVeg application that collects and stores data about trees, fuels, down woody material, surface cover and understory vegetation, which is then used to make diagnoses, determine stand treatment needs, and develop detailed silvicultural prescriptions
A Promising Partnership
An exhaustive investigation was conducted by the USFS into the handheld computer marketplace prior to selecting the Psion Workabout HDS based on a feature set combining performance and expansion capabilities within a rugged Windows Mobile platform. Its design is ideal for
the diverse group of field users. Handheld Systems Inc was awarded the contract because the company
represented the best value to the government in terms of technical capability, past performance and price.
Mike Berg of Handheld Systems Inc stated: “We are thrilled and honored to have been awarded this Blanket Purchase Agreement, which exemplifies the exceptional relationship we built with the U.S. Forest Service over several decades. The award further substantiates our corporate focus on providing the highest quality products, services and support to forestry and natural resource professionals worldwide.”
About Handheld Systems Inc
Handheld Systems is a leading provider of rugged handheld computers and is an Authorized Itronix/Husky and Psion Gold Business Partner. The company has provided high-quality rugged handhelds and support services to businesses worldwide since 1994.
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