XMap does nicely import ESRI .shp files one by one. Fire perimeters from several of last years fires came in very detailed without the need for intermediary .gpx files. Names did not come through very well. DeLorme says there is a way to transfer names and all files at once using their Enterprise XMap server. I’m investigating with the team.

There is a msg on our newsgroup about using Mobile ESRI in Australia, so I talked with Russ Johnson of ESRI. ArcGIS from ESRI is not yet a standalone moving-topo package, so it doesn’t yet replace DeLorme or Maptech. It might help translate .shp files, facilitate communications and coordinate data. Russ was an ATGS for five years and is very interested in finding a way to help.

I was told about SingalLink from TigerTronics for transmitting photos to the ground over VHF radios. It’s a Ham radio thing. Two small boxes (~$100 ea) have been tested transmitting over normal radios at a distance of 12 miles line-of-sight, and 60 miles over a repeater. Speed/baud rate is not very high, and the noise on the radio can sound awful, but nice photos will transmit point-to-point in around a minute. This may take some special testing and setup. I'm hoping Tom Bagwell will have a sample configuration at the Sacramento ATGS refresher in two weeks.