Aquatic Weed Control Program
With California's beautiful and plentiful waterways, it comes as no surprise that recreational boating is a popular leisuretime activity, contributing $13 billion to the economy annually. But safety concerns have brought this pastime under the jurisdiction of state and federal law covering required equipment and safe and legal operation. Over the years beginning in the 1950's, aquatic recreational trends have become topics of interest, from water-skiing to fishing to windsurfing to personal watercraft operation.
Challenge
Find a portable computing device that could be used for the State of California’s Aquatic Weed Control
Program and would withstand varying weather conditions, constant movement and be easily transferred
from boat to boat.
Solution
The Xplore iX104c2 is a rugged portable tablet PC that is designed to withstand the stresses of adverse
weather, varying locations and multiple users.
Benefits
The devices can be easily transferred between boats, have GPS capability and
allow the agency to reliably run their proprietary weed control application.
The Aquatic Weed Control Program run by the California Department of
Boating and Waterways (CDBW) is responsible for maintaining the state’s
water quality while protecting native plant species throughout the region.
However, fighting invasive non-native plants is a constant battle for the agency
as the plants threaten to clog public access to the waterways used for both commercial and
recreational boating. To fight this battle, the agency has partnered with Portable Computer Systems,
Inc (PCS) to implement technology that tracks unwelcome plant life and preserves water quality.
CDBW was tasked with finding a portable computing device that would withstand the wet and variable
conditions found on the agency’s boats. The units needed to be durable, as many field workers use
them, and easily transferred between different boats as well as between the boats and desktop
docking stations. CDBW determined that the Xplore iX104c2, a tablet PC with built-in GPS capability,
would fit their needs. Designed to be rugged, the iX104c2 is durable against drops, dust, rain and the
extreme temperatures found in mobile environments. GPS communications with embedded antennas
means that no protrusions exist that can catch on other objects. Finally the large display is easy to
view, but small enough to be carried around in the field. Although the agency had located a suitable
hardware solution, they still had the challenge to find a partner for sourcing, docking design and
on-going service and support.
PCS, a computer reseller with vast expertise in mobile data applications including wireless products for
in-vehicle was brought in to procure the devices chosen by CDBW. PCS also designed the mounting
solutions necessary for the agency’s boats as well as a desktop docking station for uploading information
once it was gathered from the field. A total of eight boats have been outfitted with the Xplore
solution; each device runs a proprietary weed control application. The PCS team continues to
collaborate with the agency as they continually look for ways to keep technologically current.
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