Trace your fields, or use your GPS to instantly calculate field area

ExpertGPS calculates field acreage down to the square foot. Instantly. Without any calculations or complicated math on your part. Just click and draw. Or upload waypoints or track logs from your GPS. All you have to do is download the 30-day trial of ExpertGPS and follow these simple step-by-step instructions below.

SH asks:
I have 174 waypoints coordinates and I would like to calculate the area of the farmland based on those coordinates. How do I do that using GPS Expert?

Calculating Area of a Farm Field Marked with GPS Waypoints

Click Receive from GPS on the GPS menu in ExpertGPS. All of your GPS waypoints will be shown on the map. Use the Route Tool to connect the waypoints marking the corners of your field.

Show the Area of your Field

On the View menu in ExpertGPS, click Show Route List. Then click Select List Columns. Add the Area column. ExpertGPS displays the area of all of your fields.

Converting between Acres, Square Feet, and Hectares

To convert the area calculated by ExpertGPS between acres, square feet, hectares, or another unit, click Preferences on the Edit menu, and click on the Units tab.

Download ExpertGPS, and Calculate the Area of your Fields Now!

Download the free ExpertGPS demo and follow these simple step-by-step instructions to calculate the acreage of your land and fields.

John B. writes:
I'm mapping a 160 acre oil field water flood project, trying to map as best as possible the trench routes between the 45 or so oil wells and the 30 or so water injector wells, and the pumphouse.
In trying to do the best possible job, being able to pick up as many trenches as possible on aerial photography will be a big help. Already, with the trial version of ExpertGPS, I can see some of the main trenches.
My question is, is the photography in the trial version from Google Earth? Or, what would be the best photography to check for recent coverage and the highest resolution?
I am going to purchase ExpertGPS, GIS version. After getting this oilfield map done, there are 20 plus sections of leases to topsoil sample on a tenth of a mile grid. It is fantastic, to have zoomable aerial photo and topo coverage, and gridding ability, with automatically generated gps points, not to mention tracks. This is going to save alot of time over the method I was using; putting a plastic grid over the laptop screen to manually mark waypoints, using Topo software. Thanks for making a great product!

ExpertGPS Pro features USGS 1:24000 topo maps and 1 meter/pixel aerial photography for the entire US. These maps come from Microsoft's TerraServer-USA. In addition to the nationwide TerraServer USA imagery, ExpertGPS also has more recent half-meter color orthophotos (aerial imagery) for select US areas. The image to the right shows ExpertGPS color imagery outside Galveston, TX.

You have several options for viewing higher-resolution imagery in ExpertGPS:

1. You can use the View in Google Earth command (F7) in ExpertGPS to instantly view the corresponding aerial imagery in Google Earth.

2. You can use the View Online command (F5) in ExpertGPS to bring up a Web map of any point you mark on the map. The ExpertGPS.com online viewer has links to several mapping sites, and shows a detailed color image like the one below:

3. Most states have free high-resolution color orthophotos that you can download on their state GIS Web sites. I've written several tutorials on how to make maps using free orthophotos from your state GIS with ExpertGPS Pro.

Mike G. uses ExpertGPS to research abandoned railroads in Northeast Pennsylvania. Here he reviews ExpertGPS as a historical map research tool:

The main reason why I tried out this program, and purchased it, is because one of my hobbies is abandoned railroad research. My area has a large network of abandoned railroads since at one time the coal industry was "king".

Looking at present day Topo maps and even ariels are limited because most of the old ROW's have been erased or are broken up by development. There is a site that has historical USGS maps which is very helpful to trace out these once busy lines, but is limited. The single most reason I purchased this program was the ability to take a historical USGS maps and integrate them and make them more GPS accurate. Already there are a few relics from a former railroad line that could not be identified until I overlayed the map onto my GPS data. I maintain a website with my findings and the example of how this program solved a mystery can be found here.

Andy D. writes:
I have a Garmin 205W and stumbled on your webpage for ExpertGPS. It looks like an interesting package, and one that may make good finacial sense to me. I am currently taking my private pilot exams, and rather than pay $1000 or more for an aviators GPS I've bought the 205W. What I would like to do is take aviation maps (these are available to Google Earth) and map certain 2-Dimensional shapes (polygons, circles and points) as a layer to my 205W. These would represent airspace restrictions and navigations aids (beyond the list of VOR and airport POI's that are already available). Could I ask whether your tool would make this easier for me, and if so what is the workflow involved? Your screenshots all suggest aerial maps, but I want to use charts.

ExpertGPS can import KML files and GIS shapefiles containing restricted airspaces and other aviation data, and display it over scanned charts or digital charts in JPEG, PNG, or TIFF format.

There are plenty of pilots who use ExpertGPS as a pre-flight planning tool, and as a post-flight analysis tool. Ultralight and experimental aircraft pilots, in particular, rely on ExpertGPS to view their exact flight path over the ground, analyzing how efficient they are in their turns, and checking their rates of descent.

So there are lots of aviation uses that ExpertGPS can help with. I'd hesitate to recommend you use a Garmin Nuvi 205W as a flight instrument or replacement for an aviation GPS, however. For starters, the Nuvi 205W and other Nuvi 2xx series GPS receivers can only display waypoints - they can't record or display a GPS tracklog.

More importantly, the Nuvi is designed for automotive use, not aviation. It has no way of audibly alerting you when you stray into restricted airspace. It doesn't display hazards and navaids like a dedicated aviation GPS does.

Having a GPS in the cockpit can provide some useful information after you land. But I'd save my money up and purchase a dedicated aviation GPS like the Garmin GPSMAP 496 if you're serious about using it in flight. (And even then, it's merely a backup for your primary navigation aids and chart-reading skills)

You can find more information about displaying aviation charts in ExpertGPS in the ExpertGPS Help file. I'd also recommend asking other ExpertGPS users on the ExpertGPS Users Forum for recommendations for aviation GPS receivers and using ExpertGPS as part of your flight planning toolset.

Bob R. writes:
Hello, I have the trial version of your software. What I want to do is: 1. Create maps with downloaded images from Google Earth-for 1/4 of the state of Iowa (Approx 100 miles square. 2. Use the laptop in an airplane with a GPS connected. 3. Have Expert GPS show me where I am right now with an Icon, etc overlaid on the Google Earth images. I am doing this on a MacBook Pro running Boot Camp and Windows XP Pro. The software and hardware recognizes the GPS (Garmin 396 Aviation version) I am not sure whether your software is targeted at creating maps and images or at actually tracking position and path in real time. Thanks!

ExpertGPS will be able to handle this. The Tracking feature in ExpertGPS turns your MacBook Pro (or any other laptop) into a huge moving-map display, so you can track your progress across Iowa.

The Retrieve Maps tool in ExpertGPS will let you download all of the topo maps and aerial photos for Iowa and preload them on your hard drive, so they are instantly available when you're flying or driving around without an Internet connection. I've written a tutorial about downloading and preloading maps to your hard drive using ExpertGPS, which explains exactly how to do this.

Once you've got your maps preloaded, you can disconnect your Internet connection and use the Tracking feature to plot your position, current heading, speed, and distance to your destination.

Dale writes:
My application requires that I measure the areas of various land use types within a given project area. I had problems when I tried to append a particular shape of one land use to another shape of a different land use. I had to leave a gap to keep things from getting messy. I think I have that issue resolved by assigning each land use type to a different layer. I also had problems when I placed a node off location. I could not find a way to 'grab' the node and move it to the correct location (feature request). Deleting the shape and re-drawing it is a pain.

There are a couple techniques you can use if you are drawing filled objects that need to mesh right up against each other. If they have straight sides (not curved like a river centerline), it might be easiest to draw them using the route tool, and then convert the routes to shapes after. This is because the route tool automatically snaps to waypoints as you draw. So if you are drawing agricultural fields, and put waypoints at all of the field boundaries, as you use the route tool to "connect the dots" you'll get routes that align perfectly with the adjacent fields.

As you begin to draw a new route, ExpertGPS might show a + cursor, meaning that is going to extend an existing route. If this isn't what you want, hold SHIFT to override this.

You can move nodes to a new position by selecting the waypoint at that node and using the Move Selected tool to move it to a new position.

Once you've got everything in place, select the routes and click Convert to Shape on the Tools menu. You can then delete the routes and waypoints.

If you need to make changes to shapes, it's possible to do so. Click once with the select tool to select the shape, and then drag a selection rectangle over the node you want to move. It should be highlighted in magenta. Now switch to the Move Selected tool and drag to the new location.

Bill G. asks:
I see that I can enter my hunting areas with expert GPS and did see some farm capabilities. How easy is it to put fence lines and gates on the maps? Can I pull in a Google Earth image and draw directly on that? Can I add and remove layers? example, maybe I don't want to see the deer trails, can I hide them and then view them again later? Thanks for your help!

It's as easy as pointing and clicking. You can trace fence lines directly off the aerial imagery of your fields. ExpertGPS does have a Layers feature, but even easier is to simply hide the data you want to temporarily remove from the map. Select the data, right-click, and Hide. When you want to see it all again, click Show All on the Edit menu.

The View in Google Earth command in ExpertGPS allows you to view your GPS data (waypoints, routes, and tracks) over the detailed color imagery in Google Earth. To use the command, open a GPX file in ExpertGPS, or retrieve the data from your GPS. Press F7, or click View in Google Earth on the View menu. ExpertGPS will instruct Google Earth to synchronize its map to match the map in ExpertGPS, and to show your GPS data.

If Google Earth is not already running when you click View in Google Earth, it may not show your data because it is busy initializing. To prevent this, run Google Earth and let it finish initializing and zoom in on the globe. Then click View in Google Earth in ExpertGPS.

You can also export your data from ExpertGPS to a KML file, which you can then view in Google Earth. Click on the map in ExpertGPS, and then click Export Data on Map on the File menu. Change the file type to .kml, and save to your desktop. Open the KML file in Google Earth.

ExpertGPS cannot display Google Earth's worldwide color imagery directly. Google's terms of use forbid this. You can, however, export an image from Google Earth and use it as a Scanned Map in ExpertGPS.

The ExpertGPS help file has complete details about preparing and geo-referencing your maps for use within the program.

Related Topics Adding a Google Earth image to ExpertGPS

David B. asks:
I'm looking for software for our deer camp. I want to make a map of all of our deer stands on about 3000 acres by giving the latitude and longitude coordinates of our 60 deer stands. Will ExpertGPS do this for me?

ExpertGPS makes it easy to create a map of your deer camp, allowing you to enter the coordinates of your hunting stands by hand (using the New Waypoint command), or by retrieving waypoints marking stand locations directly from your handheld GPS receiver. You can create your map over USGS topo maps, color or black and white aerial photos, scanned paper maps, or digital images or photos of your property.

In addition to marking the locations of deer stands, food plots, rub lines, or other hunting points of interest, you can use your GPS to record tracklogs as you drive around the property in your truck or ATV, and turn those GPS tracks into roads, trails, and property boundaries using the drawing and map editing tools in ExpertGPS.

Once you've created a map of your deer camp or hunting lease, you can share it with others in your hunting group. ExpertGPS can send the waypoints and tracks you draw to every Garmin, Magellan, or Lowrance GPS you might own. ExpertGPS can print out color maps to carry with you into the field, or you can export a huge bitmap image and take it to Kinko's and have them print out a wall-sized map of your hunting property. You can even order custom maps of your hunting property from mytopo.com with your ExpertGPS map data printed right on them.

Because ExpertGPS lets you switch between topos and aerial photos with a single click, it's a great way to perform virtual scouting on your hunting property, letting you quickly find new areas to put up deer blinds, establish food plots, or that you'd like to investigate on foot. And if you carry a digital camera along with your GPS, ExpertGPS will automatically place any photos you take directly on the map when you get back. This is a lightning-fast way to record buck rub lines or your wildlife observations on your hunting lease.

Related Topics Hunting with ExpertGPS map software Hunting map tutorials

Drew S., a rancher in West Texas, asks:
I am a rancher in West Texas. I need mapping software that can print out maps for planning use on the ranch. This is what I need it to do:
1) import GPS routes to create roads and boundary fences and fields (using Garmin GPS 76), and waypoints.
2) The ability to edit the roads or to freehand a road or line on to a Nat. Geo. Topo or to aerial photos or to USGS soil survey maps.
3) Save different maps for each year (where deer blinds where in past years).
4) Use editing tools to mark, name and use symbols to identity areas on the map.
5) Be able to print out a map using my home printer.
Can your software do all this?

Yes, ExpertGPS will be able to do everything you're looking for in a ranch mapping software product. ExpertGPS will retrieve the Garmin waypoints and tracklogs you record around your ranch, marking roads, fences, and fields. ExpertGPS has a bunch of built-in styles so you can give all of the gravel roads on your property a different look than the paved ones, and you can color-code your fields based on crop type or any other attribute.

You can create roads by driving them with the GPS in the truck, or you can draw them in freehand with the Track tool in ExpertGPS, using the aerial photos for reference.

In addition to the built-in aerial photos and USGS topo maps in ExpertGPS, you can add your own scanned maps - I've written detailed instructions on calibrating a scanned map which will allow you to view your USGS soil maps or any other map of your ranch in ExpertGPS.

ExpertGPS stores your data in GPX format, which is the standard format for exchanging GPS data. If you want to compare deer blind, deer feeder, and scouting locations from different years, just save each year's data in a different GPX file. You can view any GPX file over any map in ExpertGPS, so it's easy to compare changes in deer behavior and sightings and place your blinds accordingly.

I've written a paper on using ExpertGPS, your Garmin GPS receiver, and your digital camera to build a photographic map of deer sign or any other data you'd like to collect on your ranch.

ExpertGPS makes it easy to add GPS data, photos, and your own notes to any map - there are tools for drawing directly on the maps and adding symbols and markers. Any map you create can be printed on your home printer, or you can export a huge (8000x8000 pixel) image file to send to a print shop to make a wall-size map for your ranch or hunting lease.

Download the 30 day free demo of ExpertGPS and give it a try. If you have any questions about using ExpertGPS for ranch mapping, hunting, or mapping your property, I'm always here to help.

Kevin C., a hunter from South Dakota, asks:
I have a Lowrance XOG and would like the ability to save maps of Walk In Areas and School Lands from the State of South Dakota's website with the following link: http://arcgis.sd.gov/Website/sdGIS/Data.aspx
Will your program allow me to convert these maps to my XOG so I can see these boundaries similar to how I currently view park and city boundaries.
If so, could I get a step by step instructions on how to save these to a SD card? Any help would be greatly appreciated

South Dakota and many other states put their public and walk-in hunting maps, WMAs, and other vital hunting information on their state GIS Web sites. You can use the GIS import features in ExpertGPS Pro to view all of this public hunting data over topo maps, aerial photos, or your own scanned BLM or other paper maps.

Download the hunting layers you need from your state GIS Website, and make note of the projection information given for each file. In this case, the South Dakota hunting map data is projected in UTM, Zone 14, WGS84 (or NAD83) datum. You'll need to add that coordinate format in ExpertGPS if you're not already working with it. Click Preferences on the Edit menu, switch to the My Coordinate Formats tab, and add UTM, WGS84.

To import the hunting data, click Import on the File menu in ExpertGPS, and select the .shp file that you downloaded and unzipped. (You may need to change the file type selector at the bottom of the Import dialog to show Shapefiles). The Import Polygons dialog will appear - this is where you select the projection used (UTM) and specify the UTM zone (14 North). You can also choose which fields in the shapefile are mapped to the Label and Description of the tracks you create in ExpertGPS. Click OK, and you'll have all of the Walk-in Hunting areas in South Dakota overlaid on your ExpertGPS maps.

Sending Hunting Boundaries to your GPS

There are almost 4000 walk-in, public, and state-owned hunting locations in South Dakota. Your GPS doesn't have enough tracklog memory to display all of them. What you can do, is to use the topo maps and aerial photos in ExpertGPS to scout out the areas where you'd like to hunt, and send these few property boundaries to your GPS.

After you've identified a promising public hunting location, use the Select tool in ExpertGPS to click on a shaded boundary. Hold the Shift key, and keep clicking to select adjacent properties. Right-click, and click Copy Tracks. Create a new file, and Paste the tracks. Now you've got a smaller, more manageable file which you can refer to when planning your hunt. To transfer the property boundaries to your GPS, just click Send to GPS on the GPS menu. Since the Lowrance XOG stores its data on an SD memory card, ExpertGPS will prompt you to save your hunting waypoints and the tracklogs defining the land boundaries in a .USR file on the SD card. Place the SD card back in the battery compartment of your GPS, and use the menu command on the GPS to load the data from the card into the main GPS memory. (Consult your manual for the exact command - each Lowrance GPS is a bit different).

Be sure to print out a topo map from ExpertGPS showing the land boundaries and the terrain. If you print out a UTM grid over your map, and switch your GPS receiver to display its current location in UTM (rather than lat/lon), it's easy to keep track of where you are in the field by referring to the grid lines on your printed topo map.

By combining the wealth of freely-available GIS data from your state GIS and fish and game departments with the mapping capabilities of ExpertGPS Pro, you've got a powerful tool for scouting new public hunting areas and ensuring you'll have a successful hunt. Best of luck this hunting season!