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SITE FIX USER'S GUIDE v379

What Is SITE FIX?

Site Fix is a LabView application that allows the user to collect GPS data, display and calculate the ship's position in real time. In addition, it provides utilities to create a Report for the Operations Superintendent.  Fixes can be loaded again and fixed if necessary. We currently have two versions of SitFix (see below).

v344v379

Start Icon



Click and launch the program. Depending on the PC's memory, it may take a few seconds for the application to appear as it allocates memory space for the data.

The GPS Connect dialog box will open. Here you set the IP and Port numbers which are necessary to connect the WinFrog application's GPS data services. If everything has already been set up, you should be able to hit OK. (All settings are held in a configuration file and loaded the next time you run the program)

When OK is clicked, the connection is verified and the dialog box closes; otherwise, you'll get a TCP timeout error. There are several issues that can cause an error and before you can resolve the problem you need to understand how the Site Fix application gets its GPS data from WinFrog.


WinFrog GPS Data Service

First, make sure that WinFrog is running? Assume the network is ok.
No WinFrog > no data > no site fix.
Second, which WinFrog is running?
We have two PC's which can run the WinFrog application and each has a different IP addresses: WinFrog #1 = 165.91.72.122 and WinFrog #2 = 165.91.72.124. These numbers aren't written in stone and can be changed by the MCS, so if you are not sure, double check the Winfrog I/O Device window. In this window select one of the two Site Fix devices and in the display below you'll see the IP address and port number, write these down. Yes, there are two WinFrog devices setup in WinFrog and that means two separate instances of Site Fix can be ran at the same time.
Third, do you have the right port number?
On any particular Winfrog computer, all of the TCP-IP devices will have the same IP address; what separates a particular TCP-IP device from the others is its port number. Another easy error to make is connecting to the wrong device by typing in the wrong port number. Site Fix won't complain but there is no guarantee that the data has the correct format and that the position will be calculated correctly.
Fourth, has the I/O device been configured to the vehicle?
If you can connect without errors and you are on the right port number but the GPS data is not updating, chances are the I/O device has not been configured to the vehicle in WinFrog.
The I/O devices must be configured by the Underway Techs (aka LOs, who are nice guys but prone to excessive grumpiness).

After clicking OK and connecting successfully to WinFrog, the Datalog File window will open.

Data Log File Setup

Site Fix collects, calculates and displays a large volume of data while maintaining a real time connection with WinFrog. This can be tricky at best and can really bog down if your PC is not up to snuff. To take some of the burden off the processor, GPS data is collected processed, stored in a data log file and then removed from memory. Only the graphical position information is maintained in memory. While this protects against crashes and guarantees data recovery, it necessitates that the data in memory and data log file be kept in sync.

No site fix can start without a data log file.


Name conventions:
Datalog filenames can be anything BUT BY CONVENTION we use the Site-Hole designation such as "U1234B.dat". Data log files are organized under Expedition folders. Again these folders can be named anything BUT BY CONVENTION we use the expedition designation "334S". By default, the Expedition folder and filenames are used in the report header.


To select an existing data log file:
Select the folder in Expedition Folder/Expeditions list box, select the data log file in the Track/Hole File/Holes list box, and click the Done button.

To create a new Expedition folder:
Click either the New Folder button or double click inside the Expedition Folder list box and enter the expedition name in the dialog box that appears.
To create new data log file:
Click either the New File button or double click inside the Track / Hole File list box and enter the Site-Hole name in the dialog box that appears.

To create a new Expedition folder and/or create new data log file:

Double click inside the Expedition Folder list box or the Holes box and enter the expedition/hole name in the dialog box that appears.

Please don't add the ".dat"; the program will take care of adding the extension. It will cause problems.
Click Done, when you have made your selection.

Data log files can hold a little or a lot of data. If it is of the latter variety, it may take a few seconds to load. These data log files are your backup files should you have to close down and reopen the program.

Main Application interface



The informational display

  • The WF, REC, GPS, HDOP, LOG and ERR are status displays.
    • A green WF indicates that Winfrog is connected;
    • A green REC indicates that you are currently recording; otherwise it is gray;
    • GPS blinks green every time it receives data from WinFrog (roughly once per second);
    • HDOP will be green when the GPS's HDOP value is equal to or better (less than) the requested HDOP filter value. We normally set this at 3 but if you want higher quality data you can set it around 2, below this value you filter out almost all of your fixes. The HDOP light will turn orange if it is out of range and the data received from WinFrog will be ignored.
    • LOG will blink green every time it logs a value. The rate is set by the user's wait value. Also, the HDOP filter will prevent a log event.
    • ERR will turn red when an error occurs. Occasionally this will happen with a glitch in the communication cycle. Site Fix will set ERR red and ignore the error and continue on its way. Most errors clear themselves. If the red ERR stays lit, you need to find out what is going on so that you can correct the problem. To do that check the box and the error window will open with error number and message.
  • LAT and LON show the current position of the ship.
  • mLAT and mLON indicators show the current location of the vessel based on the mean of the processed fixes. The LAT and LON values are followed the "d: n.nn x E-n". This "d" is the delta (in decimal degrees) between the current and previous mean positions. Small is good, E-6 at least.
  • CNT shows the number of fixes that have been processed.
  • HDG shows the current ship's heading.
  • UTC shows the current GPS's date as UTC.
  • EXP, HOLE, and Datalog File indicators show the values set in the Data Log Setup window.
  • WF IP shows the WinFrog IP address and port in use.
  • Dist To Mean: The distance in meters from the current vessel's position to the mean of the processed fixes.

The user settings

Avg: set the maximum number of fixes to average for the site fix. The program will collect up to this amount and then start to discard the older values. Recommend: 20,000
Wait: This is the time in seconds to wait between processed fixes. This isn't the same as the sampling rate which is the sum of the time to receive data, process time and the wait period. You can collect as fast a 1 second but it is recommended that you set this value between 15 and 60 seconds. Depends on how long you plan to stay on site.
HDOP: Set the HDOP filter value (see above).
From Mean: Same as Dist To Mean (see above) and will be deleted in future versions.


Function buttons

Paused / Recording: Click to start recording, button turns green. Click to pause, turns gray.
WinFrog Connect: Opens the WinFrog TCP-IP connection dialog box (already explained at the beginning).
Edit Data: Opens the Site Fix Editor utility
Clear All Fixes: Does exactly what it say and blows all of your data away and cleans the slate. You get a chance to change your mind but if you confirm ther is no recovery.
Re-Calc Center: Recalculates the mean position. This should be used after editing data.
Data File: Opens the Datalog setup window.
Get Reports: Prints and saves the excel file report of the fix. This is what you hand to the Operations Manager.
Quit: …quits


Miscellaneous Information



From and To: The dates spanned by the data.
Pending Cmds: Shows the number of user commands waiting to be processed. Each time you click a button a command is queued. If this number grows then you application has locked up so stop clicking buttons. If the value does not get smaller then you have locked up. Time for CTRL-ALT-DELETE
Queue Size: The number of pending GPS fixes to process. If the number is growing, then increase your Wait value. If the number continues to grow you may be locked up.
Datalog Size: This is the number of records stored in the data log file and should equal the CNT value.

Graphical Display

 

The blue circle is 10m diameter about the mean. It may look like an ellipse, but that is because the graph is auto-scaling. Ship's heading controls: Zoom and pan. The graph auto scales the data each time a GPS value is processed. To use the Zoom and Pan control you need to pause data collection.

Histograms


NONEThe histograms displayed in SiteFix v379 are representative of the amount of data accumulated versus time. The mean/max/Gaussian Center marks show up in the graphical display as well. They represent the fit based on the distribution of probability (over the values of LAT/LONG.

Edit data


Did the ship move to a new site and no one told you? Do you only want fixes during a specific time period (from Spud-In to POOH)? Then you'll need to edit your data. To open the Site Fix Editor click Edit Data.

DISCLAIMER: If you are working with a very large dataset (20,000+ fixes), and your computer has limited memory and/or processing power, you may be in for a frustrating experience and may have to CNTRL-ALT-DELETE your way out. Be patient and don't start clicking buttons if the interface is non-responsive. Those clicks are being recorded and will eventually be acted on making you wait even longer. Click once and wait.

Working With Dates and Time

On the left side of the window there is a text display of the data. The site fix numbers are not related to the WinFrog site fix number. These are just indices (1,2,3,4..) and are used when you want to work over a specific time period. Just find the fix number of the starting date/time and the end date/time and type them into the controls below and then click.

Wait while the program finds and highlights the data in the graph. Click

Wait while the data is deleted and the remaining data is re-ploted. Reapeat as necessary and then click to return to the Site Fix main window. Don't forget to click Re-Calc Center button before making a report.

Working with the Graphical Display
In the Graph on the right you will see two yellow cursors that define the corners of a yellow box that you will use to select data on the graph.
Click and drag one corner at a time, release and wait for the program to highlight the data within the yellow box. Move the other cursor and do the same until you selected the data you want.

Now you have a choice..
To delete the data you highlighted, click

To delete the data you did not highlight, click

Repeat above until you are left with the data you want and then click

Made a mistake ?
To undo all of your changes, click

REMEMBER once you click your changes are comitted and there is no recovery!
…wait one minute, there is a way. Before you edit make a copy of your datalog file first.
Datalog files are stored in C:\Site Fix-DATA\ARCHIVE\"expedtion"\"hole".dat
A future feature to add.



Print/Save a Report




To make a site report click Get Report/Print & Save Report. And the Site Fix Report window will open. In the window:

  • Select your printer
  • Set the number of copies to print
  • Make sure Expedition and Hole values are correct, change if necessary.
  • v344: Select the folder to save the Excel report to.
  • v344: Select one of the following actions: 1) save/print or 2) print only or 3) save only.
  • Click the Print/Save button
    The Excel application will open and the data will be transferred into a pre-defined template, printed and saved.
    The excel template is saved in "C:\SITE FIX\Report Template" and is named "SITE FIX.xltx". No template file and Excel will throw an error. The Site Fix installer will create the folders and place a copy of the file here. If the file is lost, it can be retrieved from SVN folder "JRNav-SITE FIX-HDG" (see a developer for help)
  • Select your printer
  • Make sure Expedition and Hole values are correct, change if necessary.
  • The file is automatically saved on C:\SITE FIX\EXP
  • Pick 'Plot Marks and Waypoints' Yes/No and 'Use Mean or Use Modal Fix Values'.
  • Click the Print Report button

Report and storage


Site Fix reports are saved to the folder "JR1:\data1\1.5 Ops Navigation\Site Fixes".


Distance from the current position to the current meanCurrent GPS Position and HeadingCurrent GPS HDOP valueConnected to WinFrogData Log File pathRecording is activeCurrently reading a GPS fixNo errorsData Logging ActiveWinFrog IP and PortHDOP acceptableUTC time of FixMean positions & deltaExpedition and HoleNumber of records processed

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