Theodolite is a navigational app that combines GPS, geo-overlay movie/photo camera, map, inclinometer, compass, rangefinder, and NAV calculator to turn your smartphone into a viewfinder, on which time data and geographical data, including altitude, compass heading, GPS elevation, and GPS coordinates, are overlaid. Theodolite allows you to shoot videos and still images that include all the data that you’re currently viewing on your screen. You can add a custom description of those videos and photos for easy reference in the future.
With a compass and a built-in map, Theodolite features navigational capabilities. You can use the app to know your elevation/altitude, orientation, and position. However, the app’s other permaculture applications are perhaps where it shines. Besides allowing you to perform survey measurements, this app allows you to measure landmarks, paths, slope angles, and elevation. Slope angles are important especially when it comes to
what to plant. For instance, very steep slopes are suited for planting trees, especially those with deep roots.
Theodolite also allows you to visualize and measure various other things, including floodplain elevations and water levels, which prove essential in understanding your watershed. Alternatively, the app can be used to visualize rows and property lines when planting trees and installing fences, respectively.
As mentioned in the beginning, Theodolite also allows you to take georeferenced photos. As a permaculture farmer, you will naturally be inclined towards exploring the world – looking for fertile soils for farming, locating wild fruits, etc. As you explore the natural world, you will definitely find places or things of interest that are worth returning to. Theodolite allows you to mark their locations on its built-in map for reference purposes.