user10159: I am working on a project for my final in a first year programming course at my high school. I would like to make an Arduino based data logging device that I can bring with my on the mountain biking trails around where I live to create a map. I have found a lot of great sources online but I do not have a small budget. I have an Arduino Uno and a breadboard. My first question is whether it is easy to interface between an Uno and my phone for data logging, or if it would just be easier to buy a microSD card shield? And I need help finding a GPS unit. I have no preference and size is not really a problem. I just need to know how to interface with the Uno. Also if you have any links to other sources I can use that would be greatly appreciated!

user10176: I've been looking at the same problem, and there is a lot of new stuff now that may still count as a DIY project, but cut out a lot of the leg-work. 
On kickstarter there are a lot of new boards that can make it easy:
Here is a ready to go GPS tracking band:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blipperbands/blipper-bands-safety-wherever-you-go?ref=nav_search
Spark-IO has a board that gives you 20,000 messages per month, so you could use it instead of a cellphone to send out the data. 
https://store.particle.io/?product=particle-electron
U-Blox makes gps higher-end consumer GPS units that are used in autonomous drones.
There are also a lot of instructables that show how to do the GPS datalogging with while building a drone. These would be small enough and light enough to use while cycling. 

10159: <p>I am working on a project for my final in a first year programming course at my high school. I would like to make an Arduino based data logging device that I can bring with my on the mountain biking trails around where I live to create a map. I have found a lot of great sources online but I do not have a small budget. I have an Arduino Uno and a breadboard. My first question is whether it is easy to interface between an Uno and my phone for data logging, or if it would just be easier to buy a microSD card shield? And I need help finding a GPS unit. I have no preference and size is not really a problem. I just need to know how to interface with the Uno. Also if you have any links to other sources I can use that would be greatly appreciated!</p>
 10176: <p>I've been looking at the same problem, and there is a lot of new stuff now that may still count as a DIY project, but cut out a lot of the leg-work. </p>

<p>On kickstarter there are a lot of new boards that can make it easy:
Here is a ready to go GPS tracking band:
<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blipperbands/blipper-bands-safety-wherever-you-go?ref=nav_search" rel="nofollow">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blipperbands/blipper-bands-safety-wherever-you-go?ref=nav_search</a></p>

<p>Spark-IO has a board that gives you 20,000 messages per month, so you could use it instead of a cellphone to send out the data. 
<a href="https://store.particle.io/?product=particle-electron" rel="nofollow">https://store.particle.io/?product=particle-electron</a></p>

<p>U-Blox makes gps higher-end consumer GPS units that are used in autonomous drones.
There are also a lot of instructables that show how to do the GPS datalogging with while building a drone. These would be small enough and light enough to use while cycling. </p>
