ArcGIS Field Maps

ArcGIS Field Maps includes web and mobile apps integrated with ArcGIS Online that allow users to perform field data capture and editing, find assets and information, and report real-time location information.

Field data is data collected outside of a traditional controlled workplace setting like a laboratory or office (Fulcrum 2023). There are often situations in research, business, or government work where you may need to collect field data that includes a geospatial component. Some research examples of field data collection include:

This tutorial will demonstrate the use of ArcGIS Field Maps for field data collection.

Field maps architecture
ArcGIS Field Maps architecture

Capture the Data

Create the Feature Layer

ArcGIS Field Maps collects data and adds features to feature layers. To create a new feature layer in ArcGIS Online:

  1. Go to your ArcGIS Online Content page.
  2. Select New Item and Feature Layer.
  3. On the new layer page, click Data to add fields.
Creating a feature layer for field maps data collection

Create the Map

The data collection form will be based around a map with the feature layer for the new data.

  1. From your ArcGIS Online Content page, select Map.
  2. Select Add Layer and add the layer you created above.
  3. Save the map under a meaningful name (Minn 2023 Quad Monuments).
Creating a data collection map

Create the Form

You will use the data collection map and feature layer to create the form used to capture data.

  1. From your Content page, select the map to show the information page.
  2. Select Open in Field Maps Designer.
  3. If the map is not immediately available as an option, Click the Maps link and select the map you created above. This step may fail to open the editor on some browsers and you may need to try another browser.
  4. Click the Form icon to open the form editor and select the data collection layer.
  5. Drag the fields into the form that you wish to be available during data collection.
  6. Click the floppy disk icon to Save to map.
  7. Adjust the sharing as needed. If you alone will be gathering data, Private is the best choice.
  8. Copy the Share with link.
  9. E-mail the link to your cellphone.
Creating the field maps form

Collect the Data

  1. On your cellphone, install the free ArcGIS Field Maps app.
  2. Install the app
  3. Turn on location services (GPS) on your phone so you can collect location data.
  4. Turn on location services
  5. Open the app and sign in with ArcGIS Online.
    Sign in to ArcGIS Online
  6. Find the collection map in the list and tap it to open the map for editing (Minn 2023 UIUC Quad Memorials).
  7. List of available maps
  8. Go to the location where you are collecting data and tap the plus sign (+) to add a new point.
  9. Button to add a point
  10. Fill out the form with the available data.
  11. Fill out the fields
  12. If desired, take a photo for the point.
  13. Take a photo
  14. Tap the check mark at the top of the form when you have entered the needed data. Depending on your cell connection, the submission may take a few seconds, especially if you have attached a photo.
  15. Submit
  16. If you wish to edit the information or location for an existing point, you can tap the point to show the data, and tap the edit button (the pencil) at the bottom of the screen to reopen the editing form.
  17. If you want to update the location, tap Update Point.
  18. Submit

Edit the Data

If needed, you can use the data collection map to review and edit the submissions.

  1. On your ArcGIS Online Content page, open the collection map.
  2. Click on any points you want to remove or modify.
  3. Click Edit at the top of the pop-up and remove or modify the point.
Edit the data

Use the Data

Map the Data

You can use the layer with collected data on a map that you can share with others.

  1. From your ArcGIS Online Content page, select Map.
  2. Add the feature layer.
  3. Click the Properties icon and disable editing.
  4. If desired, Change Style for the dots (POI, Flag).
  5. If you want labels, click ellipsis (...), choose Labels, Add label class, select the desired field for the label (Person), and change the the styling if needed.
  6. Click the ellipsis (...), choose Pop-ups, and adjust the Fields list, and Select fields to show only the needed fields.
  7. Click the Save icon, select Save As, and save the map into your ArcGIS Online content under a meaningful name (Minn 2023 Quad Monuments Public).
  8. If needed, change the Sharing of the map to Public if you want it to be visible to people outside your organization. If you share with the Public you will need to disable editing on the feature layer so your data is safe from being accidentally or intentially changed by someone without authorization.
Mapping ArcGIS Field Maps data in ArcGIS Online

Using Collected Data in ArcGIS Pro

Because the data is stored in a feature service, that data can also be used in ArcGIS Pro for analysis or print mapping.

Creating a Print Map in ArcGIS Pro

Export Data

If you need a snapshot of the data at any particular time, you can export the feature service data to an Excel or CSV file from the feature layer information page under Export Data.

Exporting ArcGIS Field Maps Data

Dashboard

An ArcGIS Dashboard can be used to create a cleanly structured user experience.

Dashboard

Other Apps

ArcGIS Collector is a deprecated app similar to ArcGIS Field Maps. A variation on the assignment above using ArcGIS Collector is described here.

ArcGIS Survey123 is a similar but somewhat less flexible browser-based form-centric data gathering solution. A variation on the assignment above using Survey123 is described here.

Survey123

Collaboration

When you have multiple users gathering data for the same data set, there are a number of techniques you can employ to address security and improve the quality of the captured data.

Groups

To avoid the security risk of sharing editable forms with Everyone, you should create a Group containing the members of your data capture team and adjust the sharing of your collection feature service, map, and Field Maps form with that group.

Groups in a portal

Domains

A domain in ESRI software is a range of acceptable values that a field is allowed to contain. Domains are useful for constraining users from inserting invalid or erroneous fields when performing data entry or capture.

Categorical Domains

To add a domain to a text field and make it a categorical variable:

Adding a categorical domain in a portal

Numeric Range Domains

To add a domain to a numeric field, go to the Data page and Fields view, select the variable, and edit the Minimum / Maximum values.

Adding a numeric range domain in a portal

ArcGIS Pro Domains

If you publish your collection layer from a project geodatabase or enterprise geodatabase in Pro, your published layer will inherit the domain(s) you configure in the geodatabase.

Domains and the steps for configuring them in geodatabases are described more fully in this help page on how to Create and manage domains.

Domains in ArcGIS Pro

Standardizing Columns

Standardizing fields refers to the process of conforming the names, data types, and domains of fields in different data sets so that they can be readily compared or combined.

If you will be collecting data in separate feature services that you then merge into a single feature service, you will first need to standardize your data fields.

You may also want to add a field that distinguishes the original source of the data. This can be used for symbology or analysis if the different data sources represent different things, or if you just want to be able to trace back the original source of the data when debugging problems.

For example, assume you have a team collecting data on buildings and a team collecting data on trees in a neighborhood.

Building_ColorParking_SpacesCollection_Time
Blue5811:25 5/20/2024
Blue3811:26 5/20/2024
Yellow1511:29 5/20/2024
Yellow5911:40 5/20/2024
Tree_CountBuilding_ColorCollection_Time
9Green10:25 5/20/2024
3Blue10:32 5/20/2024

Standardized columns for combining the data sets could be as follows:

CategoryBuilding_ColorCountCollection_Time
Parking_SpacesBlue5811:25 5/20/2024
Parking_SpacesBlue3811:25 5/20/2024
Parking_SpacesYellow1511:26 5/20/2024
Parking_SpacesYellow5911:29 5/20/2024
Tree_CountGreen910:25 5/20/2024
Tree_countBlue310:31 5/20/2024

Quality Control

Quality control (QC) is "an aggregate of activities (such as design analysis and inspection for defects) designed to ensure adequate quality especially in manufactured products" (Merriam-Webster 2024).

Some factors to consider in QC for field data include:

Quality control of attributes can be performed by viewing the attribute table. Quality control of locations can be performed with a web map.

Attribute table

Export Features

You can use the Export Features tool to copy collected data into a project or enterprise geodatabase.

Attachments are photos or documents associated with captured data.

Export Features

Merging Feature Services

Once you have standardized your column names, you can use the Merge tool in ArcGIS Pro to merge data from multiple collection feature services into into a single collective feature service.

Merge will preserve relationship classes and attachment tables.

Merging features

Experience Builder Dashboard

ArcGIS Experience Builder is a web app available through ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS that can be used to build interactive web applications based on geospatial data without writing code.

You can use Experience Builder to create a dashboard that allows users to interactively explore the attributes.

  1. Publish and map the data. This example data contains a Category attribute for the type of location and a Technician attribute for the technician who collected the data.
  2. On your Content page, select Create app and Experience Builder.
  3. Configure the map.
  4. Add charts.
  5. Add a Legend widget.
  6. Add a Filter widget if you wish to allow the user to isolate specific categories.
  7. Add a Header to the Page.
  8. Add the actions
  9. Publish
Experience Builder categorical dashboard