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Your device is not sending valid NMEA. Using Android location services to determine your location.

AnnVanSlembrouck

We are receiving an error when using the Collector for ArcGIS on Android Galaxy J7.

Our app worked on our older android phones, but since the phone upgrade, we are receiving this error, when trying to find our location on the map.

Anyone else experience this or have a solution?

Thanks!

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Kylie

Hi Ann -- I believe what you are seeing might be a message, not an error. Are you still seeing your location on the map after you see that message? Please check out Why am I receiving a message titled No valid locations when I use a device with an integrated GPS receiver?

AnnVanSlembrouck

Thanks Kylie, it is very inconsistent. One or two Android phones will show the correct location, and then a couple others will not.

Looks like it has to do with the phone and not the app.

Anonymous User

Kylie is correct, it is a message and not an error.

GPS receiver support—Collector for ArcGIS | ArcGIS

SteveTaylor7

This relates to a Collector bug with the integrated receiver which sometimes leads to a failure to find a location. Occurs in Android 7 on Samsung S7 as well. Triggered when location services switches between GPS only and WiFi or mobile data. The fix is to close the app completely and reopen. Then integrated receiver finds position quickly and accurately.

Anonymous User

I have a support case open with this issue, but I cannot reproduce. I am asking the customer for a video of the behavior before we move forward.

DanAllen

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 (US Verizon), and use Collector regularly. I updated the App to version 17.0.1 (June 5, 2017) this morning, and now every time I open Collector, I get the error message "collector for arcgis your device is not sending valid NMEA. Using android location services to determine your location". I have never received this message on this Galaxy S7 prior to the June 5, 2017 update. My location does show on the map, but it is giving me an accuracy of no better than 20 feet, instead of the usual 10 feet.

If I switch my android location settings to "phone GPS only", I did not get the error/warning message the first few times, but now I get the message even with my phone set to GPS only.

I have closed and reopened the app about 30 times, and I get the message every time now.

Any workaround https://community.esri.com/community/gis/applications/collector-for-arcgis?sr=search&searchId=175311e9-cb58-4c3c-93f0-82046cd3e545&searchIndex=0‌

DougMorgenthaler

Hi Dan-

Typically when you receive this message it is because the NMEA sentences output by the GPS on the phone are not valid, so we fall back to using the location services API.

Can you share what version of Android you're currently running? Have you recently installed any OS updates?

SteveTaylor7

All our Samsung S7 With Android 7 devices are now getting the NMEA bug and location issue. Even after the two recent Collector app updates. As I have said before the issue does not occur with other apps using the phone GPS. It is clearly a Collector app bug.

SteveTaylor7

DanAllen

In addition to my S7 I fired up my old Samsung S5, with a 6 month old version of Collector, no error. I updated it to version 17.0.2, bam, NMEA error message. I did some troubleshooting and it appeared as though if I opened collector inside, I would get the NMEA error most times. If I went outside in the open, opened Collector, then immediately tapped to open a map, I would always get the error. If I went outside, opened Collector, then let is sit for 15 or 20 seconds before opening a map, I wouldn't get the error, sometimes. I also found that the very first time I opened a Collector Map after a phone restart, I almost never received NMEA message. After that first time though it was a crap shoot if I would receive the NMEA error.

Also, it is my understanding that if you tap the GPS status button in the bottom left and only see 4 fields, then you are only using the android location services. If you see 8 fields, then you are using the NMEA location. Sometimes I would see 4 fields, even though I did not get the NMEA message. If mine showed 4 fields, I would get accuracy of about 19 feet, and it would not match my location on the aerial very well. If I got 8 fields in the gps status, my accuracy would drop down to 10 feet, and my location would by much closer to where I was actually standing on the aerial.

I even went so far as doing a hard reset on my S7 to see if that would fix the issue, but it did not.

Perhaps collector is doing the same thing it always has, but the tolerance for the error message was lowered?

MiaogengZhang

Most of other applications uses location service to access the location. The location can be from GPS/Wi-Fi/Cellular.. The approach of Collector Android is different. It is trying to access deeper level of Android system and talk to GPS directly via NMEA. If it fails to use NMEA message, it will show the message and use location service instead.

Here are two things I notice:

1) in several consumer Android device, it doesn't honor NMEA standard strictly. For example, the maximum characters for one sentence is 82 characters, but we will see much more characters in some sentences from those consumer Android device.

2) Compared with Android Collector 10.4.2, the message prompts more often in Collector Android 17.0.1 or 17.0.2. We are aware of this issue.

I have created an issue internally to revisit this message behavior and see if we can improve the tolerance of those NMEA messages.

SteveTaylor7

It is not just a NMEA warning message. There is a intermittent bug associated with this resulting in Collector not updating the location. This is a significant issue as it is happening on all our Samsung S7 and S7 Edge running the latet Android OS. Some prompt action is warranted.

DanAllen

I can't say I've noticed Collector not updating the position. When it uses the android location services instead of the NMEA, it just seems less accurate. Can you describe your map setup, environment your using it in, and what happens when the intermittent suspected bug happens? I can certainly try to duplicate on my S7. Have you tried switching your device to phone GPS only in Android/settings/location to see if that changes what you think is a bug?

Dan

SteveTaylor7

Hi Dan

Jade from esri Australia has opened a case because other unrelated users are experiencing the same issues I have described: "This does appear to be an issues with Samsung phones. We now have record of this occurring on Samsung, S7, S7 Edge, S8 and Note."

SteveTaylor7

Noticed something interesting Dan. If you open Collector then close. Then switch to aeroplane mode and reopen Collector the integrated receiver works fine. No NMEA warning and full location details in the integrated receiver - vertical as well as horizontal accuracy. Then if you turn off aeroplane mode and open Collector you get the NMEA warning and occasionally the integrated receiver bug appears resulting in no location fix. Odd.....

SteveTaylor7

This NMEA warning is now occuring on all our latest Samsung S7s that run the latest version of Collector. They are also intermittently failing to get a location fix. The only remedy is to flick out the app to completely close it and reopen it. Very frustrating for our Rangers and other field staff. This issue was first reported 2 months ago.

Anonymous User

Steve,

Is there a model number for the galaxy you and your field staff are using?

This link should help. I recall working with some people in Australia that had this issue where the location could not update, but we could not reproduce. As stated earlier, development is aware of the NMEA message issue on Android, just not the issue with the location failing to update.

List of Samsung Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge Model Numbers | TechBeasts

DanAllen

I get the NMEA message on startup on my Galaxy S7 (US Verizon), my Galaxy S5 (US Verizon), and my Google Nexus 7 Tablet (wifi). All of these devices were used with Collector for a long time with no NMEA warning messages, until the last 2 collector updates, not they all get the message all the time.

Dan

Anonymous User

Dan,

You do not have issues with Collector failing to update location, correct?

SteveTaylor7

Hello Dan

We get the NMEA warning and occasional the integrated receiver bug on SM-G935F variant of S7 edge. Also on the S7s. Collector version 17.0.2 build 1028. Android 7.

MarkWisniewski

Yes very frustrating to go out into the field only to find I can't actually use Collector for mapping on my Samsung s5 because of this NMAE error. I also had Collector working before the latest update.

SteveTaylor7

Try flicking Collector app out to fully close it. Then reopen. Or another work around is to open another app that uses GPS like Back Country Navigator or similar. Then reopen Collector. This may get you sorted till esri fix the NMEA warning and intermittent location bug.

KarenFolger

Same thing on a Galaxy Note 10-2014. Starting another GPS app then coming back to Collector seems to help but definitely annoying.

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