topic Re: Field Maps Offline Areas Transforms Hosted Feature Layers to WGS84 in ArcGIS Field Maps Questions

Field Maps Offline Areas Transforms Hosted Feature Layers to WGS84

VinceE — Wed, 05 May 2021 19:46:33 GMT

I have field teams that frequently need to take map areas offline while using Field Maps to collect data. I have found that once a map is set up to be taken offline, the hosted feature layers within that are editable are converted to WGS84--meaning, after the collected field data is synced, and then exported to a File Geodatabase, the spatial reference for this data will be WGS84.

To be clear, these layers were originally published in our State Plane coordinate system (except the basemap, that's WGS84), and I do not have this same experience when using live syncing (NOT taking the maps offline). In cases where cell service is decent, and we don't need to set up maps as offline capable, the exported feature layers seems to maintain the original State Plane coordinate system that they started with when published.

Can anyone confirm that this is expected behavior, and/or if there is a workaround? My guess as to what is happening is that an offline device cannot manage complex coordinate system transformations on the fly, so everything is transformed into Web Mercator once a map is "offline enabled."

Re: Field Maps Offline Areas Transforms Hosted Feature Layers to WGS84

AdminWPZ — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 12:55:53 GMT

I can't confirm that this is expected behaviour but it happens to my data too. I messed up a replica and now I have two versions of the data base with different coordinate systems that I need to merge.

I wonder if you're found a solution / workaround?

Re: Field Maps Offline Areas Transforms Hosted Feature Layers to WGS84

VinceE — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:20:10 GMT

Never did unfortunately, just had to manage any data that was collected “offline” differently than the live stuff.

Re: Field Maps Offline Areas Transforms Hosted Feature Layers to WGS84

AdminWPZ — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 05:48:29 GMT

That's a shame, it could be such a great tool.

Re: Field Maps Offline Areas Transforms Hosted Feature Layers to WGS84

VinceE — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:00:04 GMT

Agreed, Field Maps was mostly great, but the offline areas were ALWAYS touch and go when I had field teams using them in poor service areas, which made using them a real pain. I haven’t supported field teams in a little while, it’s a shame to hear the application still isn’t completely reliable.

edit: At the bottom of this page, there are still tons of links to folks experiencing issues creating offline areas, so looks like Esri still has some work to do.