What a new ArcGIS Creator needs to know, from a Creator

silvera — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 18:39:42 GMT

With ArcGIS being a steep and long learning curve, I wish there'd been a Creator at the start 2 years ago to tell me (a Creator) what I needed to know about ArcGIS Online and mobile apps. This article is for people who have IT skills but not in ArcGIS or GIS.

So below is a helpful summary for you, put simply, of what I've picked up since then. Hope it helps. Took me a day to put it together!

A) ArcGIS terminology

Layer = database table, but with a xy(z) co-ordinate in every record.
Table = ditto, but without co-ordinates.
Feature = a record containing co-ordinates, and any other fields that you want. Example: a tree.
Repeat = relational record. Available in Survey123, but not (easily) in QuickCapture.
Map projection = WGS84. Various others exist, but we use this one by default. Important to stick to it consistently.
Co-ordinates = usually 2D, else 3D (x y z), or linear position (m) along a path (e.g. a water pipeline). E.g.: a GPS location.
Co-ordinates format: best to use decimal format (so 2D is e.g. "51.00 0.50"),
XLSForm = spreadsheet containing the configuration text for more sophisticated Survey123 surveys. Created for you, by ArcGIS Survey123 Connect application on the desktop. You then edit the spreadsheet in Excel or similar. XLSForms is not used anywhere else in ArcGIS, but it is the industry open standard for electronic forms.

B) Major Platforms

There is a choice:

ArcGIS Online (AGOL) = cloud GIS, where all our data is stored. Is mainly basemap's (e.g. satellite map) overlaid with our captured data. Everything GIS under the sun can be done here. Made as simple as possible to use, which still leaves it a powerful but complex beast to manage. We use AGOL all the time. Owned by an "Organization" (us), and must have at least one Administrator. Login here.
ArcGIS Enterprise = private on-premises version of AGOL. We don't need it. A "nightmare" to manage!
ArcGIS Pro = desktop version, works with AGOL and/or Enterprise. Can do more sophisticated data transformations than AGOL can, and AGOL can do very many. We hardly ever need Pro, except to e.g. create quite special versions of maps, etc.

C) Field Survey Mapping Apps

i) There is a choice of field survey apps, all of with which end users create mapping data on AGOL, offline. Some apps can also display existing data, and some can also update or delete it. I.e. full CRUD.

ArcGIS Field Maps - our project manager uses it, so that they can see all surveyors' surveys. Use one of the other two survey apps for input, and this one (or ArcGIS Dashboard) for output (= reporting).
ArcGIS QuickCapture - for issue reporting. E.g. public footpaths, etc.
ArcGIS Survey123 - for longer survey forms. E.g. hedgerow condition, etc.

All the above three have web designer sites, for creating surveys. Essential to use them.

For Survey123 there is also a more advanced designer called Survey123 Connect (on PC not Mac). I use it all the time.

ii) There are two deprecated apps, gradually being incorporated into Field Maps this year (2023). All useful functionality:

ArcGIS Navigator - Esri's own sat-nav, it can be called from any of the above three mobile apps, or from a custom URL.
ArcGIS Workforce - worker & task despatch from the office. Workers in the field can view & update data.
For awareness there are even older deprecated mobile apps, but they've already been incorporated into Field Maps (Collector, Explorer, & Tracker).

iii) All ArcGIS mobile apps can run on almost every device, and reliably so, which makes BYOD very easy: Android, IOS, Windows, and more.

D) Overview of QuickCapture mobile app

Why QuickCapture?

i) QuickCapture has:

Simplicity: very simple app for end users, by design.
Rapid 1-button capture. Screen has a choice of different buttons to press, each customised to the task in hand. E.g. public footpath issues.
Photos: can be viewed before submission, optionally.
Map: not available on app's main screen. A down side!
Con: I find it scary to set the various permissions of a layer(s) correctly yourself! In contrast, Survey123 silently takes care of all of that for you.

ii) In comparison, the Survey123 mobile app:

Starts simple, but can go as sophisticated as you like! We have 200 lines of code (LOC) in Excel (for a hedgerow survey app).
Insists the end-user fills in a form first, which is then submitted. So it's not 1-button app.
The developer has a choice of Web Designer (very functional and helpful), or the sophisticated ArcGIS Survey123 Connect software on PCs. I was forced into using Connect, to meet some user requirements, e.g. Repeats, etc. If you have a Mac, then run Connect or Pro on Parallels for Mac - I do and it all works amazingly flawlessly.

iii) In comparison, the Field Maps mobile app:

Is a halfway house, as its forms are fairly limited compared to Survey123's, but it's a proper form compared to QuickCapture's 1-button.

E) Reporting

There is a wide choice (even wider than shown below) of ArcGIS tools to view your survey results. It's a case of picking the right tool for the right job. All of these use simple drag-and-drop, no coding at all (unless you want to with Connect or Arcade).

ArcGIS Dashboards - quick & simple to create using drag-n-drop, displays e.g. surveys on a background map, and your choice of statistics and graphs. Works a treat, presenting our results to the public.
ArcGIS Field Maps - take your live maps and survey results into the field offline. Displays those for you, at your current location. End-users like this!
ArcGIS Hub Basic - posh web-site creation. Also, Hub Premium enables you to engage with your community of end-users much better, including free QuickCapture licenses, but it requires an extra license fee c.$1k per user per year.
ArcGIS StoryMaps - single web-page to tell a story well. You write your story, interspersed with maps of your surveys, graphs, and photos. Very popular with Creators, and readers!
ArcGIS Experience Builder. A much more sophisticated version of StoryMaps really.

F) ArcGIS Pro Basics

ArcGIS Pro is the standalone desktop equivalent to ArcGIS Online, with which it integrates very well. For newcomers it is very, very daunting to know how to tell it to do anything, unless perhaps you've used QGIS before.

i) How to edit data in ArcGIS Pro:

Microsoft Windows -> ArcGIS Pro -> Sign in -> Home -> New Project -> Start without a template -> Catalog -> Portal -> My Organization ->
1. Search -> (your topic).
2. Filter -> Item Type -> Layers -> Feature Layers -> (your topic) -> right click -> Open Table
3. Edit -> Save (cmd-S).
4. See Editing in ArcGIS Pro.

G) Developer Training

There are great tutorials on the "Resources" tab of every app's product page, e.g. QuickCapture etc.
Much later on, for a heads-up on planned new features and fixes, consider registering free as an Early Adopter. There's always serious new functionality in the pipeline, only c.2-6 months away, which I find it useful to know of. E.g. 'SmartAssistant' for AI auto-identification of objects in your photos, etc.

H) Technical Support

Support: Unlimited professional technical support is included. They're excellent - very knowledgeable and helpful! If necessary, they don't hesitate to escalate your issue to the appropriate specialist.
Access it: only via an Administrator, who then logs in to MyEsri.
Priority response: unfortunately we don't have this, so Esri UK can take up to 3-4 days to look at your support ticket.

J) Software Licenses

i) Licensing can be very simple. Either:

Buy 1 x Creator, annually, and get unlimited Survey123 surveyors free. Amazingly cheap overall!
Or buy 1 x Creator, and as many Mobile Workers as you have surveyors, annually. 'Mobile Worker' license adds QuickCapture and all the other c.5 mobile apps.

ii) There are a few licensing rules to consider:

A single user licence, 'Creator', gives access to the vast majority of ArcGIS. Includes AGOL, and the creation of apps. Only advanced data analysis etc. costs extra, e.g. ArcGIS Insights.
A surveyor gets a cheaper licence, 'Mobile Worker'. QuickCapture surveyors will need one each.
Survey123 is the exception, users get it free. It's built for Citizen Science, and being ArcGIS it can and has scaled up to literally millions of users without a murmur. Only the Survey123 developer requires the 'Creator' license.
Credits = covers usage fees. Only needed for a few types of activity, including storage, and for extra GIS functions such as advanced data analysis. Each Creator or Mobile Worker user gets c.200/year credits by default anyway. Can buy more credits.

K) Conservation Discount

Most environmental organisations are conservation non-profits (and UK), so qualify for Esri's huge discount.

L) Rollout

Tutors: you’ll need one or more, who have experience of training people in an app (e.g. Survey123). However QuickCapture end-users should not need training, as it's so simple and intuitive. We found that to be true.
Unlock device: Your staff may need their devices unlocked by your IT Support, to permit installation of ArcGIS apps (e.g. QuickCapture, Survey123, Field Maps, etc.). Some companies lock devices, and some don't.

Issue 1, 17 December 2023, Adrian Silvertown, Dedham Vale National Landscape (formerly AONB), UK.

Re: What a new ArcGIS Creator needs to know, from a Creator

JohnCodd — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:55:54 GMT

@silvera Great start! Keep refining what you have and adding to it. Maybe consider putting and/or moving this in the BLOG section. ArcGIS Online.

topic Re: What a new ArcGIS Creator needs to know, from a Creator in ArcGIS Online Questions

What a new ArcGIS Creator needs to know, from a Creator

Re: What a new ArcGIS Creator needs to know, from a Creator