1. Collector for ArcGIS uses the GPS in your phone/mobile device. This is
designed for high accuracy and is actually retrieving the location information
from satellites to place your location on the map.
2. The Locate Me/Find my location button in the web application templates in
ArcGIS Online is derived from the browser. Your results may vary based on your
connection type, Internet Service Provider, physical location, network, and
browser.
This limitation is documented in the help here under #3. http://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/use-maps/view-maps.htm
Here is what is happening behind the scenes:
Geolocation through a browser is dependent on the browser you are using and the
settings within the browser. Google Chrome and Firefox, both use the Google API
to geolocate. What happens is, when you visit a location-aware website, the
browser will ask you if you want to share your location (or you will need to
allow it in the settings). If you consent, the browser gathers information
about nearby wireless access points and your computer’s IP address. Then the
browser sends this information to the default geolocation service provider,
Google Location Services, to get an estimate of your location. That location
estimate is then shared with the requesting website.
According to Firefox: " Accuracy varies greatly from location to location.
In some places, our service providers may be able to provide a location to
within a few meters. However, in other areas it might be much more than that.
All locations returned by our service providers are estimates only and we do
not guarantee the accuracy of the locations provided. Please do not use this
information for emergencies."
According to Google location services: " Google, as a location service
provider, uses publicly broadcast Wi-Fi data from wireless access points, as
well as GPS and cell tower data. Only publicly broadcast Wi-Fi information is
used to estimate the location of a device."
I also found the following article that explains location services well &
may be helpful for better understanding: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/how-google-and-everyone-else-gets-wi-fi-location-data/1664
You can try configuring your machine as an access point location for the Google
Location Service to see if that improves accuracy. The following Help Document
provides the steps: https://support.google.com/maps/answer/1725632?hl=en
With that being said, the Find my Location button is not designed to use GPS
from your device or machine and the accuracy of the results is something that
you would need to follow up with Google.
If you would like to post issues or enhancement requests for the GeoForm
application, you can create a Github account and share them here: https://github.com/Esri/geoform-template-js/issues
Alternatively, you can completely customize the application by downloading the
source code and writing your own changes. You can download the zipped
application here: https://github.com/Esri/geoform-template-js
Then you can host it on your own web server and make any changes to create your
own custom application.
Hopefully, the information above will help make more sense of the differences
you are finding between the two ways to collect data. Please do let me know if
this addresses your questions or if I can be of any further assistance. The
best way to reach me from here is by replying directly to this e-mail. Thanks
so much, Mijung & I hope you have a great weekend!
Julia
Esri Support Services
