Collector with no basemap

[NicolasGIS]

Hello,

We are trying to create a mobile GIS application using Collector mainly to use it offline.

The problem is that we would like to export a wide range of buildings' plans organized as a matrix in an arbitrary reference system.

For this reason, using a basemap is useless.

But it seems like it is mandatory to have a basemap to use Collector for ArcGIS (and ArcGIS Online), isn't it ?

So we tried uploading a cached basemap layer by doing it as light as we could (2 Go) so that it could be stored on an IPAD.

We added the basemap with features layers we are interested in and created the WebMap with offline mode enabled.

The thing is, our matrix is very wide but not high and though you can cached a rectangle of a map in ArcMap, you cannot download a rectangle of a map using Collector : it has to be square. As a consequence, we are ending up with total weight of more than 2000 Go ! Good luck to store that on an IPAD! I guess Collector is caching white background when there is none, as our cache is only 2Go big?!

Has anybody ever faced this problem and came up with a solution?

Thanks in advance,

Nicolas

[RussRoberts · Accepted solution]

The app requires you have a basemap. The basemap drives the projection of the operational layers. Can you create a tpk and sideload it onto the device and let the app use that basemap for your offline maps?

Russ

[NicolasGIS]

Great ! Did not know this was possible. Should have read the doc more carefully.

I just have one problem though. Once offline, the research configured does not work anymore. Could it be linked with the tpk ?

Cheers,

Nicolas

[RussRoberts]

I might have missed something but what isn't working anymore?

Thanks!

Russ

[NicolasGIS]

The search tool based on the attribute of a layer is not working anymore.

It is working when I am using the app online but once I have downloaded the data, the same research has no result. And I am sure that the entity I am looking for has been downloaded !

[RussRoberts]

That should be working offline. Can you share your map with Collector4ArcGIS and i'll take a look. A sample of a search would be great too.

Thanks

Russ

[NicolasGIS]

All right. I just invited Collector4ArcGIS to join the group in which you can find :

- The web app

- The .tpk file that I copied on my Ipad and use as basemap when downloading the data

- The feature layer used for the research.

A sample of a research would be "1-R" which is the cell the most on the left (talking left not West as it is a matrix with no proper coordinate system).

Also, there a bookmark to find cell "1-R" as you can easily get lost in this WebMap (and that is why the research tool is so important !)

Thanks in advance for your investigation !

Nicolas

[NicolasGIS]

Hello Russel,

I did some tests and in fact it does not seem to be linked with the tpk file but more with the feature layer.

I cannot identify what is wrong with it. What is strange is that the research is working while online but not anymore when offline.

Do you have any idea where could the problem come from ? Did you receive the invitation to the test group ?

Thanks in advance,

Nicolas

[RussRoberts]

what was the group called?

Thanks

Russ

[NicolasGIS]

The group is called "Collector Test".

I just send an invitation again in case you did not get it the first time.

Thanks,

Nicolas