Offline Basemaps in Collector v19.0.1 (New Collector)

[MarcusVincent2]

Has anyone had success side-loading custom offline basemap packages to the latest version of Collector?

   I have been able to achieve this on "Classic" for a while. When I side load a tile package in Itunes to the iPad now.... the 19.0.1 version of collector doesn't allow me to use it as a basemap source for an offline map download. This limits our area that can be downloaded for offline use. This is going to be a huge problem for us moving forward. We use the sideloaded map as an Offline Emergency map and that HAS to work in the new versions. Right now we're running Classic in conjunction with the new version....

Has anyone else had this issue or figured out a work-around?

[Kylie · Accepted solution]

Update:

The app updated in June 2019 to support using a basemap sideloaded to the device during download. You can learn about this here: Prepare for offline data collection—Collector for ArcGIS | ArcGIS in the section "Reference an on-device basemap"

Original answer:

Hi Marcus - In 19.0.1 you can sideload a basemap and use it after the map is downloaded, but you can't use it as the basemap during download to avoid downloading the basemap the map was authored with (this is covered here). The ability to use it during download is coming to the new Collector in the release on iOS coming soon (this month). 

As to your point on how you are required to download a basemap today, you don't have to download a huge one. Just download the basemap in the map with the lowest level of detail (like level 0 or 1) so that you get a smaller basemap during download, and replace the downloaded basemap with the sideloaded one when working with the map. 

[MarcusVincent2]

Hey Kylie,

Thanks for your quick reply. I am able to swap the basemap within the offline (sideloaded) map using the basemap selection tool, as you have suggested, however that still limits the data I can download as an offline view.

So in the previous version I could download all data within the scope of the basemap (after selecting the sideloaded basemap rather than the organization default), using this route you've provided I'm limited to the extent of the "add offline area" tool. Is there anyway to download the full extent of the data or do you have to download individual "areas"?

[Kylie]

In "Add offline area" have you tried making the basemap have a really low level of detail so that you can get all the data into the scope of that basemap? Then downloading it would get all your data, and then you could switch to your sideloaded basemap when using the map and have all your data in a single map area.

[MarcusVincent2]

I had not tried that previously, I guess i was misunderstanding that option. That seems to be just what i was looking for! 

Thank You!

[Kylie]

Great! I'm glad it is working for you.

[MarcusVincent2]

Kylie,

Is there a way to replace the default basemap once that is sideloaded? I'd like to use it as the default rather than select it everytime collector is open. 

[Kylie]

Not currently, no. You'll have to wait for the upcoming release for that.

[AdrianMarsden]

Any news on the update that will allow this ?  I've got issues downloading (see https://community.esri.com/thread/239283-collector-classic-and-current-timeout-issue-on-download ) and hoped this would be the way forward.  I really want to use the new version, but may have to roll back.

[Kylie]

Hi Adrian -- Yes, you can now specify a sideloaded basemap to use during download. See Prepare for offline data collection—Collector for ArcGIS | ArcGIS for details.