Please allow direct laser rangefinder integration in Field Maps. ArcPad used to have direct integration with rangefinders and the workflow worked extremely well. If I have a Trimble GPS receiver and a TruPulse Laser Rangefinder, it is not possible to use the workflow that worked seamlessly in ArcPad with its replacement, Field Maps. There is a 3rd party app that requires use of their hardware for this workflow, but it would be good for ESRI to offer direct integration again. There are several reasons this is important. Mapping with laser offset functionality can sharply improve safety, especially when working in and around hazardous areas such as mines. The functionality should be universal and part of the ESRI core (It was in ArcPad, but got dropped with the development of Collector and Field Maps). It should not require the use of 3rd party apps, 3rd party app development and support, and specific GPS receiver brands. It should not be limited to iOS devices. There are Windows and Android users to consider as well.
We ended up purchasing Lasersoft MapSmart ($535) to take shots with our Trupulse 360B and 360R. It exports to Shapefile that can be brought into mobile GIS software right on the same mobile device.
https://lasertech.com/product/mapsmart-software/
@Anonymous User - I definitely know that Trupulse device support is in its advanced stages for Survey123 (connecting via BT to the device Survey123 is used on). I'm not sure if it's quite public yet though. I'd suggest contacting LaserTech directly for the latest info.
And all of this needs to work not only from your (GNNS) location, but from freely chosen/snapped-to reference points - Distance & Bearing, Distance & Distance, Bearing & Bearing, forward & backward shooting, and all with inclination/Z-values. it is crazy that all of this was implemented in ArcPad and dropped for field maps - forcing my team to keep on using the ever getting more outdated ArcPad on ancient hardware. We need decimeter precision under dense rainforest canopy to track/map the locations of small animals and GNSS simply is not an option in this scenario.
No, this system locks cool, but no, it offers nothing I need. As I wrote GNSS accuracy and precision is not usable for my purpose under dense rainforest canopy - it also cannot be corrected to any meaningful degree. The EOS system just does what FieldMaps offers - offsetting unreachable locations from GNSS locations - but retrieves data directly from the measuring devices.
I cannot use GNSS, hence I cannot use the EOS system. We have 500 manually mapped reference point markers on a 3.5 ha forest plot and from these we need to offset frog locations by distance and bearing, ans tree locations by two bearings from two reference point markers (distance and bearing does not work for trees, as I dont want to/cannot mesure all their diameters to add thee to the distance until the central axis of the tree).
In the 20 year old ArcPad you can freely position reference points on the map, or have them snapping to the reference point marker features (including Z values), and offset from there with all three methods, foresight and backsight. In the current FieldMaps (and any other mobile app from ESRI) this is not possible anymore, as one can only offset from GNSS locations - which is useless in situations where GNSS does not work (caves!!) or lacks accuracy and precision, such as under dense rainforest canopy.
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