ArcPad slowing or freezing when background layers are added

[JacobVogel]

I'm working with a forestry group that is utilizing ArcPad on Flint S series devices to collect data in the field. We're running into  performance issues when attempting to load background layers. Once the layers have been selected and are loading the program begins to slow down a great deal and sometimes will freeze up. I've looked into the memory and there is way more than sufficient space and the devices are new. There doesn't seem to be any other programs or extensions running. I've looked into the raster formats and they appear to be the best choice for speed. I'm just out of ideas on what to look into to speed up the performance of ArcPad. Any ideas and suggestions would greatly appreciated.

[TimHopper]

Jacob,

Part of the issue here is that while you may have plenty of available memory on your device, ArcPad can only consume a small portion of it.  As it reaches the maximum allotment you start to run into memory issues.

Check out my post on this thread which discusses some general performance related suggestions.

A neat trick if you didn't know, by clicking (or double-clicking) the "V" in the lower right-hand corner of the application it will bring up a memory usage bar.  Using this will allow you to troubleshoot and determine which layers are putting the most strain on your available memory.

[DeniseKing]

Jacob,

As Tim said, your Flint device is running Windows Mobile OS and has limited file storage and program memory, for more information see File storage & program memory section on Overview of Windows Mobile Help topic.

TIP: Disabling modules or extensions that you do not use can conserve mobile device memory. This is particularly useful when running ArcPad on a Windows Mobile device. Check the Extensions tab in ArcPad Options > Advanced Settings) to see what modules & extensions are automatically being loaded by ArcPad upon startup. Uncheck the box next to the Extension(s) you wish to  turn off, and then restart ArcPad. In ArcPad 8 onwards, some less-used extensions are turned off by default on Windows Mobile only (see Extensions Help topic for list).

Another option is to break your current project into multiple smaller projects and access them as you move in/out of the project areas or utilize local map tiles in your ArcPad project. See ArcPad Team Blog topics, Create Local Map Tiles & Update to Creating Local Map Tiles, v2 using ArcGIS Online sample for ArcPad v10.0.2 and higher.

Cheers,
Denise

[JacobVogel]

Thank you for your help. I will be using this new information to hopefully fix theses issues I'm having.

[PaulStephenson]

I am also working on some similar issues. Is there a central location somewhere that lists ALL of the (at least typical/standard) ArcPad extensions AND what their functions are? I started with the help topic Denise mentioned in this post, and began searching, but no luck yet. I'm not sure this will actually help my cause, but it would be good info to know nonetheless.

Thanks

Paul

[DeniseKing]

Paul,

This is perfect topic for ArcGIS Ideas portal under Mobile GIS products & includes ArcPad. 🙂  In the meantime, Extensions tab is used to display information about modules & extensions loaded by ArcPad. You can view information of ArcPad Extensions by navigating to ArcPad Options > Advanced Settings > Extensions > select an extension & click Properties button to display About dialog & view detailed information of ArcPad Extension.
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Few custom ArcPad Extensions include ArcPad StreetMap, ArcPad Extension for ArcGIS Server, ArcPad AXF Reader for FME, ArcPad Data Manager Extension for ArcGIS Desktop; some 3rd party ArcPad Extensions include Trimble's Extensions for ArcPad & for ArcGIS Desktop, LaserTech's LaserGIS for ArcPad, GeoArcPad ECW Extension for ArcPad, & GeoDrive for ArcPad from RIA Mobile GIS. ArcPad Team Blog is great resource for this information & will be transitioned to ArcGIS Resource Blogs > Mobile site in near future. Review ArcPad Developer Help for information on how custom extensions can add support to your ArcPad application.

Hoping this is what you were looking for,
Denise 

I am also working on some similar issues. Is there a central location somewhere that lists ALL of the (at least typical/standard) ArcPad extensions AND what their functions are? I started with the help topic Denise mentioned in this post, and began searching, but no luck yet. I'm not sure this will actually help my cause, but it would be good info to know nonetheless.

Thanks

Paul

[PaulStephenson]

Thank you Denise, that is helpful!

[JoelCrawford]

Hi!

Does anyone have any news on performance issues with ArcPad? You find tons of forum threads outlining them, but none that seem to address them!

Here's what I'm finding............................

With 4 AXF schema only for disconnected editing, performance will degrade as points are collected. At some point a low memory warning comes up and if you don't shut ArcPad down and reopen, then it will soon crash.

Also, just generally, right from the get-go, performance is slow collecting points. It takes a few seconds for the form to open to gather attributes, and another few seconds for it to close. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you're capturing 100s of points a day, it can really make for a bad user experience.


If anyone knows anything about this, has heard anything from ESRI, then please let me know.

Thanks! Joel.