Putting High Accuracy into the hands of all Field Workers

[MichaelKelly]

Esri Ireland and Leica Geosystems, both leading providers of geographic information systems and surveying technology respectively, recently announced their strategic partnership in Dublin. Further information can be found here

Following on from that, we are running a joint webinar regarding the setup and use of ZenoCollector.

Join Alex Macdonald, Technical Specialist (GIS Asset Collection & Management) at Leica Geosystems, and Michael Kelly, Technical Sales Engineer at Esri Ireland for a run through of the various features and benefits of ZenoCollector.

Schedule

• A quick introduction on Collector for ArcGIS
• Setting up data schemas for use in Collector for ArcGIS
• Field Collection using Collector for ArcGIS
• Capturing high accuracy data with the Leica ZenoCollector

Audience

• Users looking for a quick guide to designing forms for use in Collector for ArcGIS
• Users who want to learn more about the capabilities of Collector for ArcGIS
• Users keen to learn more about ZenoCollector, and how it integrates with Collector for ArcGIS

[MichaelKelly]

Webinar Q&A

When you work in disconnected mode and wish to download mapping etc the default extents is  a square which you can make bigger/smaller from the perspective of a Road/Rail Authority this means a lot of non essential map information as we would only interested in drawing a corridor along linear feature like road ..can this be done ? if not perhaps a suggestion for enhancing this functionality ?

You can side load your own basemaps to the device (through iTunes for iOS and Windows Explorer for Android). This would allow you include only the data that you need. These basemaps have to be in .tpk format and can include whatever features you want in the basemaps.

If there is a particular workflow you would like, I would suggest you post it on the ArcGIS Ideas site so the developers/product managers can consider it.

Can Collector snap to existing features when you are out in the field collecting data, i.e. we have lines for roads could we make point features being captured snap to road to assist with ensuring accuracy of points ??

There is no option to snap using Collector at the moment. However it us under consideration as an enhancement for a future release.

You can ‘copy’ existing features which may cater for some of your needs. You can alternatively use the magnifier to approximate the location you place on the map. Finally, in the interim you may want to consider using the snap geoprocessing tool against data that is collected in the field after it is sync’d back to your enterprise geodatabase.

Can you set up collector outside the organisation for say members of the public to report issues?

This sounds like something the GeoForm configurable template in ArcGIS Online would be more appropriate for. You can see an example form here.

If you are dead set on a ‘native app’, you could try out something like AppStudio’s Quick Report. However, this would require publishing the apps to the appropriate app stores.

Finally Survey123 may be an option at some stage in the future. There are plans to enable the collection of data publically, but I don’t know the time scales of this functionality.

Do you have a tailored proven tool for Signage asset inventories and defects updating and management?

I never mentioned it during the webinar, but this sounds like an ideal use of related tables, whereby you store multiple inspection records about a feature over time.

There are also pre-cooked setups available from the ArcGIS Solutions team. You can check out the following Sign Inventory configuration for further information.

With the Zeno device and pole combination can a height be set to accurately record a ground level

At this point, both Z and M values cannot be captured as part of the location of a feature. This is being considered for a future release. In fact at the next release it is possible you will be able to add a height offset to allow for using an external GNSS receiver on a pole - further details on the upcoming release can be found here.

Hi - is it possible to save multiple location base maps for offline use, and can this be done using an ArcGIS Online Organisation account? Cheers, Oisin

For each webmap, you can only download one area of interest. However, you can save the same webmap multiple times and download multiple areas that way.

Everything done during the webinar can be done with an ArcGIS Online organisational account, bar the ArcMap/ArcGIS Pro part at the end.

Have far in can one zoom?

The zoom level depends on the basemap being used. Some basemaps have a smaller zoom level than others.

There is no limitation other than the basemap being used. The default tiling scheme for ArcGIS Online caters for 1:1128. If you want to zoom in more than this you have to create your own tiling scheme.

You might find this and this interesting.

How much do the Zeno Cellector devices cost?

The cost of ZenoCollector devices vary depending on the level of accuracy needed. Please contact Alex at Alexander.Macdonald@leica-geosystems.com for further information.

When downloading mapping data for a study area: is there anyway to get the mapping data for an irregular shape.  For example  a river survey we only want high res aieral imagery for 500m either side of the river and not the MBR of the extent of river for the study area.

At the moment, the only way you can choose an area of interest for offline use is with a rectangular extent. Within this you can define the level of detail needed.

However, you can side load your own basemaps to the device (through iTunes for iOS and Windows Explorer for Android). This would allow you include only the data that you need. These basemaps have to be in .tpk format and can include whatever features you want in the basemaps. You also have the option to publish these directly to ArcGIS Online as tile feature layers so you can download them as with other Esri basemaps through Collector (no need to side load them).

If there is a particular workflow you would like, I would suggest you post it on the ArcGIS Ideas site so the developers/product managers can consider it.

Can I sync this to an orcale spatial database rather than using ArcGIS online?

Yes, you can edit data stored on enterprise geodatabases with Collector. These must be stored as ArcGIS Server feature services and on v10.0+ of ArcGIS for Server. You can check out the following documentation for further information regarding Oracle databases and ArcGIS Server.

Can Zeno be hired or leased?

Yes, ZenoCollector devices are available for hire. Please contact Alex at Alexander.Macdonald@leica-geosystems.com for further information.

[MichaelKelly]

Here are some resources that may be useful:

• Collector for ArcGIS Documentation
• Collector for ArcGIS Product Page
• Damage assessment Survey webmap (from trial)
• Manage a Mobile Workforce tutorial (requires ArcMap)
• Survey123 Connect Download