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  Survey123 smart forms let you record signatures, photos, annotated images and upload documents into ArcGIS. All of these are stored in ArcGIS as 'attachments'. This article describes how you can use Microsoft Power Automate to work with these attachments. Specifically to: Include one or more Survey123 attachments in an email Upload Survey123 attachments into Microsoft OneDrive I will assume you are already familiar with task automation using Survey123 and Microsoft Power Automate. If so, get started by publishing a survey with an image, signature or some other question type that uses ArcGIS attachments. Then log into Microsoft 365 and create a new Automated flow with the Survey123 trigger. Follow the instructions below to learn how to work with these Survey123 attachments in Microsoft Power Automate. Adding multiple attachments to an email Survey123 attachments are modeled as an array. In Microsoft Power Automate, you can create an array variable and populate it with Survey123 attachments. Later you can include that array variable in your email to define what attachments should be included with your message. Immediately after your Survey123 trigger, add the Initialize variable action. We will populate this variable later with the attachments from your survey. Make sure you set the Type to Array and set a descriptive name. Leave the initial value empty. Next, add the Get attachment from URL action from the ArcGIS connector.  This will help you download the attachments. For the URL parameter, you will use the Dynamic content dialog and select the feature attachment URL for your question. In my case, the question with attachments in my survey is called Photos, so the dynamic content is feature attachments photo URL.     As soon as the URL parameter is set, Microsoft Power Automate will wrap the Get attachment from URL action within an Apply to each block. This is because the Photos question in the survey may have one or more attachments in it. Power Automate cycles through the Survey123 attachments using an Apply to each block. At this moment, we are ready to populate the Array variable we setup initially with the attachments found in our Survey123 Photos question.  This is done through the Append to array variable operation and since it is the most complex part of the entire workflow, so I broke it down into two steps. Step 1: First we add the Append to array variable action right after Get attachment from URL, and within the Apply to each block. For the Name parameter, we will select the name of the array variable we want to populate, which is the one we created at the beginning of the flow.  The Value parameter must include a JSON string so we can specify both the name as well as the actual content of the file. The preliminary JSON string looks like this:    { "Name": <File name including the extension goes here> , "ContentBytes": <File contents go here> }   Step 2: To specify the correct file name and contents, we will use Dynamic content. In my case, since the question in the survey with the attachments is called Photos, the name comes from feature attachments photos name. The ContentBytes value in the JSON needs to get populated with the Attachment contents output from the Get attachment from URL action.   With the array populated with all the Survey123 attachments, we can now proceed to configure the Send Email action in Microsoft Power Automate. Add a new Step to send an email, but make sure it gets added outside the Apply to each block. After completing the Recipient, Subject and Body parameters, expand the Advanced options.  In the Advanced options you can specify the attachments that should be included in the email. Note that there is a switch button that lets you specify either a single, or multiple attachments. In our case, we want to select the multiple attachment view and then insert the value of the array we populated in there, as shown in the animation below.   Now you are set! Save and test. The workflow described above will work when you have one, but also when you have many attachments. Adding Survey123 attachments to Microsoft OneDrive and Sharepoint   Next we will have a look at another common scenario where you might want to backup your files, or host them outside ArcGIS so they can be used with other third party systems. If you want to upload your attachments into Microsoft One Drive, for example, you can use the Upload file from URL action. For the Source URL property, select from the Dynamic content dialog the feature attachments URL array for the appropriate question in your survey. Remember that if working against a private survey you will also need to add your token to the url (?token=[Portal Info Token]). An apply to each block will be added automatically for you. Now all you need to do is to select the Destination File Path for your file. You can select an existing folder, or even create a new one. In the example above, I set the Destination File Path using one of the questions in my survey. The value of my question determines the directory in OneDrive where the file will be stored. If the folder exists, it will use it. Otherwise, it will create a new one. This is an interesting concept, as it helps organizing files nicely: by ZIP code, by case ID, by field team, etc. A similar approach can be used to upload files into SharePoint as shown in the following screenshot: When uploading photos into OneDrive or Sharepoint, you do not need to initialize an array variable at the beginning of the flow. ... View more

  The Survey123 module in the ArcGIS Python API will get a big boost in 2024. We will host hosted a live hands-on session on January 17, 2024 so you can learn what's coming and provide feedback. Update January 17, 2024: Check the video below if you missed it!     Publishing surveys using Python is one of the most popular requests in regards with Python automation. We have been working hard on that one and this session will focus on that.  After a brief introduction to get you started, you will have a chance to test new operations to publish surveys from Python and provide feedback to the development team.  To prepare for this session, check this Early Adopter documentation and sharpen your ArcGIS Python API skills. Register for this event completing this form.  ... View more

  What’s new in ArcGIS QuickCapture   Here it comes, one more update before the end of the year!  Download ArcGIS QuickCapture version 1.18 into your mobile device and discover many new features, including: Field calculations with Arcade Better (more) button user inputs Oriented imagery layer support Other enhancements About ArcGIS QuickCapture   ArcGIS QuickCapture is Esri’s rapid mobile data collection app. Configure it to enable field data collection through a simple big button user experience. Collect lines, polygons and point observations; all at once and with the single tap of a button! Not familiar with ArcGIS QuickCapture? Watch this 2-minute video for an overview:   What’s new in November 2023   Arcade expression support   In the QuickCapture designer you will now find a new Arcade editor. Use it to automatically calculate attributes using your own Arcade expressions!   The animation below shows how to open the editor and a simple expression to perform a point-in-polygon calculation.     End users of the mobile app will not even notice: Tap a button and QuickCapture will transparently run Arcade to enrich collected data.  Working offline? No problem: Arcade will run against any data you collect while disconnected. Learn with this step-by-step tutorial how to create your own Arcade expressions in QuickCapture.  Read this Esri Community blog post to find a handful of common Arcade examples.   Better (more) user inputs   User inputs are a powerful feature in QuickCapture: Use them to let field users add extra attributes using dialogs specifically designed for fast-data-entry. The animation below shows an example where user inputs are shown to define the material, owner and condition of an asset.   What’s new? In the past, user inputs were limited to a maximum of three per button. Now you can configure up to ten! You will also notice that with this release, the order in which button user inputs appear has changed. Prior to version 1.18, user inputs were presented following the order of fields in your feature layer. With version 1.18 and above, the order is defined by the author of the QuickCapture project.  For now, you will need to set the order of your user inputs by manually editing your QuickCapture’s project JSON. With our next update in early 2024, we plan to let you change the order visually, through the QuickCapture designer.   Oriented imagery layers   With ArcGIS QuickCapture you can easily collect terrestrial oriented imagery and take advantage of it in ArcGIS. Check the Oriented Imagery meets field data collection blog post if not familiar with this concept. Oriented imagery is now getting more and more integrated within ArcGIS: ArcGIS Online recently added support for Oriented Imagery layers and the Map Viewer introduced an oriented imagery widget. Use this update, to easily upgrade your existing oriented imagery catalogs into the new oriented imagery layer and leverage all your data from the new Map Viewer and ArcGIS Pro oriented imagery widgets.     Use the new Map Viewer Oriented Imagery capabilities to explore oriented imagery collected from ArcGIS QuickCapture   Other enhancements   SXblue series high-accuracy GNSS support Manage the visibility of layers in your QuickCapture map Configure the order in which user inputs appear (JSON only) ... View more

  This article describes how the Survey123 mobile app works together with TruPulse® laser rangefinders from Esri Silver Partner Laser Tech.  Introduction   TruPulse® laser rangefinders, by Esri Partner Laser Tech, allow field workers to remotely map the location of assets as well as measure slopes, distances, lengths and heights using a handheld device.  As you will soon learn, you can now tightly integrate measurement routines performed with your TruPulse® rangefinder, with logic in your Survey123 form, streamlining field data collection workflows. Combining the ArcGIS Survey123 mobile app with TruPulse® laser rangefinders has applications in forestry, telecommunications, electric utilities, mining, public works and many other industries. Use Survey123 and TruPulse® rangefinders to accelerate data collection, improve data quality and worker safety.  Watch this 3 minute video to learn the basics: As shown in the video, the laser rangefinder and Survey123 forms can be configured to work in two different modes: Measurement first: This mode is great when you want field users to use the laser rangefinder to initiate the data collection workflow.  The measurement in your laser rangefinder opens a specific Survey123 form and auto-populates certain questions in it, such as the location of the asset you are mapping, its height, etc.  Typically you would include some additional questions in your form such as condition, comments, a photo, etc, for field workers to complete manually.  Once the survey is saved, a new measurement from the device would initiate the workflow again.  Survey first: In this mode, you start completing your survey first and then you configure questions in your form to request the field user to make measurements with the laser rangefinder.  This mode is more flexible, in that questions in your form can request the user to perform different types of measurement routines based on the logic of your form.  Common measurement routines   Laser rangefinders in the TruPulse series support a number of measurement routines. We will explore here a few that are commonly combined with Survey123.  Height routine   To measure the height of an object you use a 3-shot routine. You can measure the height of trees, poles, buildings...    Multiple height routine   A variation of the height routine, where you can collect multiple height measurements along an object. In the illustration below, the routine measures the height of the transformer and the pole. In this routine, you can calculate as many heights as needed along the object.   Offset Mapping   This is a one-shot routine where the location of a remote asset is calculated. In this workflow, the laser rangefinder must be able to measure distances and also the azimuth to the remote object. Survey123 provides the source location from which the measurement is made. For offset mapping workflows one important consideration is accuracy. The laser rangefinder will very accurately measure the bearing (azimuth) and distance to the target object, but to complete the calculation of the remote location the position from which the measurement is made is also needed. The source location could come either from the built-in GPS on your Survey123 mobile device or from a high accuracy external GNSS receiver connected to Survey123. TruPulse series   The Survey123 team has been closely working with Esri Partner Laser Tech to integrate the TruPulse series of laser rangefinders.   There are a variety of models in the TruPulse series, each with its own characteristics and OS support. TruPulse rangefinders can be integrated directly with the Survey123 mobile app.  That is, you do not need extra hardware or software.  Additionally, we have expanded XLSForm support in Survey123 to help you integrate the measurement routines with the logic of your forms. To learn more about the different types of TruPulse sensors available and how they work with Survey123, watch this 60-minute deep-dive recording.   XLSForm expressions for TruPulse laser rangefinders   The XLSForm syntax has been expanded in Survey123 so you can bring TruPulse measurements into your Survey123 forms. Below is a very simple example: Note how the rangefinder appearance is used here to allow the end user to gather a height measurement from a TruPulse device.  The bind::esri:parameters column determines what type of measurement routine will be executed in the laser rangefinder.  In this case, the rangefinder will return a single value so we use a decimal question type to keep it. For more complex measurement routines, such as multiple height or offset mapping, the output from the rangefinder will be handled in your XLSForm logic as a JSON object. To learn more about the details of XLSForms for TruPulse integration check out: Survey123 Help: Prepare for rangefinder data collection Survey123 Connect samples: Use the keyword rangefinder to filter Survey123 Connect samples Below is an example of the various XLSForm samples in Survey123 Connect. There are 6 of them         ... View more