CaGIS+UCGIS Symposium

Mobile Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies are mobile phone-based apps supporting spatio-temporal data collection in the field. ArcGIS Field Maps is a powerful mobile GIS app that enables users to collect and update real-time spatial data in the field, providing a seamless and efficient workflow for GIS researchers and professionals across various disciplines. Primarily, the app streamlines field data collection through flexible survey design and custom form creation depending on the research needs. The user-friendly interface of this app enables users to track their travel routes and record location, condition, and attribute information of any spatial objects via various data types like points, lines, polygons, photos, and notes. The app also supports offline mapping, shared data collection from multiple users, and real-time syncing with other ArcGIS mapping platforms. Integrating all these features within one mobile app makes it a versatile technology for research and practices in many domains e.g., transportation, environment, hazard, and health. For instance, in a recent study on designing an inclusive accessibility measure, this app has been successfully utilized for large-scale mobility data collection tracking people's travel routes for a week, while collecting their safety perceptions for different road environments using a survey form and street photos. Similar to this example of capturing user-specific travel behavior and perception, this app can be very effective in investigating and tackling the climate crisis. Especially, this app can be used to evaluate asset loss and damages, emergency response needs, and health and safety compliance during natural and man-made disasters and shocks.
This workshop aims to discuss and demonstrate how to utilize ArcGIS Field Maps for effective survey design and data collection. The app has two platforms: 1. Computer-based field map designer for map configuration and survey design and 2. Field maps mobile app for field data collection using the map features and surveys. This workshop participants will have hands-on experiences with Field map designers in setting up the mapping environment, adding feature layers, building survey forms, and sharing the map with users for using it in the mobile app. In addition, the workshop will also introduce the mobile app interface, available features, downloading offline maps, and sample data collection using the mobile app. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will learn effective survey design and spatial data collection using the ArcGIS Field Maps platform.
Prerequisites: Basic understanding of GIS Technology requirements: Participants should bring a laptop. Access to ArcGIS Online may be beneficial, but not mandatory. Participants may use the trial version of ArcGIS Field Maps (https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-field-maps/trial) for the hands-on exercises of this workshop.