Collector for Field Data Collection - Forestry
-Press the Edit button if necessary. Under Taken_by, tap the arrow on the right and type your first and last name. This way the grid will be registered under your name. Click Done when you finish entering your name.
-Under Status, tap the arrow on the right and select This cell is reserved by a student.
-Press Done (or check button at top) and Update.
This will reserve this square for your data collection.
Go back to the map and take a look at the square you just updated. It should have turned red and if you click on the details box at the bottom of your screen, the new window should display your full name as recorded information.
It may happen than some squares may be edited at the same time and only the last edit will remain. Do not worry if this happens with your square. The idea is that you get to practice conditions similar to a real-wold scenario. Try again a different square and make sure to click update to send your edits to the cloud.
-Click where it says This cell is available. A new window appears in your device with the details for that cell.
-Click on the edit button on the bottom left corner (Android) or upper right corner (iOS). Depending on your device it will be a pen or a square with an arrow, as indicated in the graphics below:
- Records editors and timestamps
- User roles: update only, create, delete, and sync.
- Geospatial design: domains, types, and subtypes
- Participatory mapping with just a browser.
- Collection of points, lines, and polygons.
How to Install
iOS Devices:
Go to the App Store and search for collector for arcgis. Download the application to your iphone or iOS tablet.
Android Devices:
Go to the Play Store and search for collector for arcgis. Download the application to your Android device.
Accessing your ArcGIS Online account in your device
-On your mobile device, open the Collector for ArcGIS application and log in to www.arcgis.com, tap Continue.
-Tap the button to Sign in with ENTERPRISE ACCOUNT.
-Type clemson in the box and tap Continue.
-Tap to sign in USING YOUR CLEMSON UNIVERSITY ACCOUNT.
-Sign in with your Clemson username and password.
You will see a list of web maps that have been shared with you. Tap once on Field Data Collection with Collector to open it. Do not click Download. This web map contains two datasets:
- Fishnet - Data Collection Grid - arrangement of equally sized squares that delineates the extent of a zone for individual data collection.
- Trees - collective dataset that will be surveyed across campus
Updating Attributes in a Collector Web Map: Fishnet Feature Services
The Fishnet feature service has been published in ArcGIS Online as a service that can only has its feature attributes updated. You will update it by selecting 1 cell that you will be solely responsible for data collection during this exercise.
-Click on any cell of your choice and you will see a similar screen to the graphic on your right. The square selected will have a cyan frame around it and a window on the bottom part of the screen with the words This cell is available. This is the current attribute associated to that square.
Collector is a free app that allows you to collect or update your geospatial data with any iOS or Android device directly into your ArcGIS Online account. It allows you to log your current location, and put the data you capture to work so you can make more informed and timely decisions. It allows you to use maps anywhere to ground-truth your data, make observations, and respond to events. It makes collecting data with a group of people very easy.
Requirements
- Free trial or organizational account of ArcGIS Online
- Free download from App store (iOS) or Play Store (Android): Collector for ArcGIS.
Advantages
- Option for offline data collection
- Enables multiple editors simultaneously
Creating new features in a Collector Web Map: Trees
The Trees dataset has been designed in a way that all collaborators can create, update, and delete new features. To create your first tree, zoom into your square that you have selected.
Click the + sign in the middle top (iOS) or bottom (Android) section of your screen. This will allow you to create a new feature. Since the only layer in our map that has that permission is the Tree layer, this is the only one available for editing in your screen.
If you are indoors, a new screen warning you of Poor Location Accuracy appears. Click Settings and move the required accuracy to 100m and click OK.
- Select whether the tree is Deciduous or Evergreen. Once selected, another screen will appear with other attributes.
- For Type, leave your initial selection (Deciduous or Evergreen) unless you made a mistake, in which case update it, click Done or press Enter.
- If you have an Android device, click the Clip+ at the bottom of your screen. Select Camera in the Add attachment from window.
Click Use Photo or the Checkmark at the bottom right of your screen. This will attach the photo to
the tree location and attributes. Click Done (for iphones).
- If you are using an Android tablet, a new window appears asking you to validate the location. Click Go to map. The program will take y
- If you are using an iphone, click the map icon at the top center on your screen. ou back to the map where you can drag the location of the tree to the exact place you want it.
When you are done, click Submit (on iphones) or Done (on Android, may also be a checkmark). This will send updates and post the attachments to the collective map.
Updates can take a little bit of time to post, depending on your wireless connection. Make sure your edits are saved after each data point collected. To ensure that your latest update gets posted, close Collector and open it again. Navigate to your map and look for your edit.
When you click on your added new tree, notice the pop-up window has the attachment, but the photo is not visible. You can change this later on the map view in ArcGIS.com, selecting Configure pop-up and making sure linked attributes are visible.
- For Species, type the name of the species you think it is (does not need to be accurate - you are the experts!). Click Done or press Enter.
- Enter the Diameter for your tree at chest height in cm and enter it.
- Select a Condition describing the overall health of the tree: Good or Poor. Click Done or press Enter.
-Enter any relevant Notes. For example, if the tree is in poor condition, describe what is wrong.
- Under Mapped by, type your Full Name.
Click the photo (iOS) or the attachment (Android) icon (depending on the device) at the top/bottom of the screen to take a photo of your tree. A new window appears:
- If you have an iphone, press the camera icon at the top of your screen, click Add under attachments and select Take Photo or Video.
Viewing the Results in ArcGIS Online
Now that you all have mapped out the trees in the field, let's take a quick look at the resulting map in ArcGIS Online. You will first log in to the site and then visit the Group page for this exercise, where you can access the web map directly.
-Open a browser and navigate to www.arcgis.com.
-In the upper right, click on Sign In.
-Click the button to Sign in with ENTERPRISE ACCOUNT.
-Type clemson in the box and click Continue.
-Click to sign in USING YOUR CLEMSON UNIVERSITY ACCOUNT.
-Sign in with your Clemson username and password.
-On the main page that opens, click on Groups on the top. In the list of groups, click on FOR 4340-6340. On the next page, you should see several items that are shared with the group.
-Under the Field Data Collection with Collector map, click on the Open button beneath the thumbnail and select Open in map viewer.
The web map now opens in the browser. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the layout. If you know ArcMap already, the interface will be a bit different but should be easy to learn to use!
-Try turning off the Fishnet layer to see the trees better.
-Click on a tree to see the pop-up. This is configured to show the attributes associated with each point. You can also open the attachments (photos) for the trees by clicking on the link in the popup.
Notice the default symbology, which uses the TREE_TYPE field to symbolize the trees as either evergreen or deciduous. Let's do a brief exploration of symbology in ArcGIS Online to visualize the tree diameter.
-In the Content pane, hover the cursor over the Trees layer and click on Change Style (the geometric shapes).
-Notice the default (Type of tree) is selected, and is drawing using Types (Unique Symbols).
-Click the box under Choose an attribute to show and change to Diameter (cm).
-Click the Options button on Counts and Amounts (size).
-In the customization panel, click on the Symbol. Change the fill to a green color and click OK.
Notice that there are lots of options for classifying, how many classes, transparency, symbol sizes, visible range, etc., just as in ArcMap.
-Click OK and Done to accept the changes. View the result in the map.
Saving a copy of the Web Map for data collection on the field
You will save a copy of the web map that you could use as a starting point for collecting data in the field.
-At the top of the window, click Save and Save as.
-Enter a unique title for the map.
-Add a few tags for your map.
-Update the summary to describe what it contains and/or is used for. This helps you manage your maps.
-Change the Save in Folder to the folder with your username (the default). This will store a private copy of the map, i.e. it will not be visible to the rest of the group.