Understanding ArcGIS Survey 123 Connect (how it really works)

[@savagecabbage895]

Thanks for a great overview of Survey123 :)

[@HazelZhang-c5f]

Hi Shawn, this is an amazing video! I have a question and wondering if you know the answer. Around 28:58, you mentioned the 'label' and 'name' fields, and that the final export to the database would store data as 'name.' However, when I export, it only shows the 'label' field, which includes some duplicates. Is there a specific setting or step I might be missing to ensure the export uses the 'name' field instead?

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Survey 123's interface is a subset/modified version of the main ArcGIS Online interface. You have more options to export by going to the ArcGIS Online hosted feature layer itself and exporting the data from there. Saving as a File Geodatabase would provide the most flexibility as you can then use ArcGIS Pro to extract the data as you want, OR use a GeoPackage and do the same with open-source QGIS.

[@constanzaromerog.3734]

An excellent tutorial! really really thank you!!! its a really great video! congrats

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Thank you! I appreciate your comment and glad you found it useful. I hope to publish more as I determine what is needed!

[@gabrielterraquente]

amazing content

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Thanks!

[@achiadsade5618]

Excellent explanation!

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kmacdiddy1]

wonderful tutorial thank you for sharing!!

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Thanks for watching!

[@christieroland5839]

Hi Shawn! This a great video and everything is clearly expressed and correct. Have you considered creating a blog and posting this in Esri Community for Survey123?

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Thank you for the comment! I'll have to take a look if there is an opportunity for that! Feel free to share the video if you see someone on the esri community that might benefit from it.

[@jdogg2632]

Is there a way to snap to a point on a map in the survey when using Survey 123 Connect? I know the web designer has that capability but i am struggling with connect.

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

If you can do it on the web version, you can do it in the connect. Easy hack here--create it using the web version, then use Survey 123 Connect to download the survey and edit it! That way you can "see" how they did it and duplicate it.

[@edmondmuller7082]

When you are in the field with no (Wifi/GSM) connection and your device does not have a basemap layer of the area where you are, are you still able to record areas and GPS points? In many development countries this is the case. And also, not every (older) device is able to store a detailed basemap layer that is covering the globe(?). So you always have enumerators that go into the field without having the base layer of the area they need to map. How does Survey123 deal with these realities?

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

You can configure Survey 123 to go offline. GPS works without data connection, it only requires clear line of sight to the satellites.

[@edmondmuller7082]

@@shawnsspotlightongis Thanks for clarification.

[@erica5407]

Thanks for this detailed introduction to Survey123. I have an existing database of water quality monitoring results collected by volunteers, which I can download into XLS files. The data was collected using an obsolete custom application which I am replacing with Survey123. Do you know of a way to show the historic data (which are associated with specific locations) along with the new data being collected in the surveys? Thanks!

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Survey123 is just a data collection app, it isn't meant to browse data past collected. You would need to use a dashboard or other web app from Esri to navigate pre-existing data.

[@Kstanimal]

thank you so much!! this was a fantastic explanation.. thank you so much. ❤

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Glad it was helpful!

[@edmondmuller7082]

Secondly: How does Survey123 deal with monitoring? So, with monitoring I mean revisit a site and add (not modify) information for that specific site that you mapped in the past. E.g. Tree A has a height of 1 meter in 2022. Then you want to want to map the height of Tree A in 2024, so creating a time trend of the tree height. Any experience with that?

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

This requires you to model the data in a way that you are adding a new record each time for the feature you are monitoring (this would be in its own table/hosted feature layer, separate from the monitor table). Then have a data model in AGOL that provides the links to this. It is not an easy use case. Field Maps might be an easier solution.

[@edmondmuller7082]

@@shawnsspotlightongis I already thought so. Yes, Field Maps could do the job, but at first glance, Field Maps has a much more technical UI than Survey123. So I am afraid Field Maps is less useful for development countries, where many (older) enumerators working in the landuse sector are not that tech-savy... That is why I am more charmed by Survey123 (more user friendly). It seems however that ESRI just used the functionality of ODK, created a good looking GI around it, but has not been able to tackle the monitoring issue (as also exists with ODK) and creating relational databases. That is a bit of a bummer and also a bit of a surprise that ESRI's solution do not cover this, as monitoring is KEY nowadays (so beyond the 1 time mapping). Anyway, thanks for the response!

[@cboyda]

Can I import my form data for mass upload in Survey123?

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

I'm not sure what you mean by mass upload form data, are you looking to import a CSV file into Survey 123 as an example? That is not an out of the box option nor really a use case for the product. FME Server might be a better option for mass upload work.

[@alexbenstead5922]

What about adding or deleting a value to a question's choices list, such as a user that leaves or joins organisaiton. Also if you take a choice out will all records by that user be lost/ blank?

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

I don't recommend making major changes to existing surveys. It is best to start a fresh survey with major changes and migrate the data over to the new data model to have control over how changes are made versus relying on programming that might lose things.

[@kileyaguar525]

can you export a map that includes geotagged site photos? Is there a way to export an interactive map?

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Export a map doesn't make sense. Sorry I don't understand the question. A map in ArcGIS Online is there, it cannot be exported.

[@yamosonetwork6603]

Good Morning. I am currently experiencing difficulty in capturing my location on the Agricultural Application on my desktop. Are you able to assist? And for my mobile app I cannot seem to recover my username and password via email No geometry captured yet.

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

Desktop's don't generally have GPS or location provided, other than what a web browser can infer.

[@ronaldcampbell17]

Why is that ESRI over complicates everything? Great video describing everything tho.

[@shawnsspotlightongis]

There is a balance between ease-of-use and technical capabilities that is hard to get right. I hope my video provides a little more clarity!