ArcGIS Collector App- Reviewed

It's no secret that Cloudpoint is an Esri Shop. Being in the Business Partner Network, receiving the AGOL Specialist  status ... we drink the kool-aid. I've been like that since forever.

So What? Get over it. 

Still, as skeptical consumers and technologists, there is still a part of us that wants to test. Make sure we're progressing rather than regressing. We want to make sure we know and understand the different options for our customers and what has been released. One of the worst things is to spend 100s of hours with your head down working away on a solution only to find out something very close was released for free or very cost-effectively months ago. (True Story)

Thus enters ArcGIS Collector. If you haven't used Collector and you have an Android or iOS device, go download and try it out. I don't have the time and you don't have the attention span to  address all the merits of the app. It's good. If you're in GIS, You should use it. 

Initially released as a Native iOS iPhone only app, Collector has had an upgrade recently and I want to compare new vs old:

New (10.2)

• Optimized for iPad
• Less Menus
• Set GPS Accuracy Tolerance
• Edit Lines!!
• Addition of Bookmarks
• Easier Basemap Switching

Old (10.1.12)

• Quicker Menus
• Further "Zoom" Ratio
• More simple interface
• Better Battery life
• Map Icons Larger
• Legend (albeit Buried)

---

Spoiler: I have the Old App here as a Zip file, Install it through iTunes & turn off Automatic Updates. 

Admittedly, there's no benchmarks for the battery life, and it could be that the iPads hare just older.  But the Zoom-In thing is real, because you have to 2x the app since it was built for the iPhone, that magnifies everything, icons, imagery etc. Sure if you go back to 1x or native resolution, everything is the same, but try explaining that to 10 burly Electrical Workers complaining about the update. 

Menus. This might seem like a 'small thing' as well but it takes a few seconds longer to enter information. You have to move across the screen to close the box or choose a drop-down. A few seconds times 10,000... now wer're talking real productivity. 

Results

The Newer iPad app may have some problems and quirks, but so did the old app as well does the Android. The perspective we keep is that it's a great tool. And outweighing all of these issues is the fact that you can Edit Lines!!! Seriously that's huge. Aerial imagery is crucial. The GPS is never accurate enough to use in collection, but it'll get you to the right side of the street to click on the map. 

----- Update for Android Device -----

This is from Paul. Using the Android out on a Sign Inventory:

So the Android didn't work out so well. I went to use it when the iPad was getting low... Right off the bat I noticed the GPS was taking longer to settle. I found that I could complete taking a point but it would not submit. After messing about a while I figured I was starting to kill time so I used the inverter I had with me (thanks Jon!) with the iPad for the remainder of the day. It was a pain to keep it on life support, but it worked out.

I planned on doing some research this evening but found the Samsung acting erratic - locking up, powering down and giving internet access problems warnings. So I would say its the definitely something with the device...I did get it to act normal again after powering it down and back on, so I'll give it another go tomorrow and report back.

And here's the review-to-date. It's certainly not a fair assessment at this point but there are a few things I noted today:

Likes

• Switching between saved users instead of entering username/password each time
• Zooms in closer

Dislikes

• Doesn’t work
• GPS Location less responsive
• Must reach across screen when adding more than one picture
• Must reach across screen when submitting a feature
• Portrait-only mode
• Screen seems less responsive (may just be the case type)

Other

I will really miss the strap on the LifeProof case. It allows you to hold the tablet securely without a constant grip

Jon Made a video on how to use Collector:

EF4 "Washington" Tornado Mapped

With all of this technology, With all of this knowledge with all of this progress, planning and pride, in the end, all we can do is stand and watch...then help rebuild after the storm. 

We really haven't been in the office too much this week. For obvious reasons. However thanks to the ease of ArcGIS Online and work of some other GIS folks in the area, we are able to set up this map depicting the relative path and some field verified points of destruction in the area. Here is a link to an Editable point of impact map: http://bit.ly/1hZlRTG

Another Map to see the aerial view Side-By-Side with preTornado aerial photos. http://ow.ly/r49V0

Zooom Out to see the ESTIMATED Tornado Path and More areas Affected. 

View Larger Map

Also *Special Shoutout to City of Pekin GIS and the OSM Volunteer Editors busy digitizing home footprints. 

The ArcGIS Marketplace (Maps & Apps)

Just wanted to keep everyone abreast on the latest information when it comes to ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Online applications.  

The ArcGIS Marketplace provides a way to access maps & apps from Esri, distributors, and partners.  The Marketplace contains both free and paid apps that are designed to help your organization access and share your GIS data seamlessly with either in-house staff or the public.  Similar to Apple's app store or Android apps found on Google Play, the ArcGIS marketplace is intended to be a one-stop shop for your Esri based mapping needs.

The following are a few examples of what is now available: 

ArcGIS Online for Local Governments (using the Local Government Info Model) 

Stormwater Utility Mapping of Impervious Area

ArcGIS Online for Water Utilities

ArcGIS Online Specialists in Town!

ROANOKE, Illinois - Friday, September 20, 2013- Cloudpoint Geographics Inc. has received the designation of being a ArcGIS Online Specialist from Esri Inc of Redlands California.  The ArcGIS Online Specialty  is for partners who have made ArcGIS Online an integral part of their business and want to increase their business around Web GIS and the ArcGIS platform.

ArcGIS Online is a collaborative, cloud-based platform that lets members of an organization create, share, and access maps, applications, and data, including authoritative basemaps published by Esri. Through ArcGIS Online, you get access to Esri’s secure cloud, where you can manage, create, store, and access hosted web services, and because ArcGIS Online is an integral part of the ArcGIS system, you can use it to extend the capabilities of ArcGIS for Desktop, ArcGIS for Server, ArcGIS applications, and ArcGIS APIs and Runtime SDKs.

"We have worked hard to provide our customers with the best possible solution for their online geospatial needs."  Says, Jonathan Hodel President and CEO of Cloudpoint Geographics. "Becoming an ArcGIS Online Specialist opens possibilities to integrating desktop data that may have previously been limited to only a few users. It also helps introduce new opportunities in a more user-friendly enterprise environment."

Ten Months ago in December of 2012, Cloudpoint was awarded the honor of becoming one of Esri's most nimble and newest Business Partners. This past July we also joined an exclusive community of Value Added Resellers for Esri Software. There are precious few in downstate Illinois and it's a pleasure for us to serve our customers in that way.   

Time after time ArcGIS Online has been our go-to solution for security, access and easy application deployment into the cloud. This designation from Esri validates our efforts and endorses the best practices we have promoted.  Cloudpoint has the experience with ArcGIS Online and now the endorsement by Esri to confidently assist your organization with set-up and administration of ArcGIS Online. Please contact us with any questions of opportunities we may help with:

Micah Williamson

Geospatial Services Manager

mwilliamson@cloudpointgeo.com

Finding Food

Sometimes it is fun to drive out of your way to find a great place to eat. Small towns have unique restaurants that are usually hit or miss, but using simple GIS tools, we can share our favorite places with each other. 

Traveling around the state with Cloudpoint over the last two years has led me to some unusual and surprisingly great places to eat. Places that you kind of just stumble upon. Using GIS, I would like to introduce you to ArcGIS Online, a program we use every day, but this time you will be doing some basic GIS work. 

 We compiled our favorite restaurants and will continue to but now it is your time to add yours. Let's see how many we can get!!! 

Using ArcGIS online is fairly simple. Click on the link below and press edit. You can click on a type of food and add a point to the map. Make sure to fill out the fields to tell others what is your favorite part of the restaurant.

Add Food Here 

Explore ArcGIS further by checking out maps from other users. You can search for your state or anything of interest. There are thousands of public maps! 
www.arcgis.com/home/gallery

Topology & Geometric Networking... Say What???

These are two big words often used in the geospatial world but who really knows or cares what they mean?  Well now you can alllow yourself to be "In the Know".

Topology is the arrangement for how point, line, and polygon features share geometry.  In other words, it's provides a means to make sure all of your pipes are connected to all of the network structures such as valves, hydrants, and/or manholes, etc.  In addition you can make sure that there are no improper overlaps or intersections as in a tax parcel layer so your maps accurately represent what's out there in reality. 

More info on Topology 

Geometric Networking is just a fancy way of saying that all of your points, lines, and polygons have connectivity and can actually "talk" to each other.  It creates a model of your network which can be very useful for managing water distribution systems, electrical lines, gas pipelines, telephone services, and streams within the same drainage basin.

More info on Geometric Networks

Contact Cloudpoint at (877) 377-8124 for help with all of your GIS needs!

Jon get's a little hair-brained in his latest tutorial videos when he dons a hard hat.   Check them out at http://www.youtube.com/user/Cloudpointgeo

Mobile LIDAR: For Sign Inventories?

Not many people have heard of LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) until the Illinois DOT started flying counties to get topographic data and surveyors started using tripod based scanners to create detailed Topo maps. As the general public learns about the new technology, people are finding other uses. Mobile LIDAR is adapting the technology to a vehicle that can be used to collected data more efficiently and at maintains good accuracy. Because of this efficiency, Mobile LIDAR is becoming a standard for data collection. 

Mobile LIDAR and its affiliated processing software has become a standard with sign inventories in particular. With new federal mandates on retroreflectivity of signs, the ability of mobile LIDAR to collect and automatically extract sign assets from the point cloud data. Signs can be seen and retroreflectivity can be analyzed due to the intensity of light pulses returned in the data. 

Cloudpoint is currently teamed up with Seiler Instruments Group to provide LIDAR services to the the city of Bloomington, Illinois to inventory over 25,000 signs in the city. The project will include a Work Order Management system that ties into their MUNIS financial system.

We are proud to be working with local municipalities to help them support their residents. Being an Illinois business makes us proud to offer the best technologies to the surrounding areas.

Getting Back Bing Maps

ArcGIS.com is a great online GIS tool. Earlier this year, Esri had to remove the Microsoft Bing basemaps that were previously available to users. All conspiracy theories aside, this was a huge blow to online data collection. The Bing imagery is crystal clear and while second to Google in overall coverage, In a few areas the quality is actually far superior. As well, Esri does not have a good imagery-plus-streetname basemap similar to Bing's hybrid map. 

There is some attempt to explain all of this on Esri's online resource page, but it doesn't get into the "why". It's worthy to note here that you should keep your MXDs with Bing Maps already added. While you can no longer add Bing imagery to a new ArcMap document, You will be allowed to keep existing layers. Also, you will be able to use Bing Maps in the free ArcGIS Desktop Explorer, which leads me to thing it's a MS licensing issue and not a Us vs Them problem. 

At at any rate. Bing Maps are great, and we all still want them on our maps. You can still do this by using a Microsoft Bing Maps Key. The video below explains how to do this in a short 4 minute tutorial.

So what's my accuracy??? Mobile Device GPS with iPad, iPhone, & Android

If you have ever been involved with a GIS project that requires data collection using a handheld device there is no doubt that you at some point ask yourself "Is this spatially accurate enough?".  Well here is some evidence that proves those little tiny GPS chips within those smart phones are actually pretty good.

We wanted to get some numbers for this idea so we took five different mobile devices (listed below) and tested their GPS accuracy against a known control point (NGS Point ID: DF4314).  Our chosen devices were:

1. iPad 4th Gen (16GB WiFi + LTE)
2. iPhone 4S (3G)
3. Motorola Droid Razr Maxx
4. Garmin Colorado 300
5. Trimble Geo XH 6000

What we discovered was somewhat surprising.  As you can see from the list these devices vary in use from the simple smart phone for  GPS navigation & driving directions, to the professional series Trimble Geo capable of providing survey grade GPS positioning.  Below is a map showing the different precision & accuracy for each device in relation to the benchmark.  We stood over the known control point and collected five GPS points with each device and averaged them and found the following observations as a result:

Click here for map of plotted points

• When it comes to accuracy, you get what you pay for as it was no surprise that the Trimble unit provided the greatest accuracy when used with real time corrections.
• Most of the devices, such as the Motorola, had good precision but lacked in accuracy.
• All devices, except for the Trimble, missed the mark in the northwest direction.
• The uncorrected data from the Trimble provided very high precision but low accuracy.
• The iPhone was all over the place on its readings but came within 4 feet of the target when the points were averaged (that's outstanding!)
• In general, the iOS devices outperforms all of the competition when averaged except for the professional grade systems

So what does all of this show us?  It proves that you still have to pay big dollars (+$10k) to get a "high accuracy" GPS device but you can make an awfully strong case for a $600 iPad with the right data collection app.  Who knows, maybe the day of "survey grade" accuracy in a smartphone is in the very near future.  

A pile of GPS mobile devices sitting atop our known control point.

iPad Rentals: Giving Municipalities an affordable option

Don't want to buy expensive GPS equipment?

Do you need web access in the field?

Cloudpoint has begun the rental of mobile GPS collection devices. These are ruggedized iPads specifically in a special casing to provide complete weatherproofing.  The devices are locked down but outfitted with appropriate software and internet to give field crews the tools to start a GIS.  

If you think about it, this is a perfect solution. Most local governments want to be on the right side of cloud computing. They want their crews to be up-to-date and efficient. However, a majority of public works garages don't have the technical expertise to deploy tablets. Don't forget about fighting with the finance department over whether or not a cellular data plan is a taxable benefit. As well, a city council may not like seeing 5 iPads come through as a capital expense. There are many reasons why local governments might opt not to go to a mobile workflow. It's easier to stay with paper, but can you afford it?

We are offering a pre-loaded mobile solution for short-term projects. No software, subscription, data plan or techie geek required. Any field worker can be trained and collecting data (including photos) within minutes. After the project's completion, you get the data and walk away. 

Cloudpoint Geographics and Early Bird Aerial Services team up to provide CIR and NDVI Imagery to Illinois Producers.

With the recent purchase of a helicopter, sprayer, and CIR Camera, Early Bird 

Aerial Services, a branch of Early Bird Fertilizer, hope to expand business. By flying fields 3 times a growing season, the Color Infrared imagery can help producers identify problem areas in a field based on the NDVI (Normalize Difference Vegetation Index). The index is used to show relative growth vigor of plants and aid field scouting for precision fertilizer and pesticide application. 

Cloudpoint is processing and analyzing the data collected by Early Bird. With terabytes of photo's shot every flight and the need for a 24 hour turnaround time. Cloudpoint will use ESRI’s ArcMap and Blue Marbles Global Mapper tools for clipping and raster calculations for the NDVI index. Cloudpoint will process the imagery and allow producers to view fields on geo-referenced PDF's. This means, producers can use the GPS inside equipment, on phones, or on tablets, to take them to the exact spot on the image for scouting. 

So you can't afford to replace your Traffic Signs?

Some people worry that they have to replace all of their street or traffic signs that are not in compliance with the minimum retroreflectivity requirements as set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).  This is not always the case however.  The objective of the guidelines is to get street departments , public works officials, and transportation agencies is to establish a management method to maintaining their signs.  The management method concept helps ensure that those organizations are doing all that they can, with the time and money they have to work with, to keep traffic sign reflectivity at adequate levels for the traveling public.  If you've ever seen traffic signs that are not maintained it can be an ugly sight.  So you ask yourself, How do I begin?  Here are some steps that will help you accomplish this without bursting your budget or breaking the bank:

1. Evaluate Management/Assessment Methods
2. Complete a Sign Inventory
3. Document Deficient Signs
4. Choose your desired Management/Assesment Method
5. Begin Replacement/Upgrade of Deficient Signs According to Your chosen Management Method

Some important things to remember:

• Document all sign maintenance activities
• Document all future sign purchases and manufacture dates
• Order appropriate sheeting for all future signs
• Follow your written policy as close as possible

More information on sign retroreflectivity for small local agencies can be found in the Retroreflectivity Toolkit published by the FHWA by visiting http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/night_visib/retrotoolkit/index.htm

Creating a GIS: Tutorial

Amidst all of the Conference attending, Sign inventorying and ArcGIS Online administering, Cloudpoint staff has found time to do a little training for our customers. One of the most common questions is "How do I create my own Layer?" If you are a GIS pro, this may seem like a question with an obvious answer. Keep in mind that the Vast majority of ArcGIS desktop users do not use ArcGIS Desktop day-in/day-out. Also, search Google for "Create a shapefile" the best result is a Wiki-How article without any pictures. As good as Esri online help is, Silverlight apps are hard to index. So, why a shapefile and why not a Geodatabase Feature Class? one word: Portability. 

This first video goes through the process of creating two shapefiles:

This second video takes the two created above and edits them. We use the template editor through symbolization and then create symbolization First then create an editor template. (if you don't know what I mean, watch the vid)