What are some best practices when working offline in ArcGIS Field Maps?

Answer

When working with ArcGIS Field Maps, there are circumstances that make it necessary for field workers to work offline, such as poor internet connection in more rural areas. Creating offline maps is useful to ensure the data is updated regularly and does not disrupt the workflow of the organization. Refer to ArcGIS Blog: Work offline with Field Maps to create an offline map. To ensure a smoother and more efficient workflow, there are a few best practices to keep in mind while working offline in ArcGIS Field Maps.

Each field worker is assigned to their own ArcGIS Online organizational account

Each field worker is advised to exclusively work using their individually assigned ArcGIS Online organizational account. This is to ensure the accountability of their data collection as well as to prevent overlaps or contrasting data. Sharing or temporarily borrowing accounts may lead to discrepancies and inconsistencies during data analysis. Refer to ArcGIS Online: Create an organizational account for more information.

Assign different geographical areas to different field workers

When collecting or updating data, do not edit the same feature. This is to prevent duplicate records or inconsistent updates, leading to inconsistent or inaccurate results being returned. To prevent this issue from occurring, assign different geographical areas to different field workers. This ensures that each field worker is responsible for their respective areas and creates a more efficient workflow.

Do not edit the data in the office if the map is not synced with the field workers

While the field workers are working offline and adding data, do not make edits from the office. This is to avoid the issue of field workers syncing edits that do not match the newly updated edits made from the office, causing inaccuracy and inconsistency in data analysis and disrupting the workflow. Additionally, certain updates to the map cannot be synced with offline maps, and must be recreated and redownloaded for offline use. Refer to ArcGIS Field Maps: Update an offline area for more information.