MobileGIS - Desktop and Server workflows for ArcGIS for Windows Mobile

Introduced at 3.0 of ArcGIS for Windows Mobile, two independent workflows—the server workflow and the desktop workflow—are available for your field operations. The server workflow uses ArcGIS Server to serve mobile map data, while the desktop workflow relies on the mobile geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS for Desktop to generate and synchronize mobile map data. With either workflow, your field crew performs their field operation in almost the same way.

Each workflow has advantages and disadvantages. It's important to understand the difference between these two workflows before you decide which one to use for your organization's field operations.

Server workflow

The server workflow is a server-centric mobile solution in which ArcGIS Server is leveraged for serving mobile map data. Each of your field crew members can connect to the server from the field to download and upload data. Data changes made by your field crew go back to the centralized back-end database served through ArcGIS Server.

This workflow is particularly useful for field operations when real-time or near real-time synchronization between field devices and a back-end database is needed, when you need scalability for your mobile solution, or when your field workers can't bring their devices back to office for a manual data check-in using mobile geoprocessing tools. Example scenarios are emergency management and crime investigation.

Walkthrough of the server workflow

During the data preparation stage, you author a map document in ArcMap with the data to be used in the field (see Designing and creating mobile maps using ArcGIS for Desktop). If your map data will be operational (see operational map layer), publish the map to ArcGIS Server as a mobile service (a map service with mobile data access capability) (see Publishing a mobile service). If you're creating a map document for a basemap, publish the map as a tiled map service (see online basemaps for more information).

Caution:

The type of data repository used can potentially affect how you can use the data in the field. If your data comes from a file geodatabase, after you host it on ArcGIS Server, the data becomes read-only even though it has a GlobalID. If your data is from an ArcSDE database and you do not register the data to the server before publishing, your data becomes read-only as well.

You can now start putting together a mobile project with Mobile Project Center by adding the mobile service, tiled service, or other online/offline data source. Optionally, you can use the data packaging tool provided by Mobile Project Center to download data from the mobile service so that when you deploy the project to your field crew, mobile data will be readily available on their field devices (see About data packaging for more information). Configure the project, and save it on your local computer.

The next step is to deploy the project to your field workers' devices using one of the following deployment approaches:

Use Mobile Project Center to share the project to a mobile content server. Your field crew can download the project from within field applications.
Use Mobile Project Center to share the project to ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS, and let your field crew download the project using their field applications.
Use direct copy or a third-party deployment tool to put a copy of the project on your field workers' devices.

For more information about project sharing and deployment, see About sharing and deploying mobile projects.

After your field crew downloads and opens the project, if you didn't package the data with the project, field applications will offer users the opportunity to download data from the server. From this point on, the operational data is stored locally on the devices and your field workers can collect or update with this offline data until they need to synchronize the updates. To perform synchronization, your field workers need to establish a connection from the field so they can upload their edits and download updates with the back-end data store (see Synchronize task). The changes are immediately available on server after synchronization is completed.

Advantages of the server workflow

The server workflow has the following advantages:

Mobile map data and projects hosted in ArcGIS Server can be secured (see Securing map service and mobile content server for more information).
Real-time data synchronization capability directly from the field.
Geo-collaboration is available through the Field Crew Layer, which automatically updates as the field crew navigate (see Operational layer properties for more information).
Basemap data from tiled services is stored in the server, so it doesn't consume storage space of the field devices.

Desktop workflow

The desktop workflow follows a check-in and checkout procedure. It relies on ArcGIS for Desktop, mobile geoprocessing tools, and Mobile Project Center to author the project, which is then deployed to field devices for field workers. The mobile geoprocessing tools are included in the installation program for the ArcGIS for Windows Mobile application and can be installed if you have ArcGIS for Desktop installed on your machine. If you have ArcGIS 10.0 for Desktop (or higher), you can install the mobile geoprocessing tools on top of it.

The desktop workflow is suitable for users who don't require real-time synchronization from the field to the back-end database, users who need only a small number of deployments for offline data collection or feature inspection, and users who don't have ArcGIS Server.

Walkthrough of the desktop workflow

At the data preparation stage, you author a map document in ArcMap for mobile usage (see Designing and creating mobile maps using ArcGIS for Desktop). When you've completed your map, use the Create Mobile Cache Tool to generate a mobile cache as an offline source of operational map data (see What is an operational map layer for more information). You can use ArcGIS for Desktop to create a tile package from a map document and use it as an offline basemap (see Creating a tile package or tiled dataset).

Note:

With the desktop workflow, operational map data from a file geodatabase or an ArcSDE database is always editable as long as it has a GlobalID.

Create a mobile project with Mobile Project Center. Add the mobile cache, tile package, and any other sources of online/offline data to your project. Configure the project, and save it on your local computer.

As with the server workflow, the next step is to deploy the project to your field workers' devices using one of the following deployment approaches:

Use Mobile Project Center to share the project to ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS, and let your field crew download the project by using their field applications when they have the connection.
Use direct copy or a third-party deployment tool to put a copy of the project on your field workers' devices.

For more information about project sharing and deployment, see About sharing and deploying mobile projects.

Note:

The only difference between the desktop workflow and the server workflow that will be obvious to your field workers is the capability to synchronize with a back-end database. With the server workflow, your field workers can post their updates to the server, download the latest data from the server to their devices, and leverage the field crew tracking functionality for geo-collaboration. None of this is possible with the desktop workflow. Other than the synchronization capability, your field workers won't notice any difference between the two workflows when they're performing data collection or other field operations.

The last step in the desktop workflow is to get the mobile cache from the field devices to a location where the original map document can be accessed, and use the Synchronize Mobile Cache Tool to check the edits into the database (and, optionally, pull updates from the database to the cache for subsequent field work).

Advantages of the desktop workflow

The desktop workflow has the following advantages:

Data from either a file geodatabase or an ArcSDE database remains editable in a field application if it has a GlobalID.
Using the mobile geoprocessing tools, you can select one or more map layers to check in/out with your mobile cache, and you can select whether to include feature attachments.
There is no requirement for connection from the field, as data is always local to the field device.
Free mobile deployment is available for each ArcGIS for Desktop license. For details, contact your Esri representative or local Esri distributor.