Field applications

The two field applications that come with ArcGIS for Windows Mobile include one application for Windows tablet or notebook devices, and another application for Windows Mobile or Windows Embedded Handheld devices. Though slightly different in appearance and functionality, each delivers a task-based workflow for use by field workers.

Task-centric applications

Field applications work seamlessly with Mobile Project Center, a component of ArcGIS for Windows Mobile, which you use to author, configure, and deploy mobile projects. When a mobile project is created and deployed, your field workers can use field applications to open it and perform the tasks configured for the project in Mobile Project Center. These tasks include the following:

• View Map—Displays the map of the study area.
• Collect Features—Collects point, line, and polygon features and their attributes. Existing features can be edited or deleted.
• Search—Searches for features using predefined or on-the-fly queries.
• View Work List—Shows the features added to the work list by the field crew for inspection.
• Manage Edits—Lists the features added, modified, or deleted during the field work session. It also shows additional functionality such as cancelling edits.
• Synchronize—Synchronizes edits to operational data between office and field. This function is only available if your operational data consists of services.
• Route (only available in the ArcGIS application running on Windows device)—Creates a route that traverses along a list of stops defined by field staff.

You can also use ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile to develop custom tasks and include them in individual projects. The following images show the default tasks in the applications on Windows tablet or notebook devices, and Windows Mobile devices. Any custom tasks you create are added to the list. For more information, see Tasks and capabilities.

Task list on Windows Mobile device

Configurable applications

While most of your project's configuration takes place in Mobile Project Center, you can also configure some of the application settings from within the applications as shown in the following images. Most of the settings that are configurable in the field are at the application level, affecting map settings, for example, while a limited number of them are at the project level, affecting settings such as data synchronization. The ArcGIS for Windows Mobile field applications are designed with the non-GIS field worker in mind—one who uses mobile projects as opposed to configuring them.

List of application settings on Windows Mobile device

Note:

The project source setting is also available on a Windows Mobile device (not shown on the screenshot above). For more information, see Setting Project Source

As with custom tasks, you can use the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile to build your own custom capabilities and make them configurable through custom settings page.

Differences between the two field applications

Both of the field applications follow task-driven and data-centric workflow but differ slightly in functionality and form factors to suit their supported field devices. The differences between the two applications are described in the following table:

Functionality	Windows Mobile device	Windows device
Requires GPS settings during first application startup	Yes	No
Supports waypoint navigation to specific locations	Yes	No
Supports additional project and basemap folders	No	Yes
Supports different map panning and zooming modes	No	Yes
Supports routing to a list of stops	No	Yes
Form factors
Supports daytime and nighttime skin	No	Yes
Adjustable brightness of application and support of visual animation	No	Yes
Adjustable brightness of basemap	No	Yes