Wondering about Mobile GIS?

By Matt Sheehan


Are you wondering about Mobile GIS? Looking to improve how your field staff get their work done, looking to provide access to maps and GIS from any device and any mobile platform? In this article we will discuss some of the core elements of mobile GIS.
Mobile GIS Platform

Often a first question for those of us looking to use or build mobile GIS apps is: which mobile platform should we target – Apple, Android, Windows? At one time, this singular question was popular. We were focused on one platform, then often the popular choice was targeting Apple devices; the iPad and iPhone. But things are changing. The popularity of mobile devices means users have a mix of Apple, Android, and Windows devices. Cross-platform is increasingly the focus of today. That is mobile GIS apps which run on any device. Mobile Web GIS is one of the best cross-platform solutions. Ever more of our mobile development, as a company, is web focused for this reason.


Mobile GIS Device Type
Smartphones, tablets and the new phablets are today’s popular mobile GIS device types. Smartphones are the most common, and have come a long way over the last few years. Screen size and capacity have increased. Smartphones with 5″ screens, fast processors and large storage capacity are common. That dramatically improves the user experience particularly with GIS apps. In general terms though it is still true that smartphones are best used with simple apps. For GIS that means viewing maps and map layers, routing, and simple data collection. Many GIS tools or more complex functionality demand the larger screens of tablets and laptops. That brings up an often overlooked mobile device type the laptop. Laptops remain popular mobile devices. They are often used at remote base stations, and in vehicles. One reason why mobile Web GIS apps are ever more popular is because they are cross-device or run on any mobile device type including laptops.

Offline Maps and Offline GIS
Two years ago there was a huge demand for offline GIS. And there were no solid solutions. That has now changed. Technology has advanced, now there are new ways to build offline enabled GIS mobile apps. We have argued for the longest time that all mobile apps should be offline enabled. That applies to mobile GIS apps used both in remote and populated areas.

Why?

Poor or no wireless connectivity is a very common challenge. If your mobile GIS app does not have the ability to use locally stored maps and data it will often be slow or unusable; a huge frustration to users. There are still not enough good offline enabled GIS apps available. Those that have been released are commonly native, or targeted at one platform or device. As we have discussed above there is an increasing demand for cross-platform, cross-device mobile GIS apps. In our case that means building mobile Web GIS apps which are offline enabled.

GIS Platform
With the popularity of cloud computing we now often hear the term GIS Platform. There are many out there including Esri’s ArcGIS, GISCloud, MapBox. These are usually relatively low cost GIS services which take little time to set up and configure. They provide the maps and GIS muscle for your mobile GIS app. The most suitable platform depends on your needs. ArcGIS is arguably the most comprehensive and complete, it is a true enterprise solution for use across the organization. But others should not be overlooked.
Mobile Web GIS

We’ve mentioned mobile Web GIS a number of times in this article. The development of cross-platform, cross-device, offline enabled mobile GIS apps has become an increasing part of our company focus. Web based mobile apps are easier to build and maintain, provide advanced functionality and most importantly run anywhere, regardless of which device you use.

That is very powerful!
Are they a solution to all mobile GIS problems? No. But from our experience the majority. If performance, access to mobile sensors, and/or working with large datasets are part of your requirements then a native app may be the best choice. A recent super helpful development is the ability to convert a mobile GIS Web app to a native app (actually called hybrid) using PhoneGap/Cordova.

So there you have it. Mobile is revolutionizing GIS. Now we can use GIS anywhere, anytime on any device. We will focus over the next few blog articles on digging deeper into mobile GIS.

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CityMapper app will tell you where to sit on the Tube

By Aleks Buczkowski




CityMapper a popular transit app offering public transportation directions in 30 cities around the world has added a new feature which is simple, useful and no one else has it.

The new functionality is called Train Car Exits. It shows you precisely where to sit on the train so you can be in the best possible spot to exit or transfer when you reach your stop.

This can actually save you 1–2 minutes of walking or even more time when you transfer.

In the blog post the company has admitted that its data is still imperfect and incomplete… It comes from crowdsourcing as this kind of data are not structurally gathered in any way. The good thing is that the data will improve with time. Nonetheless, even today the data is cool and the idea innovative. Way to go!

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How GIS Professionals Can Create a Flexible, Mobile Workflow

By Bob Honn

The demand for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services and tools continues to rise. This was reflected in a recent industry survey in which 73% of respondents noted experiencing a growth in demand for GIS services. Many of the respondents already include GIS in their survey workflow or offer it as a service, and when asked which GIS tools have the most potential, 42% reported Mobile GIS Applications, with cloud-based GIS Applications/Web Portals next at 27%.1


As the use of GIS becomes even more pervasive, the work environments for organizations that rely heavily on these applications are becoming even more mobile and collaborative. As a result, the need to share, view and print GIS documents in the field using a broad range of mobile devices is growing.

Today’s mobile print applications and cloud computing capabilities make this collaborative, on-the-go approach easier by leveraging the mobile device’s Internet connection to access and print to large format enabled printers. Now, GIS professionals can share, manage, and print content when and where they need it – helping them adapt to the changing work environment.

Collaboration Through the Cloud
Cloud computing is an ideal approach for the mobile and highly collaborative work environments of GIS professionals, which frequently entail the communication and analysis of detailed information – often in the field. High volumes of documents including GIS maps, satellite photos, spreadsheets and PDFs can be stored online or “in the cloud”, where they can be easily downloaded, edited and uploaded. This can be critical to enabling an efficient workflow as project teams can leverage the cloud to share information over the duration of the project.

Two ways in which data can be easily shared in this collaborative work environment using a large format multifunction device are: scan to FTP, or desktop publish to the cloud via an online storage service like ADrive™, Dropbox™, Google Docs™, or Amazon Web Services™. The scan via FTP method enables a more flexible on-ramp to the cloud so documents can be shared and accessed across multiple stakeholders, and users are not locked into a single proprietary service provider. All that is required is a cloud storage provider that has an FTP front end that enables scan to FTP functionality; otherwise uploading from a desktop to a service provider is another option. Once documents are stored in the cloud, they can be accessed by project team members using a variety of mobile devices for collaborative viewing and printing purposes.

A Mobile and Flexible Workflow
Using the Wi-Fi configuration on their mobile device, project members can retrieve large format GIS maps and satellite imagery from the cloud and send a requested print to a supported large format printing device. Combining advanced large format print systems with mobile print capabilities gives GIS professionals the flexibility to print high-quality GIS documents in the field, without disrupting their workflow.

Employees no longer have to worry about having all the GIS documents they may need stored on a jump drive or printed as hard copies before they go into the field. They can trust that all the critical documents they need are stored securely in the cloud and can be accessed and sent to any large format printing system within their existing network environment enabled with the mobile printing software. Mobile access and printing of documents can lead to reduced downtime and costs as employees need not put a job on hold while they leave the site to retrieve critical maps or data.

Fast, easy access to GIS documents in the field can help geospatial professionals further leverage the use of color to improve communication and decision making, reduce mistakes and speed up project completion. For more information on how to create a collaborative, mobile workflow, visit www.csa.canon.com.

1GIS Trends Survey, Point of Beginning, August 4, 2014, http://www.pobonline.com/articles/97383-gis-trends-survey

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