Test your map

Once you've prepared your map, it is ready for testing in the Field Maps mobile app. While you can test it yourself in the field, it is recommended that you also collect feedback from mobile workers before sharing the map to a wide audience—be sure the people who are going to use the map can be successful with it.

Items to test

Before distributing your map for use in the field, confirm that it functions as expected. Test it outside and not just in your office, because what works on a mobile device is influenced by glare and lighting. What you test depends on the type of map you're deploying. Every map has a general list of tests that should be performed, but there are specific tests you need if you are working with a map made for data collection or a mobile map package (MMPK).

Test your maps for use in the field

Consider the following when testing your maps for use in the field:

  • Symbology—Clear and easy to see.
  • Labels—Contain helpful information and be present where needed.
  • Scale dependency—Thresholds are correct and relevant information is visible at the same time. Test for both symbology and labels.
  • Clean map—The map shouldn't be cluttered, which makes it harder to work with the assets and observations it contains.
  • Attachments—Supported where expected. The configured photo size provides photos with sufficient quality for your project.
  • Offline—If your map is authored for offline use, ensure that you can take it offline.
  • High-accuracy location—If your map is authored for use with a high-accuracy GPS, ensure that the locations provided by the GPS are accurate.
  • Search—If assets or observations are authored to be searchable, search for some. Review the hint text and confirm that it is appropriate.

Test a map made for data collection

In addition to the tests above,consider the following when testing a map for data collection:

  • New asset and observation templates—If assets and observations can be added, the choices of what can be added should be understandable by mobile workers. They should be able to set appropriate default values. Any templates that mobile workers won't use when working with this map should be removed.
  • Domains and values—Expected choices appear.
  • Offline data collection—If your map is authored for offline use, ensure that you can take it offline and collect and sync your work.
  • High-accuracy collection—If your map is authored for use with a high-accuracy GPS, confirm that GPS metadata is recorded (if necessary), the locations provided by the GPS are accurate, and the app enforces your required accuracy.
  • Form—Test what you configured in the form, such as the order of fields, use of aliases, and any Arcade expressions used.

Test an MMPK

In addition to the tests above, consider the following when testing a MMPK:

  • Download—If your MMPK is meant to be downloaded to a device, ensure that it downloads successfully and the map includes all the data mobile workers need for the field.
  • Sideload—If your MMPK is meant to be copied to a device (sideloaded), ensure that it copies successfully and the map includes all the data mobile workers need for the field.

Share your map with testers

Collect feedback from others in your organization, and in particular, some of the mobile workers who will be using the map. Based on the feedback you receive, testing can be an iterative process. Evaluate the feedback you receive, perform updates as needed, and test the map again.

Troubleshoot

When testing your map, you may experience common issues. Learn how to fix them in the sections below.

Map isn't available in Field Maps

The Field Maps mobile app displays maps that are either owned by you or shared to a group or organization of which you are a member. If you created the map, confirm that you are signed in to Field Maps with the same ArcGIS account. If the map is shared with you, confirm that it is shared with a group or organization of which you are a member.

If you're using ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise 10.9 or later, confirm the Use in ArcGIS Field Maps mobile setting in ArcGIS Online or Use in ArcGIS Field Maps mobile setting in ArcGIS Enterprise is enabled. If you're using the Field Maps web app to configure the map, confirm the map isn't hidden from Field Maps mobile.

Unable to add or update assets or observations

Some issues may prevent a mobile worker from adding assets or observations, including the permissions of that specific mobile worker, a setting on the layer or map, or a setting in Field Maps.

If only certain mobile workers are unable to add or update assets, ensure that their accounts in the ArcGIS organization have either Edit or Edit with full control Features privileges. Mobile workers without these privileges won't see Add Add when viewing maps. They also will not see Edit Edit, Copy Copy, Delete Delete, and Collect Here Collect here when viewing the details of an existing asset or observation.

If the issue is common to all mobile workers, you may have restricted edits on the layer or map more than intended. For hosted feature layers, see Manage editor settings in ArcGIS Online or Manage editor settings in ArcGIS Enterprise. If you're using a feature service hosted in ArcGIS Server, see Editor permissions for feature services.

If your mobile workers cannot add related records, ensure that your layer isn't restricted to attribute updates only. Since the related table shares the same permissions as the layer, preventing mobile workers from adding new assets and observations also prevents them from adding new records. If you want to prevent them from adding new assets or observations, or changing existing ones, but allow them to add related records, disable editing on the layer of assets and observations (leaving it enabled on the table). For more information, see Create a map.

If your data has related features and your mobile workers cannot capture related assets and observations directly without indicating the feature to which they are related, turn on the Show related types option in Field Maps.

Unable to add attachments

If mobile workers cannot add attachments, ensure that the layer is configured to support them. How you configure this for on the layer depends on when you enable them:

Unable to access related records

If mobile workers are unable to access related records in Field Maps, ensure that pop-ups are enabled on the related table. See Enable and remove pop-ups in ArcGIS Online or Enable and remove pop-ups in ArcGIS Enterprise.