Capture geometry

There are multiple ways to capture points, lines, and areas in Survey123. Capture points by tapping the map, using your current location, or by searching for a location by name or coordinates. Draw lines and areas as a sketch, or vertex by vertex.

Geosearch and geocode

Map questions include geosearch functionality, allowing you to search for an address or point of interest and have the map zoom to and place the marker at this location. To search, type the address or location in the text box at the top of the screen and select the correct result from the autocomplete results. The map zooms to the location.

Geocoding (return coordinates from a supplied street address) can be used to capture geometry without the use of a map question. An address question allows entry of a street address into a text question and will generate coordinates for the survey record.

Capture points

You can capture points by tapping the map, by tapping the Find my location button Find My Location, or by searching for a location or map coordinate.

On desktop and tablet devices, pan the map to a location and tap the map to capture the point. On smartphone devices, pan the map to a location and tap the Pin location button Pin Location or tap the map to capture the point.

Use the drop-down list to choose a locator from which to perform your geosearch. To search for map coordinates, enter them directly in the individual coordinate fields below the map. You can switch between degrees, MGRS, and UTM by tapping the location coordinate system button beside the coordinate fields.

Capture lines and areas

Lines and areas have two capture methods, sketch and vertex. The survey author defines which method is used by a survey.

Sketch

The sketch method captures the geometry in a single motion, with the capture completing once the user has stopped drawing this single line. To begin capturing sketch geometry, tap the Sketch button Sketch Geotrace Sketch Geoshape and begin drawing the shape on the map. When you finish sketching the geometry, stop interacting with the map. The geometry is then complete, with the geoshape connecting the beginning and end of the shape if necessary. The length of a geotrace, or the area and perimeter of a geoshape, is displayed below the map.

The sketch method also provides a smart shape option, which attempts to simplify the sketched geometry into an ellipse, rectangle, or triangle. To use smart sketching, tap the Smart Shapes button Smart Shapes and begin drawing the shape on the map. If the sketch is recognizable as an ellipse, rectangle, or triangle, the app automatically converts it. If the sketch doesn't resemble one of these shapes, no geometry is drawn.

Vertex

The vertex method allows more precise geometric capture of a line or shape by placing vertices that connect together. To begin capturing vertex geometry, tap the Vertex button Vertex GeotraceVertex Geoshape and tap the map to place the first vertex. You can place more vertices by tapping the map again.

On smartphone devices only, you can tap the Find my location button Find My Location to center the map on your current location, and then tap the Capture Vertex at Crosshair button Vertex from Crosshair to capture a vertex at your current location.

If you place a vertex at the wrong position, tap Undo Vertex Undo or Redo Vertex Redo to undo or redo the last change. You can also tap Reset Vertex Reset (remove all changes), Cancel Vertex Cancel (remove all changes and end the edit session), or Finish Vertex Finish (keep all changes and end the edit session).