Choose what to collect
Pick the active type (a point, line or area) so every tap of ⊕ collects that kind of asset until you change it.
Before you collect, tell the app what you're collecting: a marker, a hydrant, a fence line, a parcel. That choice is the active type. Every tap of ⊕ collects another one of it until you pick something else. So a crew recording forty poles picks Pole once, not forty times.
The type also decides how you capture. A point type records one position. A line or area type records a series of vertices.
Before you start
- You need an active project. The type is saved with the project.
Pick a type
The type picker opens in three ways:
- Automatically, the first time you open the Survey tab in a project that has no type yet.
- By tapping ⊕ when no type is chosen. After you pick one, the app goes straight on to capturing it.
- By tapping the type button to the right of ⊕. It shows the active type's icon with a small ▾. This only changes the type. It doesn't start a capture.
In the picker, What are you collecting? (Stays active until you change it):
- Find the type under Points, Lines or Areas.
- Tap it. The picker closes and the type button now shows its icon.
The active type is outlined in blue. A small number in a tile's corner is how many of that type the project already holds. Tap Cancel to close the picker without changing anything.
The Auto capture switch at the bottom of the picker collects the active type on a timer as you walk. See Auto capture.
The built-in types
Tiles use short names. Full names appear on the record and in exports.
| Group | Types |
|---|---|
| Points | Marker, Control (Control Point), Pole (Utility Pole), Manhole, Valve, Hydrant, Sign, Tree, Splice, Cabinet |
| Lines | Boundary (Boundary Line), Fence (Fence Line), Path / Track, Trench Edge, Duct, Conduit, Cable, Pipe, Warning Tape |
| Areas | Parcel, Field (Field / Area), Building |
Some types come with attribute fields to fill in. The buried utility types (Trench Edge, Duct, Conduit, Cable, Pipe, Warning Tape, Splice and Cabinet) have extra checks for open-trench work. See Open-trench utilities.
Types you add under Tools → Feature codes appear in the picker too, in the group that matches their geometry. See Feature codes.
A few types never appear in the picker, because other parts of the app create them:
- Design Point, Design Line / Route and Design Area come from imports.
- 3D Scan anchors come from 3D capture.
- Check Shot records come from checking a known point.
How the active type behaves
- It's stored with the project. It survives closing the app, and each project remembers its own type. Switch projects and the type button shows that project's type.
- It shows in the project strip, after the project name, for example 1215 Eunice Ave · Cabinet.
- Its geometry decides the capture screen. Point types open Capture position. Line types open Draw a line, and area types open Map an area.
- Picking a type inside a capture also sets it. If you tap Back from a capture screen, you return to the type grid. Whatever you pick there becomes the active type.