Setting up the project on Desktop
Map the EcoData Drive
• Right-click on This PC, then select Map network drive… from the popup menu.
• Select the drive letter for the Ecodata share. You can use any letter drive that isn’t in use.
• The folder name for the Ecodata share is \\fpsb\ecodata$
Create A Project Folder – Project files created and edited with desktop software are stored on the Ecodata Drive, a portion of the University computer network allocated to the Biodiversity Center for their active project files. Use Windows File Explorer to map the Ecodata Drive and display the contents of the R:\_NaturalAreasGeoData folder. If the subfolder NatAreasVegMapping2020 hasn’t been created yet, create it now.
Create A Project Map Document – When creating and updating the files needed to support a mapping project, it’s best to use a map document (.mxd extension) dedicated to those activities. Use Windows File Explorer to view the contents of the R:\_NaturalAreasGeoData\MapTreat2020_NatArea subfolder. If the NatAreasWorkspace.mxd map document hasn’t been created yet, use ArcMap to create it now. Before saving the document to the project folder, configure it to store relative pathnames to data sources. It recommended to not designate a default database.
Create a Geodatabase – When running the Collector App, the mobile worker is using one of the project’s editable feature classes to store data. An editable feature class that is being used for data collection resides in the cloud but it’s important to keep in mind that it started life on the desktop in a geodatabase that serves as a “container” for the project’s feature classes. So the first step in creating the feature classes that will be needed for a project is creation of the container that they will be stored in. Use Windows File Explorer to view the contents of the R:\_NaturalAreasGeoData\NatAreasVegMapping2020 subfolder. If the NatAreasVegMapping2020.gdb geodatabase hasn’t been created yet, use the Catalog Window in ArcMap to create it now. Open the Catalog sidebar, and under created folder right click and select New File Geodatabase. Once created, right click on .gdb and go to New -> Feature Class.
Create An Editable Feature Class For Polygon Features – The project’s mobile workers will be mapping some vegetation patches that are best represented by polygons. Of course the data structure they will be writing to resides in the cloud, but before it gets to the cloud, it needs to be created on the desktop. Use the Catalog Window in ArcMap to view the contents of NatAreasVegMapping2020.gdb. If the NatAreasVegMapping2020Patch01 feature class hasn’t been created yet, create it now. Note that we’ve retracted our original recommendation regarding the feature class coordinate system. We started out with a projected CS, in this case Wisconsin Transverse Mercator. Later, we figured out that a geographic CS is a much better choice. WGS 84 should have been used on this project and should be the standard for all the Biodiversity Center’s field mapping work. There are two more “New Feature Class” screens in addition to the two shown below. We’re not really sure what they’re for, but leaving the default settings has worked out OK so far.
Define the First Field In the Polygon Feature Class – We know that the mobile workers will need to record the species they are mapping. The first step in setting up the project to meet the need to record species information is creation of a data field named SPECIES in NatAreasVegMapping2020Patch01. We do this by modifying the feature class properties.
It’s often beneficial to list some or all of the values that mobile workers will enter in a data field. That’s the case with the SPECIES field where we’ve set it up so mobile workers can look up the species name for the plant they are mapping and enter it into the database (spelled correctly) with one keystroke. So there’s a place in the feature class properties for us to store a list of allowed values for the SPECIES field. Right? Wrong! The list of allowed values (called a “domain”) is a property of the geodatabase, not the feature class.
So now we have a field in our feature class for entering species information and we have a list of allowable species values in the geodatabase. We now need to modify the feature class properties so it knows to use the SPECIES domain to control what can and can’t be entered in the SPECIES field. Right? Wrong! The list of allowed values (called a “domain”) is a property of the geodatabase, not the feature class. If there many values for a single field (such as SPECIES) you can import a list of values from excel to populate that field.
So now we have a field in our feature class for entering species information and we have a list of allowable species values in the geodatabase. We now need to modify the feature class properties so it knows to use the SPECIES domain to control what can and can’t be entered in the SPECIES field.
Define Additional Fields in the Polygon Feature Class – Develop the feature class to accommodate the full range of conditions that mobile workers will encounter. This includes adding new fields as needed and domains may also need to be added and/or tweaked.