The State of Mobile GIS Software

Over the past six months or so I've been doing a lot of casual testing of the various mobile GIS platforms available on the market today.  Right now is an ideal time to discuss the offerings because just in the past week we've had an update to a key application in this arena (Collector for ArcGIS), we are on the verge of having an interesting new hardware player enter the market (Garmin's soon to be released Monterra handheld GPS) and several vendors are dropping serious hints about where they see their products headed in 2014.

I was ramping up to do a lengthy blog post on this when I dropped by Alex Mahrou's always interesting RockyMountainGeo GIS blog and was surprised to see he had already done all my work for me.  Back in October Alex did a great overview of the current offerings in a posting titled Enterprise Mobile GIS Software Functionality.  All I can do is add minor updates to some of his information and add a few of my own observations.

I like the switchboard analogy!

The single biggest update is the newest version of Collector for ArcGIS (version 10.2) that was released last week for the iOS and Android platforms.  This version addresses one of the two biggest complaints about earlier versions of Collector - polyline and polygon data collection.  It also offers an improved user interface and well thought out workflows.  While the Android version still has some rough edges, the iOS version is a polished, smoothly functioning app that reflects ESRI's mature experience in developing for Apple's mobile operating system.  It is a very good app.

Where ESRI seems to be unnecessarily holding back is off-line data collection and editing, and data synchronization.  As Alex notes, ESRI informally promised that this feature would 'absolutely, positively' be incorporated into Collector before the end of 2013.  It now looks like we'll have to wait until sometime in early 2014, when ESRI plans for a significant overall upgrade to Collector, perhaps better positioning it within their enterprise software offerings.  In my opinion ESRI missed the ball on this one.  Incorporating off-line data storage and editing in the iOS and Android operating systems isn't hard to do; Trimble had it available almost six months ago in their initial release of TerraFlex.  I understand there are other issues at play here - background map data caching and the incorporation of operational layers (both something Trimble's offering lacks), but ESRI still could have incorporated basic off-line functionality in this new release and just built on it for the upcoming major release.

Trimble's TerraFlex is an app I tested back in June and was initially very impressed.  Where most of ESRI's mobile offerings (Collector, ArcGIS App, ArcGIS for Windows Mobile) require some expensive back-end infrastructure - ArcGIS Online, Portal or ArcGIS for Server - TerraFlex offers a far simpler mobile solution paradigm.  Everything is cloud based and single fee.  You pay your money and you get everything TerraFlex has to offer, and all for a relatively paltry price as compared to ESRI's mobile solutions in the same marketplace.  Of course, this easier to use solution comes at a cost (pun intended) - what the initial release of TerraFlex didn't offer was pretty extensive; no background map caching, no data editing either on the device or in the desktop interface, no operational layers, and some very limited data export options.  On the other hand, what TerraFlex does offer is pretty impressive given the price: off line data storage and sync, mature and stable apps not just on the iOS and Android platforms, but Trimble also had an app available for the Windows Embedded Handheld OS right out of the gate.  Trimble wasn't about to leave out the thousands of Trimble customers running their Juno handhelds who are still stuck with a dying Windows OS.  Kudos to Trimble on this.

Trimble indicates many of these shortcomings will be addressed in 2014, and Trimble seems poised to leverage what they do best - allow TerraFlex to incorporate high precision GNSS positions (including RTK-based solutions) into the data collection stream.  This could turn TerraFlex from a mere mapping grade data collector into a serious high precision data collection tool.

In his blog post Alex discusses Fulcrum.  To be honest, this is an application I've known about but have not had a chance to test.  Looks like I'll have to take it for a spin sometime soon.

So as 2013 draws to a close where are we at with mobile GIS solutions?  The best analogy I can think of is that of a ballplayer with a lot of potential who's just been called up to the majors.  His batting stats are getting better with each game, but he still has problems connecting with the ball.  The potential is there, he just needs more time. So it is with mobile GIS apps.  Most are still somewhat of a 'swing and a miss', but they are getting close to smacking the ball out of the park.  Whether it's off-line data collection with ESRI's offerings or TerraFlex's incorporation of cached maps, in-app editing or incorporation of high precision position feeds, 2014 is starting to look like the field will really mature and we'll get closer to the full promise of mobile GIS.

It'll be an interesting year!

Brian

  

Brain Droppings

Naaah, I haven't been ignoring this blog.  I've just been busy.  It's just one of those times when one's personal and professional life get a little crowded and you get distracted.

So anyway, what have I been working on that is related to maps, mapping, topography, GIS, et. al.?

Actually, quite a bit, although the activity is more of a low murmur rather than a series of 'ta-da!' moments.  Let's begin...

ArcGIS Online.  Aaah, the software I hate to love.  I can't discuss too much detail right now because we are involved in the beta test program (and that imposes some confidentiality rules on us), but it is starting to look like the new ESRI ArcGIS Online for Organizations program is shaping up to be something of a game changer for enterprise web mapping, particularly for small and medium organizations that can't afford or don't need heavy iron IT backbones to get their jobs done.  The ArcGIS Online program is part of ESRI's cloud GIS strategy and I for one like the direction it's going.  This program will allow many - perhaps a majority - of organizations that develop and deploy GIS web maps to leave their in-house IT departments behind.  It is not a complete solution, but it takes the field a lot further down the path of IT independence than we've ever seen.  Anything that helps destroy the perception that GIS is just another IT discipline is great.

By the way, you do have your ArcGIS Online accounts set up, don't you?  And you are using the free ArcGIS Online web mapping tools right?

Mobile Mapping.  This is loosely tied to the ArcGIS Online initiative.  We are testing some new mobile solutions that utilize the ArcGIS applications developed for Apple's iOS (iPad and iPhone) and Google's Android OS (smartphones and tablets).  While you will still need ArcGIS Server (but hey, that can reside in the cloud now, too), these new mobile apps make it easier to create and deploy lightweight apps that include a basic level of interactive field data creation and editing.  I'm sure we'll see more of this at the next ESRI User's Conference.  It's slick!

To The Cloud!  Lately I've been absolutely fascinated by the concept of cloud computing and I've been poking around in that realm just to see what's possible, what's not possible and what will be possible in the months or years to come.  Folks, this is the future of computing.  As Steve Jobs would say, it's 'the next big thing'.  Surprising then that Apple is still stumbling at getting their cloud computing programs up and running.  The idea of an OS-agnostic computing environment that maintains all your information in a secure data store on the internet (i.e., the cloud) and can be accessed from any computer through a simple web browser is compelling.  Apple, Google and Microsoft are in a mad race to stake out their territory in the cloud, but it's clear that Google has taken an early and substantial lead.  That's not surprising, given that cloud computing has been at the core of Google's business strategy been for years.  That's OK because Google's competitors are in a hurry to catch up, and the inevitable struggle for our attention (and dollars) will make this an exciting wrestling match.  I'm gonna' go grab a tub of popcorn and a Coke and watch the show from the cozy comfort of my iPad.

Oh, and keep your eye on the new kid on the block - Amazon.

Well, that's it for now.  What's up next?  Probably something to do with CAD & GIS integration methinks.

Brian