Data collection

A field deployment that opens a map plus editable layers and forms on a phone or tablet, with offline download, sync, and QR / link share.

basic

A data collection item is a field deployment. Authors bind a map, mark which layers are editable in the field, optionally bind a custom form per layer, and optionally prepare offline areas. Collectors open the field PWA on a phone or tablet, add and edit features with or without signal, then sync when they are back online.

It is not Esri Field Maps and not Survey123. The portal ships its own field PWA and form runtime. Survey-style capture without a map still uses a form item (and XLSForm import where it fits). See Coming from ArcGIS Online terminology for the honest Field Maps / Survey123 mapping.

What a deployment includes

  • A map. Layers, basemap, and default viewport the collector sees in field mode (/items/<id>/field).
  • Editable layers. Only layers marked editable for field deployments appear in Add / edit flows. View-only layers still draw.
  • Forms. By default each editable layer uses a form drawn from its schema. Optional per-layer form bindings override that.
  • Optional offline areas. Prepared extents and detail levels for basemap / tile warm-up on the item page. Feature download for offline still happens on the device (see below).

Opening on a phone

On the data collection item page, Open field-mode runtime starts the PWA on the device you are already using. For handoff from a desk:

  • Scan the QR code on the item page (built from the browser's public origin plus /items/<id>/field).
  • Or copy the link and send it.

Collectors must be able to sign in (or already have a session) on that phone. Sharing the data collection item controls who can open the deployment; editing still follows each data layer's permissions.

Offline: Download and Refresh

In the field runtime More menu (and on the Layers sheet):

  • Download for offline caches editable-layer features (scoped to the deployment bbox when configured), bound form schemas, and pick lists into IndexedDB on that device.
  • Refresh offline cache pulls again. When the device already has a sync cursor, refresh prefers the data layer delta API instead of re-downloading every feature. See Data layer (sync versions).
  • Partial downloads surface an honest incomplete warning (missing layers, forms, pick lists, or out of storage). Do not assume a "Cached" line means every layer landed.

Basemap tiles may still be empty offline if tiles were not warmed; feature capture and forms are the offline contract today. Remove from device wipes that deployment's local cache (and warns when unsynced edits would be lost).

Sync queue and conflicts

Edits made offline (and online writes that fall back to the queue) sit in a local queue. When online, the queue badge can Sync; offline it only shows that edits are waiting.

Queued updates and deletes dry-run with checkOnly=true before the real write. A conflict or schema refusal parks that edit on the device with the server reason. New creates upload without a dry-run. Review recent conflicts on the paired Data layer item (Layer data panel): Re-apply or Dismiss. That page's Sync versions and conflicts section is the full Re-apply / Dismiss guide.

What this is not

  • Not a Field Maps project import, offline geodatabase replica, or ArcGIS Mobile Map Package workflow.
  • Not Survey123 Connect / web designer parity; use a form item for survey-first flows.
  • Not a promise that every basemap tile works offline without preparing areas and warming tiles.
  • Not multi-user CRDT merge on drawings; sync conflicts are optimistic-concurrency artifacts you resolve on the layer.
  • Map — the deployed composition.
  • Form — custom bindings and survey-style capture.
  • Data layer — sync versions, delta refresh, Layer data conflict Re-apply / Dismiss.
  • Item types — catalog one-liner for this type.