Arches Collector Manager

What Are Arches Collector Projects?

Using the Arches Collector mobile app to crowdsource data is dependent on the creation of Projects, by a database administrator, in the Arches Collector Manager. Each Project is a discrete collection effort comprising the following:

  • Specific users or groups of users who are allowed to participate

  • Start and end dates to define when users are allowed to participate

  • A selection of which Resource Models will be used, and more precisely, which cards from within those Resource Models will be used

  • A set of existing resources from your database, to which users may add more data or just use as reference (based on card-level permissions)

  • An optional MBTiles file to provide a basemap for users working outside of wifi/cell network range

To facilitate a wide array of simultaneous data collection efforts, an administator can create multiple projects, all targeting different users and a different type of data collection.

See also

To learn more about how data collection users will participate in Projects, please see Arches Collector Workflow.

Important

Before you can use the Arches Collector app, you must make sure to complete the Arches Collector Checklist

Arches Collector Manager Overview

Important

To access the Arches Collector Manager, you must be in the Mobile Project Administrator group or have superuser status.

To get to the Arches Collector Manager, use the acm-icon icon in the left-hand nav bar, or go directly to /collector_manager. Before you have created any projects, the interface will look like this:

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As you begin to add more and more projects, the interface will resemble the Arches Designer, with Projects taking the place of Resource Models:

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Creating Projects in the Arches Collector Manager

Use new-project-btn to begin creating a new project, and you’ll be brought to the summary page:

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Now, using the navigation tree in the left-hand panel, you will set all of your project parameters. Detailed information about each parameter is available in the in-app help:

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When you have filled out all the parameters, you will see in the project summary that all Project Requirements have been met. You are now ready to activate the Project.

Warning

Once a Project has been activated for the first time, its parameters are saved to an intermediate database, and they cannot be changed. Therefore, it’s wise to double-check everything before the initial activation.

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Great! Now that you have activated your project, any data collection user that you assigned to it will be able to download it through the Arches Collector app and begin collecting data.

After you have activated the project and data collectors have used it to add resources to your database, the project summary page will tell your how long the project has been active, how many resources have been collected, how many have connected to it, and more.

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Creating an Offline Basemap

Projects allow for the inclusion of an MBTiles file to serve as a basemap while data collectors are outide of wifi/cell network range. This file will be downloaded and stored on an Arches Collector users’ device the first time that “offline maps” are activated in a project, not upon the initial download. Therefore, users should activate this map in the project before going into the field.

You can also obtain high quality and inexpensive tiles from sites such as https://openmaptiles.com. To create an MBTiles file with your own geospatial data, you can use a free account at Mapbox.com, or desktop software like TileMill.

Note

Large files will require longer downloads and more storage space on mobile devices.