Reference Projects Best Practices

To save memory and ensure the collection project runs smoothly and with acceptable speed, keep the amount of reference data (MB) being downloaded to a minimum. The following are suggestions and recommendations:

  1. Set any unnecessary attribute’s transfer configuration to none to prevent it from downloading data to the mobile device.

  2. If the feature is large or has many records in it, attempts to buffer the feature around the work area (ex: 5 miles from a centerline) to the area needed are useful when possible in GIS.

  3. Set Scale thresholds and displays to reduce unnecessary delays in rendering the features in the map area.

  4. For large reference projects, areas can be divided up into separate reference projects, called by their region/district/county etc name, then on the collection project side, create multiple copies of the original collection project but with different project names, and set each collection project linked project name to a certain reference project. In other words, you can have several collection projects for the field user to select from when downloading, each project being an exact copy but referencing a different reference project, then on the SD card have all of the reference projects, all with unique names. This will allow the field user to open one collection project and have a specific reference project open up, and if another area is needed, the field user can simply close one collection project and open another, saving active memory on the mobile.

    5. A single collection project doesn't make a distinction between any of the reference projects linked to it. If a reference project is linked to the collection project, then it will be enabled immediately when CartoPac Mobile is launched on the device.

  5. Use of Download Filters to crop the data being downloaded.

    6. Once the reference projects are built out and downloaded, they will need to be tested on a mobile device to determine the memory hit and performance of the project, forms, and map display area (initial testing can be performed in CartoPac tablet to ensure the link is working, all forms queries are working, and the data is displaying, but ultimate testing and the memory ‘bottleneck’ will occur on the mobile device that the field users will be using).

  6. The Z Order of a Reference Project is set within the reference project and appended as a set to the end (bottom) of the Layers from the Collection project. Layers from the Reference Project may not be interspersed within the Z Order of a Collection Project.