Common Questions

ArcGIS is the complete mobile GIS platform focused on management, deployment, and use of geographical information in the field. It includes industry leading mobile mapping and GIS capabilities including:

• Map visualization for mobile devices
• GIS editing using device inputs or GPS
• Street routing and navigation
• Query and spatial analysis

ArcGIS includes a comprehensive suite of mobile GIS products that are designed for different application and platform requirements. These products share four key benefits for mobile GIS users:

• Increase accuracy of geographic information
• Improve currency of business data
• Boost productivity of mobile field workers
• Ensure accurate decisions with advanced spatial analysis
• Fit seamlessly into enterprise environment

ESRI's mobile GIS strategy is to develop and maintain a complete mobile GIS platform that provides a range of products and services for out-of-the-box users and end customers as well as partner developers. Our goal is to ensure there are a range of options for deploying mobile GIS solutions with ArcGIS including:

• ArcGIS Mobile
• ArcPad
• GeoCollector
• ArcGIS Engine
• ArcGIS Desktop

Yes and no. ArcGIS Mobile is not intended for consumer use however it is intended for the GIS community and other professionals (e.g., operational teams, field service professionals, asset management professionals, engineering professionals, and mobile enterprise professionals) who have a need for field or mobile data collection and inspection. ArcGIS Mobile is designed so that professionals can manage and administer the configuration and deployment of ArcGIS Mobile, while actual field or mobile workers can use their ArcGIS Mobile applications without need for GIS training.

No. Although ArcGIS Mobile and ArcPad target similar industries they are positioned differently. When choosing between ArcPad and ArcGIS Mobile, it is important to consider you organization size and the required capabilities of your field staff.

Both products are positioned as ESRI solutions for mobile GIS. They are designed to boost mobile productivity and are used to support professionals with their field efforts. ArcGIS Mobile is designed for non-GIS professionals in large enterprise organizations with field staff that typically perform simple data collection and inspection tasks. ArcPad is designed for GIS trained professionals in small to medium size workgroups who typically perform more advanced GPS/GIS editing tasks.

The help systems or ArcGIS Mobile are split between four areas.

1. Documentation and help for preparing mobile maps can be found in the ArcGIS Desktop Help System.
2. For managing ArcGIS Mobile projects and the mobile data access Web service, use the ArcGIS Server Help System.
3. Documentation and help for the ArcGIS Mobile application can be accessed via the ArcGIS Mobile guide that is included with ArcGIS Server.
4. Documentation and help for the ArcGIS Mobile SDK can be found in the ArcGIS Mobile SDK Help that is installed from the ArcGIS Server DVDs.

In addition, it is recommended that you visit the Mobile Resource Center for the latest online information. The ArcGIS Mobile team is continually updating the resource center with enhanced help, forums, code samples, and an online blog of tips and tricks.

The ArcGIS Mobile application and SDK runtime use the same API to communicate with GPS receivers. They work directly with GPS devices that support the NMEA protocol. The NMEA protocol is a one-way protocol that ArcGIS Mobile consumes and enables it to locate itself for use in navigating maps or creating new GIS features.

Given that ArcGIS Mobile supports NMEA you can be confident that it is designed to be used with a range of GPS devices (including internal GPS chipsets embedded in devices, external Bluetooth GPS, and external USB GPS.) NMEA does not enable ArcGIS Mobile to control the settings of a GPS that supports it. To do this a third party tool must be used that uses a two-way protocol, such as Trimble or SiRF.

Yes, both the ArcGIS Mobile application and the SDK runtime support real-time differential GPS (RT-DGPS). The GPS connection reads NMEA protocol which contains positional information including the geographic coordinate and associated metadata details the type and quality of the position. The majority of GPS devices in the market today support RT-DGPS using Satellite-based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) such as the North American Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) or the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).

The SBAS are a satellite system for delivering RT-DGPS corrections to each GPS receiver using the same signal as the existing GPS system. GPS receivers using these systems can increase their accuracy dramatically. To understand the expected accuracy of a particular GPS receiver it is important to read the specification provided by the manufacture and also to run your own local tests to characterize performance in your environmental conditions.

The environmental condition impact the expected accuracy in a specific location. This is a function of the GPS systems reliance on a weak radio signal that is influenced by a number of factors including the atmospheric conditions, regional topography, and local environment such as buildings and trees which intercept or refract the GPS signals. What this means is that it is common for a RT-DGPS solution in tough environmental conditions to drop its connection.

For example, the Trimble GeoXT handheld can achieve Submeter accuracy in real-time when using either WAAS or EGNOS. This accuracy is only available when the GPS receiver can view the WAAS or EGNOS satellites. These satellites are low elevation in orbit and can often be blocked preventing guaranteed Submeter accuracy. In this situation customers often expect to use the post-processed differential GPS (PP-DGPS) solution. Today, ArcGIS Mobile does not support PP-DGPS. Customers requiring a PP-DGPS solution should consider using GeoCollector for ArcPad, a hardware solution provided through the ESRI Hardware Solution's team and produced in conjunction with Trimble Mapping and GIS division.

ArcGIS Mobile is designed to communicate with ArcGIS Server through the mobile data access Web service. This is a SOAP Web service that ArcGIS Mobile clients use to communicate with over any Internet connection that supports HTTP access. For wireless access, you can expect ArcGIS Mobile to connect over a WiFi (802.xx), Satellite, or cellular network that provides HTTP access.

In the market you will see a range of cellular services promoted from GPRS, EDGE, HSPDA, UMTS, EVDO, etc. These are all different types of cellular data services that run over the core GSM or CDMA networks maintained by the leading cellular carriers. Each of these provides HTTP access on the mobile device with varying upload and download speeds. Typically, download speeds are faster than upload speeds but they do vary greatly based on geography and cellular carrier implementation.

ArcGIS Mobile is ideal for posting GIS edits from the mobile device to ArcGIS Server using any cellular data service. Although, you can use ArcGIS Mobile to download GIS data from ArcGIS Server over these networks, it is important to understand the exact requirements of your application. Downloading large amounts of GIS data (100 MB or more) is time consuming over a cellular data service and may result in high costs, if charged on a per MB basis.

Yes. ArcGIS Mobile is designed to communicate with ArcGIS Server through the mobile data access Web service. This is a SOAP Web service that ArcGIS Mobile clients use to communicate with over any Internet connection that supports HTTP access. You can access GIS data over your LAN or ActiveSync connection. This is ideal for those who do not wish to use a wireless network, do not have mobile devices with cellular support, or are in regions where cellular services are not available.

GIS data can easily be downloaded to a mobile device in the office through the connection to the internal network using either a dock with a LAN port or through a USB cable connected to their Desktop PC running ActiveSync. Once out in the field, you can use ArcGIS Mobile without an Internet connection to view maps and perform GIS edits. Once you return to the office, you can use the same wired connection to post edits back to ArcGIS Server. This removes the complexity of having field workers use the traditional Check In/Out process with ArcGIS Desktop. This provides major advantages to simplifying deployment and field workflow scenarios.

ArcGIS Mobile Application deployments support:

• Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC and Smartphone
• Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard, Classic, and Professional
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, Classic, and Professional

The .NET Compact Framework 2.0 SP2 is required on each of these device types to run the ArcGIS Mobile Application. Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 devices include the framework in the ROM while Windows Mobile 5.0 devices do not. A redistributable download is available.

ArcGIS Mobile Application deployments support Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone, Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard, Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic, and Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional devices. The .NET Compact Framework 2.0 SP2 is required on each of these device types to run the ArcGIS Mobile Application.

ArcGIS Mobile SDK runtime deployments support:

• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows Mobile software for Pocket PC 2003
• Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC and Smartphone
• Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard, Classic, and Professional
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, Classic, and Professional

ArcGIS Mobile SDK is designed for use with the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The SDK supports 2005 Service Pack 1 and 2008 Service Pack 1.

The .NET Framework 2.0 is required for Windows Vista and XP. When developing with Windows Vista, although it includes the .NET Framework 3.0, the .NET Framework 2.0 must be selected as a minimum requirement in your Visual Studio project.

When developing for Windows XP, Service Pack 2 is required as it includes .NET Framework 2.0.

The .NET Compact Framework 2.0 SP2 is required for Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, and 6.1 devices. The .NET Compact Framework 2.0 SP2 is included in the ROM on Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 devices; however, Windows Mobile 5.0 devices do not.

A redistributable is available.

Note: the .NET Framework 3.0 and 3.5 are not supported with the ArcGIS Mobile SDK at this time.

A major benefit of ArcGIS Mobile is that there are two different products, the ArcGIS Mobile Application and the ArcGIS Mobile SDK/runtime. In a situation where a customer has a specific workflow or line of business application in mind that the ArcGIS Mobile application doesn't meet the requirements for, the customer has the option to either build a custom application using the flexible ArcGIS Mobile SDK and runtime or to integrate the ArcGIS Mobile runtime into an existing line of business application.

Yes. It is possible to push ArcGIS Mobile applications, data, and projects to mobile devices. Although, we provide a default deployment system through the ArcGIS Mobile deployment Web page which is part of the ArcGIS Server Manager, we also ensure that any customer can access the ArcGIS Mobile Application, SDK runtime, data, and project files directly from a directory on the server. From this location the customer can use their deployment system of choice to manage and push these items to their device.

ESRI has bundled the ArcGIS Mobile Application and the SDK runtime in a cabinet file (.CAB) so that the executable (.EXE) and dynamic link libraries (.DLL) are installed into the correct folders on the device. The ArcGIS Mobile project file that is used with the ArcGIS Mobile application contains a configuration setting for the location of any Mobile Service Cache and Mobile base map data. Depending on the deployment system used it is critical that these data packages are pushed into the correct folders that were specified in the ArcGIS Mobile project.

There are over thirty different deployment systems available today. Two worthy of consideration are the SOTI MobiController and the Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager:

Soti MobiController
Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager

No, the ArcGIS Mobile application cannot be customized with programming. The GUI can be altered through the ArcGIS Server Manager by creating ArcGIS Mobile projects that control the service, data, and tasks by selecting and editing options in the wizard-like interface.

ArcGIS Mobile consists of three products—the ArcGIS Mobile application for Windows Mobile, the ArcGIS Mobile SDK, and the ArcGIS Mobile SDK runtime. The customer uses the ArcGIS Mobile SDK to develop with inside Visual Studio, and then they package the ArcGIS Mobile SDK runtime with each deployment of their custom application. The SDK runtime is a set of dynamic linked libraries (DLLs) that need to exist on the Windows device to ensure the custom application will operate correctly. The customer is licensed based on the deployment of each runtime.

For example, to deploy 100 custom applications to 100 devices, the customer would require 100 deployment licenses for the SDK runtime.