As described in a previous post, the Center for GIS at Towson University recently partnered with a local government agency to create forms in ArcGIS Survey123 for on-site environmental compliance inspections. While that post detailed some of the ways in which we leveraged some of Survey123’s more advanced capabilities, this one offers some general considerations when setting up and rolling out a survey or inspection form with a nuanced workflow.
Overall, we found it to be vitally important to take an iterative approach with survey development and conduct field visits with inspectors (end users) both to collect feedback and support training. Not surprisingly, using a prototype of the form out in the field with the inspectors allowed us to better understand the process, talk about pain points, identify edge cases, and brainstorm improvements. From these experiences, we spent time investigating alternate approaches, in order to make the process as efficient as possible for the inspectors while still delivering the data needed.
To support adoption of the new inspection form, we created a guide which could be stored on the inspector’s mobile device so that they could easily review prior to starting the inspection. This guide contained specific instructions, troubleshooting tips, and specific guidance for connectivity issues.
Finally, we found that having open lines of communication with inspectors helped immensely in the adoption of the form, as we were able to address questions and investigate errors before these caused downstream issues. In instances where the form hadn’t been used for some time, brief refresher calls proved beneficial.
Implementing forms with a nuanced workflow goes beyond technical configuration — open communication, iterative development, and time in the field are key.
