The GPS Location tool allows the user to capture their current GPS map coordinate in a mobile form. Captured data includes latitude and longitude, and altitude and accuracy (on some mobile devices).

The following image shows a mobile form after capturing a GPS location:

After the form is submitted, the GPS coordinates can be viewed in the doForms portal:

Note that in low-connectivity situations it may not be possible to acquire a GPS signal. In this instance the Searching for Satellites message will display; if the message displays indefinitely, the mobile user will need to press Cancel and try again in a different location.

Note the following:

The achievable GPS accuracy will depend on the mobile user's hardware, location, and surroundings. In most cases, the best achievable accuracy will be approximately 3 meters.
doForms is programmed to automatically stop refining the GPS position when an accuracy of 5 meters has been achieved.
Altitude readings are generally accurate to ±25 meters on most consumer devices.
If the doForms app detects that GPS hardware is not available or is not enabled on the mobile device that is using the form, GPS Location questions will be skipped automatically. Please ensure that Location Services are enabled on your mobile device in order to use this tool.

Properties

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Hint

Data name

Auto-stamp: This option allows the form to automatically enter the GPS location into the field, based on a trigger. The trigger can be set to one of the following four options:

When a specified question is answered for the first time: For example, you could instruct the form to enter the GPS location into the field immediately after the person signs their name (using the Signature field). Select this option, and then select the Question trigger (in our example, the question trigger would be the Signature field).
When a specified page is displayed for the first time: For example, you could instruct the form to enter the GPS location into the field immediately after the Contact Info page is displayed for the first time. Select this option, and then select the Page trigger (in our example, the page trigger would be the Contact Info page).
When the form is opened for the first time.
When the form is saved as complete.

Allow edit option: Allows a mobile user to re-capture the GPS data after they initially capture it in a form, or after it is auto-stamped (see above).

Show additional GPS information: If you select this checkbox, the following check boxes will appear, allowing you to select which GPS data will appear in the user's mobile form upon capture (in the first image, above, all four of these data elements appear). If none are selected, then only the map will appear in the mobile form.:

Show latitude
Show longitude
Show accuracy
Show altitude

Verify address: This setting allows users to verify a location by returning the distance from one location field to an "Expected location." For example, a user could have a text box for "Job Site Address" which has the expected address the user should be at. Then, using the verify setting the user can capture their location and the variance field will return the distance between the "Job Site Address" and the users location. To make a simply verify address you can use a calculation field to string together Address, City, State, and Zip if they are individual fields in your form. This setting also requires a variance field which must be a numeric to show the distance from the expected address and where the user actually is.

Display map in mobile and web: Select to show a map to the end user. Uncheck if mobile users may have a poor internet connection when capturing location information.

Display map in standard PDF report: Select to include a map in standard PDF reports.

Maximum error (in meters): Lowering this number will improve position accuracy but may increase GPS acquisition time significantly. Please remember that accuracy is based on line of sight to the sky, so consider using a higher number if requesting GPS in areas with tall buildings and other obstructions.

Prompt user after: Upon attempting to capture GPS data, the mobile form will begin refining GPS position. In order to limit the amount of time spent refining GPS position, you may enter a number of seconds in the Prompt user after setting. If refinement has not reached at least the Maximum error after the set amount of seconds, then mobile form user will see the following message:

The user will then need to select one of these options:

Cancel: Cancels the GPS capture process.
Wait: Instructs the form to keep trying to refine GPS position for another set amount of seconds.
Capture: Instructs the form to capture GPS position now, regardless of accuracy.

Zoom level: The zoom level of the map displayed. Ranges from 0 (zoomed completely out) to 20.