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Adding Data

To add data on a mobile device, navigate to your map screen, and then tap the ‘+’ icon. Continue by choosing the layer you want to add location data to and the type of data: point, line or polygon as indicated in brackets after the layer name.

Then select how you want to add the data. When adding to a layer with polygon or line location data, you get 4 choices:

  • background tracking
  • record path automatically
  • track and manually add points
  • manually add points

Layers containing only point data have the last 2 choices available: ‘track and manually add points’ or ‘manually add points’.

Background tracking

Background tracking will allow the app to track you in the background - for instance do other things within Buzzy or switch to other apps altogether; it will keep tracking in the background (more on this below). All the other options require you to keep the app open and on the current screen.

The tracking and automatic recording options all require you to choose the mode of movement (eg walking, or driving) - the device needs this to calculate how often to drop points and how sensitive to be to speed or direction changes.

Background tracking turns on a single instance of background tracking (you can only run one background tracking task at a time). It will automatically track you and drop points as required to outline a path or polygon depending on the layer type line or polygon you chose to add to.

Background tracking has an extra step - you need to save the layer row before you can start, so it has somewhere to save the data.

To use this:

  1. select the plus ‘+’ icon on the map screen
  2. choose the layer you want to add data to; the type of data on each layer (ie point, line or polygon) is indicated in brackets after the layer name
  3. choose ‘Background tracking’ from the tracking menu (if you are already running an instance of background tracking, it won’t be available)
  4. choose your tracking mode (eg walking)
  5. a form for that layer will appear - complete any required fields and hit submit background tracking will start automatically - the map will display a little indicator panel with a ‘BG tracking’ label and a ‘Pause’ and ‘Stop’ button
  6. you can now leave this running and navigate away from the map if needed - the indicator panel will persist at the bottom of the screen
  7. to return to the map, or pause or stop tracking, tap the indicator panel - you will return to the map view, and can choose ‘Pause’ or ‘Stop’
    • Tapping ‘Pause’ will pause the tracking, and show a ‘resume’ button - tap this to start tracking again
    • Tapping ‘Stop’ will give you the save/discard/resume option as per the other tracking modes

If background tracking is live - assuming the user is connected to the internet, it will send periodic updates to the server with the location data. Since the row has already been created at the start of the process, other users with access rights can view the ‘live’ location of the user with tracking enabled (depending on mobile connection and frequency of updates).

Record path automatically

Record path automatically will track you and drop points automatically to define the line or polygon. This functionality works with line or polygon layers and only with the app in foreground.

To use this:

  1. select the plus ‘+’ icon on the map screen
  2. choose the layer you want to add data to
  3. choose ‘Record path automatically’ from the tracking menu
  4. choose your tracking mode (eg walking)
  5. click the ‘Start’ button
  6. finishing, click the ‘Done’ button

After clicking done, you then have the option to save your data, discard and quit tracking, or resume tracking. If you choose to save the data, you will be presented with the form view of the layer you are adding to. You can then edit or complete the other fields if required and submit your data to the layer.

Track and manually add points

Track and manually add points will track you but not automatically drop points. You need to manually drop points at your current location whenever you want to add a point (eg whenever you change direction, or reach a point of interest).

To use this:

  1. select the plus ‘+’ icon on the map screen
  2. choose the layer you want to add data to
  3. choose ‘Track and manually add points’ from the tracking menu
  4. choose your tracking mode (eg walking)
  5. the map will begin tracking you
  6. whenever you want to drop a marker at your current location on the map, tap the ‘marker’ button at the bottom of the screen. A new point/marker will be added to the map.
  7. finishing, click the ‘Done’ button.

After clicking Done, you then have the option to save your data, discard and quit tracking, or resume tracking. If you choose to save the data, you will be presented with the form view of the layer you are adding to - so you can edit or complete the other fields if required, and submit your data to the layer.

Manually add points

Manually add points does no tracking - you just tap on the map at the spot you want to position a point. ​ To use this:

  1. select the plus ‘+’ icon on the map screen
  2. choose the layer you want to add data to; the type of data on each layer (ie point, line or polygon) is indicated in brackets after the layer name
  3. choose ‘Manually add points’ from the menu
  4. simply tap on the map to add a point at that location. You can reposition the popint by dragging the map. For layers with line and polygon data, you can add multiple points
  5. finishing, click the ‘Done’ button

After clicking Done, you then have the option to save your data, discard, or resume if you choose to save the data, you will be presented with the form view of the layer you are adding to - so you can edit or complete the other fields if required, and submit your data to the layer.