ArcView/ArcPad/Gps Analyst Workflow?

[ToddNordyke1]

Hi All,

I'm new to ArcMap/ArcPad/Gps Analyst work flow procedures. After postprocessing with the Gps Analyst Ext. in a Personal geodatabase how do I merge the adjusted feature classes back into the File geodatabase it originally came from? I've unsuccessfully tried a few things, but end up duplicating features back into the File gdb. If anyone could point me to a good resource on work flow procedures on checking out data starting from the original File Geodatabase-to a Personal gdb- thru the data collection process and back into the File gdb, I would be very thankful.

Thanks, Todd
begining user of (ArcView, ArcPad10 w/ Gps Analyst, Geo XH)

[TimHopper]

Todd,

You're going to run into two issues: (a) you only have an ArcView license and (b) to truly perform geodatabase replication your source data needs to reside in an enterprise (SDE) geodatabase.

Check out the following web help pages:

Replicas and geodatabases

Working with geodatabase replication

The only way that you're going to get this behavior to work between file / personal gdb's will be a manual process like you're using now.  It would almost be easiest to simply copy the entire feature class from the file gdb to the personal gdb, check out the selected data for that day's work, check ArcPad data back into the personal gdb and post process, then copy and replace the entire feature class back into the file gdb.  This also means that no work can be done in the file gdb on that feature class while you've got data out in the field.  Not fun...

Anyone else have any thoughts?

[MicheleMattix2]

If I understand your workflow, you are storing your GIS data in a file geodatabase.  GPS Analyst requires your data to be in a personal GDB (pGDB) so you have created a pGDB for this.  After you do your post-processing, you want to bring the new GPS-collected features back into the file GDB. 

One way is to copy/paste the features from the pGDB to the file GDB.  You'd have to do this in an edit session.  Your target layer would be the relevant feature class in the file GDB.  Select the relevant features from the pGDB feature class and then copy/paste them into the target layer.  It will be easier to select the gps-collected features if you have some sort of 'flag' in the attributes -- for example a field that contains the date that you populate in the field when doing your gps work.

You could also try using the Simple Data Loader - read about it in the ArcGIS help: http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//003n0000003r000000

Hope this helps.

[ToddNordyke]

Thanks for the replies. In my searching for ways to manage data I forget I'm limited with just the ArcView license. I will give the above suggestions a try.

Thank you!