Survey123 vs. Collector

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12-29-2015 08:27 AM
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joyparikh
New Contributor II

How is Survey123 different from Collector?  Our team will be using mobile ios devices (iPads) in the field to survey coastal wetlands and determine habitat types. Which would be the better app to use  - Collector or Survey123? Thanks in advance for any recommendations or insights!

6 Replies
KyleHeideman1
New Contributor II

Ismael Chivite​ has a wonderful reference here that is very helpful. One key question is whether or not your data collection is focused on collecting geographic features or not.

joyparikh
New Contributor II

Thanks, Kyle for sharing Ismael's reference!  That answers a lot of my questions! Sure appreciate it.

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MatthewBaber
Esri Contributor

In a nutshell:

Survey123 is ideal for formed based data. It allows for "nested" options so if the answer to one question prompts additional questions or changes the form then this would be ideal. It is important to note that Survey123 is all about collecting NEW data and not editing or updating existing data.

Collector for ArcGIS is for the collection/editing of map data from the field. This is not to say Survey123 does not add data to a map (that is its primary function after all!), but Collector allows for the updating and changing of polygons, lines, points, etc. whereas Survey123 is limited to collecting points specific to predefined surveys.

More info here: Survey123, Collector and GeoForm (a quick comparison)

joyparikh
New Contributor II

Thanks, Matthew! That clears up a lot of questions for me.   Sure appreciate the information.

The sophistication of the Survey123 forms would be advantageous;  but it's critical for our project to collect polygons/polyines (for proper habitat mapping and wetlands delineation).  So, sounds like my only option is to go with Collector for now, huh? 

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MatthewBaber
Esri Contributor

For the direct addition/editing of these addtional geometry types, yes. - Collector is your only option for an out of the box app.

If you want to get fancy and keep the forms here is some food for thought:

Solution 1: Collect surveys using Survey123 take the data collected and have it update geometries either manually or automated with spatial joins.

Solution 2: Create a custom web app using web app builder for ArcGIS - you would need to create the feature service with ALL fields but you could simply allow for null fields and not fill in applicable fields during the survey. This would utilize the editor widget. note: this solution will not work disconnected.

AlbertoLaurenti
New Contributor III

In the next release the 123Survey will be able to collect also lines (tracks) and polygons.

Please see the XLSForm support in Survey123 for ArcGIS (see Question Types section).