Tap+Forms+Lite+for+iOS

=Tap Forms Lite for iOS - App Store Link=

Tap Forms Lite ([|website]) is a simple but powerful data collection app for iOS devices. There is also a full Mac application for it as well. This free app can be a complete mapping project solution for schools with access to iOS devices that do not have access to a classroom set of GPS units.

You can create custom forms that will allow collection &/or recording of:
 * Text or numerical values - Free text input, 'pick lists' with pre-defined values of your choosing, or auto-incremented numbered fields
 * GPS location - it will use the built in GPS if available, but you can adjust the location based on a live map if only wireless is available (mobile hot spot?). It will also record the physical address as well.
 * Photos - The form can capture and store images taken with the camera or images from the Camera Roll. When the form data is exported, these photos will come along with a 'Photos' folder.

Once the form is created, you just click '+' to add a new record. Record any needed data, use a location field to add the GPS coordinates and address, tap the photo field and access the camera to save a photo at the site. Repeat for all locations - no clipboards needed!

Once all of the data is collected, you can export the form data as a .csv file. If you included photos, they will be added to a 'Photos' folder and be included with the .csv file in a zipped archive. The app has a built in web & FTP server to quickly download the zipped file. Dropbox integration is available, but it requires the $9 pro version of the app.

Without photos, the .csv file is ready to upload to an ArcGIS.com map. With the location option, the app will collect the following fields: Address, latitude, longitude, and another field with address, lat and long combined. You can clean up these extra columns in a spreadsheet program, or just add them directly to your map. If no edits are made, ArcGIS.com will ask you if you want to use the street address or lat/lon, and ask you which fields contain this data.

With photos included, you need to take an extra step or two to get them to be linked in the online map. I uploaded the zip file to Dropbox and expanded it. Open up the .csv file in Excel or a text editor. Once the Photos folder is synced with Dropbox, right click on each image and select 'Share Dropbox Link' (option on the Mac menu, not sure if PC is same). The URL is now in your clipboard. Switch back to your .csv and replace the long .jpg filename with the longer corresponding Dropbox image URL (don't delete the commas in a text editor!). Replace all of your photo file names with their Dropbox links, and save the .csv file. Now once you add the file to your map, your photos will be linked!

To get you started with a sample form that I made for the St. George CMAP Tree Mapping Project, here's a [|Tap Forms form] that you can import to the app to take a look at how I set it up. Click the link from your iOS device after you've installed the app and select to open it in Tap Forms Lite. You'll be switched to the app and you'll find it under the Forms button in the Miscellaneous category, called 'City Park Tree Data'. To edit the form and see how it is set up, head to Tools --> Customize Forms --> Miscellaneous --> City Park Tree Data.