ProTip: Best Practices for GPS Fields on Your Forms
Did you know there’s more than one way to use the Location field?
GPS data can be utilized in diverse ways, such as pinpointing the whereabouts of a job site or incident and monitoring the location of equipment or deliveries.
By utilizing GoFormz, your mobile forms can integrate GPS and Maps through the Location field, enabling users to effortlessly input their location with a few taps. These GPS fields are customizable to suit the preferences of your end users. For instance, you can set the Default Value of your Location field to automatically capture the user's location when a form is created.
Here are some best practices for how to get the most out of the Location field on your digital form Templates:
Best Practices
Hiding Location Fields
Form creators have the option to configure their forms with hidden Location fields. This involves incorporating a Location field into the digital form Template and setting the field as not visible, which generates a Hidden field during the form completion process. This practice is frequently used by administrators overseeing subcontractors on construction sites, guaranteeing that remote teams are located where they are supposed to be while filling out their construction forms.
Capturing Location Data in Offline Forms with Calculations
While the Location field requires internet connectivity, a custom calculation can be created to collect geo-location data even when remote teams operate in offline mode, ensuring the capture of crucial information. This particular scenario is frequently seen in the energy industry, especially when teams operate in remote locations with limited internet access. If you wish to explore the setup process further, feel free to reach out to our professional services team, who are available to assist you!
Tracking Deliveries
Effortlessly monitor the whereabouts of equipment and deliveries using the Location field. A user can initiate the form-filling process, recording the initial location of a delivery. Meanwhile, another user can access the same form, and any relevant information pertaining to them will be visible, including an auto-populated Location field reflecting their current location. You can auto-populate a location field by navigating to the Properties Panel of the Location Field, selecting Default Value, and then selecting ‘Auto’. This process confirms the successful completion of the delivery.
How to Add the Location Field to Your Digital Form Template
Adding GPS/Map fields to your digital form Templates is incredibly simple:
Log into your GoFormz account from a computer and open your desired form Template in the Template Editor.
Locate the Location field on the left side of your screen, then drag and drop the field onto your desired location on the form.
Adjust your field’s size and properties. Once you have adjusted your field’s size, navigate to the Properties Panel. This is where you can change your field’s name, make your field Required, add a Date Stamp, set your Default Value to ‘auto’, and select whether the location should be displayed as a map or GPS coordinates.
Click ‘Save’.
Customer Use Cases
North American Pipeline: While digital innovation in the oil and gas industry is constantly growing, this pipeline construction company has been ahead of the curve for quite some time now, leading the way in embracing technological advancements. They needed a way to track the location of pipeline connectors so they could carefully monitor for leaks and simplify inspections in the field. Leveraging the Location field, their inspection teams can easily add the location of connectors to their forms, granting them further insight into the field team productivity.
ChartWorld: Delivering expert services and leading digital navigation solutions to commercial shipping operations across the globe, this team required intricate GPS tracking of their equipment. Leveraging the Location field, ChartWorld improved their business agility, allowing them to proactively contact customers when a software issue was identified on another vessel. For any vessel that had a specific GPS, they would run a report and identify if other similar issues lived on other vessels.
Feeling ready to get started with the Location field? Sign in to your GoFormz account or get started with a free trial today!
