The field mapping phoenix

A bittersweet message

This blog is somewhat bittersweet, given my previous blog from 8 months ago. A lot can change in that time.

The NGO sector has gone through a funding crisis of sorts, in the wake of the USAID cuts vis-à-vis the Trump administration.

The Field Tasking Manager (FieldTM) project that I have worked on-and-off for 2.5yrs is in the process of direction shift and reduced funding.

Disregarding internal politics and my initial disapproval of the decision making around this, I have started to see this as a positive shift for the field mapping community, for which I will explore further below.

Existing field mapping tools

In my opinion, the following are the best-in-class for open-source field data collection tools:

• QField: very much geospatial focused and is map-first from the start. There has been a big push recently from the team to improve the user experience for less GIS-savvy users, including incorporating a data collection model based on XLSForms. It has over 500,000 active users.

• ODK: what we based FieldTM on from the start. With over 2 million annual users, ODK is the current standard for survey based data collection in many sectors. They are undergoing a transition to add options for map-first workflows, instead of form/survey-first workflows. I still love ODK and believe it is a good complementary workflow to QField.

Both tools have a great community and a strong team of active developers.

Scope of the FieldTM project

• Under my stewardship, we tried to be ambitious and make a comprehensive all-in-one field mapping solution.

• This encompasses the creation of field mapping projects, collection of survey data directly in the FieldTM tool, and then visualisation of submission data in a unified place.

• In hindsight, we coupled the solution a bit too tightly to a single tool, reducing the potential for more dynamic integration with other downstream mapping options.

• I also failed to appreciate how difficult creating a field mapping tool is, and have since reflected this is best left to organisations with more resources and bigger tech communities. Particularly regarding offline workflows and conflict reconciliation mechanisms.

Where do we go now?

• We are reducing the scope of FieldTM: a simple, reliable project creator that configures and hands off to downstream tools: QField, ODK, and potentially others.

• At this point in time, we already have most of what we need to add coordination and tasking mechanisms into these downstream tools rather than implementing it ourselves in a layer above.

• This shift feels less like a retreat and more like a return to the core purpose of FieldTM: enabling field teams to coordinate, plan, and execute mapping campaigns using the tools they already know and trust.

• If anything, a leaner FieldTM will incorporate all of our learnings and missteps to date, emerging as something more resilient, maintainable, and genuinely useful for the community it is supposed to serve.

Stay in the loop

• Keep on top of the ongoing changes to FieldTM via Github issues and discussions in the Git repo.

• We will firstly be focusing on a solid integration with QField and QFieldCloud as underlying mapping tools.

• Call to action: if you are a software developer or field mapper, your input into the project future is very much welcome!