My take
Field Data Collection: Start With a Survey123 Form Before You Build an App
Short answer
Start with a Survey123 form. Most field workflows, like inspections, damage assessments, inventories and volunteer surveys, are a good form plus a map, not new software. A form can be built in a day, works offline on phones, and drops every answer onto a map and into a dashboard. Build a custom app only when a form truly can’t do the job.
What Survey123 is
Survey123 is Esri’s form-based data collection app. You build a form in a web designer or, for advanced logic, in Survey123 Connect using XLSForm, a spreadsheet-based form standard. People fill it out in a browser or in the Survey123 field app, which works offline. Every answer is saved with its location into a layer you can map, filter and put on a dashboard right away.
What makes a field form crews actually finish
- Only ask what you’ll use. Every extra question is skipped or rushed at the end of a long day.
- Choices, not typing. Pick lists and yes/no buttons beat free text on a phone, and they keep the data clean.
- Capture automatically. Location, date, time and the person’s name can fill themselves in. Photos take one tap.
- Show questions only when they apply. If the answer is “no damage,” skip the damage questions.
- Test it in the field. Fill it out standing in the sun with gloves on before you roll it out.
Survey123 or Field Maps?
| Use | When the job is… |
|---|---|
| Survey123 | Filling out a form: an inspection, an assessment, a sign-up, a report. The form is the focus. |
| Field Maps | Working from a map: updating existing features like hydrants or signs, marking new ones, navigating to them. |
| Both | Find the asset in Field Maps, then open a Survey123 inspection form for it. |
When a custom app is worth it
- The workflow spans many linked records and steps that a form can’t represent.
- It has to connect deeply to other business systems in real time.
- It’s a customer-facing product with its own branding and accounts.
Even then, a form makes a good prototype: run it for a season and you’ll know exactly what the app needs to do.
Not on ArcGIS?
The same advice holds with other tools. QField and Mergin Maps work with QGIS projects, and KoboToolbox is a free XLSForm-based tool popular with nonprofits. Plain web forms work for sign-ups but usually lack offline use and reliable location capture.
My take
I’ve built Survey123 forms for youth programs and for hurricane damage assessments, and connected forms to AI models through Survey123 Connect. The lesson every time: the form is the product. A well-designed form plus a map and a dashboard does what most people imagine a custom app would do, and it’s ready in days instead of months.
Questions, answered
What is Survey123?
Survey123 is Esri’s form-based data collection app. Answers are saved with their location into a map layer you can view, filter and put on a dashboard.
Does Survey123 work offline?
Yes. The Survey123 field app lets people fill out forms without a signal and sends them when the device reconnects.
What is the difference between Survey123 and Field Maps?
Survey123 is form-centric, for inspections, assessments and reports. Field Maps is map-centric, for finding, updating and adding features on a map. They are often used together.
Do I need ArcGIS Online to use Survey123?
Survey123 runs on an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise account, but public surveys can be filled out by anyone without an account.
What is XLSForm?
XLSForm is a standard for designing forms in a spreadsheet, with rows for questions and columns for logic. Survey123 Connect, KoboToolbox and other tools use it.