Load data from Arena to Arena Mobile

Dear Oscar,
We have started already to work on importing records into Arena Mobile; the idea was to give the possibility to select some records to import from the previous cycle and (optionally) show the "previous" values while the user is inserting new data.
We will be in touch with you, so if you want you can provide your feedback on this feature.
Many thanks,
Open Foris Team

Dear user,
We will contact you to your private email address to better understand your requirements.
Many thanks,
Open Foris Team

Dear user,
Creating a new cycle within Arena Mobile would be too complex (a new cycle means new variables associated to that cycle, a possible validity period to be specified, etc.) while what we could do is (maybe) giving the possibility to create a new record cloning one in the previous cycle directly in mobile.
Please let us know if this would fit your needs, many thanks.
Open Foris Team

Dear OpenForis Team,

Thank you for already working on this feature! I had a related question in mind. Will it also be possible to download the current cycle? To give an example:

We want to create a survey to manage the location and deployment of devices (e.g. camera traps).

The survey has 3 hierarchical layers:

1. We select the project (key) and area (key) - upper hierarchical level.
2. When setting up the device for the first time, we will enter the location id (key) position and habitat features - mid hierarchical level
3. When deploying the device we will enter the start date (key) and some additional characterisitics of the deployments.
4. After some weeks, we will change batteries and memory cards and enter the end date of the deployment (key). The information for one deployment is now complete.
5. If the device remains at the same location, we will start a new deployment (repeat steps 3 and 4)

Will it be possible to do import information of the current deployment + information of the upper and mid hierarchical level from Arena to Arena Mobile? Currently, we would need to use the same device.

Best wishes & many thanks

Dear user,
Sorry for the late reply, we are still discussing internally how to implement this feature.
In your case, what will be the differences between the 2 phases? Will you have to fill different attributes, new attributes that were not visible in the first phase?
In that case, the use of multiple cycles makes sense. Once you enter data in one cycle, you can clone the data into the "next" cycle (in Arena "desktop"), then in the mobile app you need some way to download the record in the second cycle and continue editing it (still to be implemented).
Is this correct?
Another question: do you need the "current" cycle to be fixed, specied by the survey manager in the survey designer (as it is now in Arena), so the mobile app always uses that cycle when creating new records, or do you need to want to be able to create records in the mobile app using whatever cycle?
Let us know, many thanks.
Open Foris Team

Hi Stefano,

Thank you for your work in developing this highly relevant feature. My forest inventory program involves returning to plots and trees within plots at regular intervals (~five years). It would be very useful to be able to select which attributes are copied over between cycles. For example, we would want to remeasure tree diameter but also have the previous diameter visible in the survey. Currently, we use a heirarchical category for trees within plots and use "extra" fields to store previous tree measurements. It may also be useful to view data for specified attributes from all previous cycles and create a new cycle within Arena Mobile.

Again, thank you!