Creating and managing projects

All project management functionality is available in the Manage Terra Office Projects window—creating a project, editing a project, setting a project as the current one, checking out a project (TerraFlex Local only), and removing a project. Click Terra Office Projects on the toolbar to open it. When you first open the window, you will see a list of all existing projects (stored in the ArcGIS Pro project file) with columns representing the project Name, Type, ArcGIS Pro Map, and Source of Accuracy. The current project is highlighted in the list. Only one project can be “set as current” at a time and the Terra Office Field Data dockable window will be used to work with the data in that project.

To create a new project for data collection (or to work with existing projects), you should first have a saved ArcGIS Pro project open with the active map containing the layers that you want to use. All layers for data collection should use the same spatial reference (coordinate system) settings.

  • To create a new project, click Create New.... This opens the Create TerraFlex Project window where you will provide the information required for the project. You will be alerted to any limitations or issues with your ArcGIS Pro project or your ArcGIS Pro installation. It is here where you will pick the type of project to create—TerraFlex Cloud (with cloud sync) or TerraFlex Local (without cloud sync). Refer to the sections below for further information.

  • To edit an existing project, select it in the list and click Edit…. The only thing that can be edited in a project is to publish additional layers. No changes can be made to layers that were previously published.

  • To set an existing project as the current project, select it in the list and click Set Current.

  • To check-out an existing TerraFlex Local project and save it to a TerraFlex Projects file (.tfin) without tasks, select it in the list and click Check-out….

  • To remove a project, select it in the list and click Delete. For TerraFlex Cloud projects, you will be prompted to also remove the project in the TerraFlex Cloud (Trimble Connect and the TerraFlex field application).

Auto fields

TerraFlex uses automatic fields, or “auto fields”, to capture metadata when a form (feature) is collected in the field, without requiring any action from the field user. These metadata fields capture information that is commonly used in a GIS to fully document the feature as collected: horizontal accuracy, vertical accuracy, user, capture date/time, etc.

To utilize auto fields in a TerraFlex project created in Terra Office, each ArcGIS layer must have fields (schema) to store the values. These fields must exist in each layer prior to project creation for auto fields to be configured for them. Users have control over various aspects of auto field configuration:

  • Defining a default set of auto fields to be used.

  • Defining what ArcGIS field name (and alias) will be used for each auto field.

  • Defining default start values for auto-increment auto field types.

To create auto field schema in ArcGIS layers or define auto field defaults, click the Tools button on the Terra Office toolbar.

  • To add ArcGIS schema to one or more layers in the current map:

    1. Click the Add ArcGIS fields to use for TerraFlex auto field values… link. This will open an ArcGIS Pro Geoprocessing tool window with the Add Fields For TerraFlex tool selected (from the Terra Office toolbox that is installed with the add-in).

    2. Select the Input Features layers and the Auto Field Set to use for each layer—either the currently configured (default) set or the full set.

    3. Click Run to add the selected auto field set to the selected layers. If any fields currently exist, they will be skipped. If you want to make changes to what that default set includes, or what field names are used, you should make those changes first (see next bullet).

      4. You do not have to use this tool to add ArcGIS schema for auto field values and can instead create them using any ArcGIS tool or process. Terra Office just needs to know what field name to use for each auto field type (and the data type must match—double for accuracies/DOPs/height, datetime for created/updated, long for auto increment (numeric), and string for everything else).

  • To make changes to any auto field defaults:

    1. Click the Open the TerraFlex auto field configuration file… link. This will open the settings file (AutoFieldConfiguration.txt) in the default text editor. The file is stored in the path C:\ProgramData\Trimble\TerraOfficeArcGISProAddIn and can also be opened directly from there. The file is simple (comma separated values) and has one row for each supported auto field type along with 2 header rows.

    2. To change whether or not a particular auto field is included in your standard set, use the first column (1 to include it, 0 to not include it). To change the ArcGIS field name or attribute used for a particular auto field, use the third and fourth columns. To change the default start values for the two auto-increment auto fields, use the fifth column. Do not change the value of the second column as this defines the underlying TerraFlex auto field type.

    3. After making changes, save the file.

For TerraFlex Cloud projects, the following information is required:

  • Project Name: Provide a unique name for the published TerraFlex project (this will also be used for the folder and workspace name within the Trimble Connect Project).

  • Project Type: Select TerraFlex Cloud for the type of project (workflow).

  • Connect Project: Select the Trimble Connect Project where you want to publish this local project.

    The nomenclature here is confusing because while a Terra Office project is functionally the same as a TerraFlex project in the field app, a Trimble Connect Project is a higher level container (think “organization”) where these individual Terra Office / TerraFlex projects are referred to as Map Workspaces (with template layers) when using the Trimble Connect Map Viewer through a web browser.

  • Layers: Use the checkboxes to include or exclude layers from your map for the data collection project. Only layers from the first spatial reference found in the map document will be included. If layers are not compatible, they will be indicated as such in the list.

  • Include Auto fields: Use the checkbox to indicate that you want the configured set (explained above) of auto fields added to every selected layer in the project (as appropriate for the geometry type).

    To review what auto fields will get added based on the configured set and available fields in the selected layers, click the Configure (for all selected layers)… link. In the window that opens, you will start with the defaults set earlier but can add/remove auto fields as necessary assuming the fields exist in at least one of the selected layers. The Validation column provides an indication of a field’s existence in the layers. You can also change the start values for the auto increment auto field types and can change the unit of the horizontal and vertical accuracy auto field types (these will default to the coordinate system units). Additionally, for these horizontal and accuracy auto field types, you can pick either 68% (1DRMS) or 95% (2DRMS; required by some jurisdictions), but not both at the same time.

    After making the required changes, click Save. Changes made here apply to all layers in the current Terra Office project but do not affect the global auto field defaults used for future projects.

  • Geodetic Workflow: Based on the ArcGIS horizontal and vertical coordinate systems of the data in the map and how those relate to Trimble coordinate systems supported in TerraFlex, the add-in will pick the best geodetic workflow for optimal accuracy in the field. To review or change the settings, click the Click to edit… link. All settings here will be carried through into the TerraFlex Cloud and TerraFlex field application.

    For a more detailed explanation of this setting, refer to the Project geodetics section.

    Refer to the list of Supported Coordinate Systems in Trimble TerraFlex for more information.

  • Source of Accuracy: Select the source of accuracy for the TerraFlex Cloud project. There are two choices:

    • Real-time Corrections Only

    • Best of Real-time Corrections + Automatic Post-Processing in the TerraFlex Cloud

    A reminder that for a field user to collect data that can be post-processed, they must have a license of TerraFlex Premium and be using a Trimble receiver that is supported in post-processing.

For TerraFlex Local projects, the following information is required:

  • Project Name: Provide a unique name for the TerraFlex project.

  • Project Type: Select TerraFlex Local for the type of project (workflow).

  • Layers: Use the checkboxes to include or exclude layers from your map for the data collection project. Only layers from the first spatial reference found in the map document will be included. If layers are not compatible, they will be indicated as such in the list.

  • Include Auto fields: Use the checkbox to indicate that you want the configured set (explained above) of auto fields added to every selected layer in the project (as appropriate for the geometry type).

    To review what auto fields will get added based on the configured set and available fields in the selected layers, click the Configure (for all selected layers)… link. In the window that opens, you will start with the defaults set earlier but can add/remove auto fields as necessary assuming the fields exist in at least one of the selected layers. The Validation column provides an indication of a field’s existence in the layers. You can also change the start values for the auto increment auto field types and can change the unit of the horizontal and vertical accuracy auto field types (these will default to the coordinate system units). Additionally, for these horizontal and accuracy auto field types, you can pick either 68% (1DRMS) or 95% (2DRMS; required by some jurisdictions), but not both at the same time.

    After making the required changes, click Save. Changes made here apply to all layers in the current Terra Office project but do not affect the global auto field defaults used for future projects.

  • Geodetic Workflow: Based on the ArcGIS horizontal and vertical coordinate systems of the data in the map and how those relate to Trimble coordinate systems supported in TerraFlex, the add-in will pick the best geodetic workflow for optimal accuracy in the field. To review or change the settings, click the Click to edit… link. All settings here will be carried through into the TerraFlex field application.

    For a more detailed explanation of this setting, refer to the Project geodetics section.

    Refer to the list of Supported Coordinate Systems in Trimble TerraFlex for more information.

  • Source of Accuracy: Select the source of accuracy for the TerraFlex Local project. There is only one choice:

    • Real-time Corrections Only

  • Real-time GNSS Configs: For TerraFlex Local projects, real-time GNSS configurations must be first created in Terra Office (stored on the local computer) and then selected for inclusion in the project. To get started, click the … button next to the entry box and either select from the existing entries (must use the Apply selection context menu item when done) or click the Manage Real-time GNSS Configurations… context menu item to Create, Edit, Clone, or Remove local configurations. A familiar wizard interface is used here.