Search for assets intuitively in field apps

With the latest ArcGIS Online update, you can now search for assets using multiple fields.

Previously you had to choose a single field to search on your layer: for example, either the asset ID or the name. However, for some layers, there are multiple pieces of identifying information that mobile workers might want to search for to find an asset. Your assets might have a ID (even a barcode) and an address, or maybe they have legacy IDs and current codes. Perhaps you have parcels where you want to search by ID or owner. With the June update to ArcGIS Online, searches can now be configured for multiple fields from the same layer. And in Collector, Explorer, and Workforce those searches just work, no app update needed.

In this example, I have a hydrant inspection map for Collector and each hydrant has both a barcode (the facility identifier) and an address. To allow mobile workers to search by either of those values, I’ve updated the map to support search on both fields in my hydrant layer (in the Settings of the item page):

As you can see in the image above, I also gave a hint text for the search so that mobile workers know what they can search for. In Collector (or Explorer), the mobile worker will see the search hint.

A mobile worker inspecting a hydrant scans the hydrant barcode in Collector to guarantee the correct hydrant is updated based on the inspection. If the mobile worker needs to visit the hydrant, they can type in the address. When doing a search (here for 15705), they’ll see results from both fields. In this example, there is a hydrant with that barcode, as well as one with that value in the address.

Now that you can search multiple fields on a single layer, what maps do you have that you’re going to update? Your mobile workers will appreciate being able to search intuitively without having to remember which single field they can search.

What’s next?

Searching multiple fields is coming to ArcGIS Enterprise in a later release. Barcode scanning is coming in Explorer.

About the author

Kylie Donia

Kylie strives to bring GIS to K-12 classrooms. A long-time Esri employee, she previously worked on Esri's field operations, focused on documentation and best practices. She is an avid runner often found on the trails or chasing her children.

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