Many of you will already be familiar with the big button, rapid data capture experience offered by ArcGIS QuickCapture mobile. It provides a fast, simple way to capture observations in the field and has been widely adopted in situations where conditions are changing rapidly or where little existing data is available.
This includes use cases such as emergency response, utilities, and field inspections.
QuickCapture runs on iOS, Android, and Windows devices and is often a business-critical tool. Users download the app, sign in, and download a project. From there, they can quickly tap buttons to capture observations, which are automatically uploaded and visualised in maps and dashboards. This gives decision-makers access to near real-time information to support coordination and response.
However, data capture is not limited to the field. Valuable information also comes from other sources—phone calls, public reporting, and situational awareness from operations teams.
This is where the QuickCapture widget for ArcGIS Experience Builder comes in.
With this widget, contributors in an operations centre—or even members of the public—can access the same QuickCapture project directly in a web browser, with no app installation required. Users simply open a link (and sign in if needed), then tap a button and click on the map to capture features and attributes using map sketch mode.
For online mobile workflows, Experience Builder can also use the device’s location to capture features without interacting with the map, using location sensor mode. This allows you to extend a single QuickCapture workflow across field staff, office teams, and public contributors—all contributing to the same feature layer(s).
Common use cases
This pattern is useful across many industries:
- Utilities and infrastructure — field crews capture inspections on mobile devices, while office staff log phone reports
- Emergency response — field crews and command centres capture incidents, while the public reports conditions such as flooding or road closures
- Environment and conservation — citizen science apps allow public reporting without requiring an app download
- Local government — residents report issues like potholes, graffiti, or dumping
Getting started
If you already have a QuickCapture project, you can use it directly—there’s no need to start from scratch. Simply create a web map that contains the same layers used in your QuickCapture project. This web map will be used by the Experience Builder app to display captured features and support map-based data entry. If you don’t have an existing project, you can create one using a hosted feature layer, as outlined below.
Create your QuickCapture project
To create a new project, start with a hosted feature layer containing the fields you want to populate. For best results, configure the layer with category-based symbology—as each category will automatically become a button in your QuickCapture project. You can create this layer in ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, or by using QuickCapture templates.
In the QuickCapture Designer:
- Create a new project from an existing feature layer
- Enable the option to create a web map and link it to the project
- Save the project
The designer automatically generates a project with one button per category, using the layer’s labels and symbology. If button symbols are missing, you can configure them manually in the designer’s Appearance tab. This is useful because these symbols are used to display features in the widget before they are uploaded. Once uploaded, the feature layer symbology is applied instead – therefore keeping both consistent ensures a smooth and cohesive visual experience.
You can then configure how attribute values are captured (in the designer’s data tab):
- Fixed values for fast capture
- Project user inputs (entered once when the project is opened)
- Button user inputs (entered per capture)
For rapid workflows, use minimise inputs. For richer data collection, use user inputs where needed.
Once complete, share your QuickCapture project (and feature layer and web map) and with your intended audience using the project sharing options.
Build your Experience Builder app
In Experience Builder:
- Create a new app using the Jewellery Box template
- Select the preconfigured Map widget and set your web map (remember to select it again to load it)
- In the panel to the left, add the QuickCapture widget
- Select your QuickCapture project to display it in the panel
Configuring the QuickCapture widget
You can also extend the app by adding additional widgets to support your workflow or specific requirements.
Test the capture experience
In map sketch mode, users:
- Select a QuickCapture button to activate it (representing the observation type)
- Click on the map to capture one or more observations
- See features automatically submitted to the feature layer and rendered in the map
In location sensor mode, users simply tap a button to capture a feature at their current location—no map interaction is required.Project user inputs are presented when the app loads, while button user inputs appear after each capture action. All required inputs must be completed before a feature is submitted
Capturing data in the app
Summary
By combining QuickCapture with Experience Builder, you can extend rapid data capture beyond field crews to coordinators, office staff and public users. This approach enables everyone to contribute information using a single QuickCapture project, while maintaining a consistent and streamlined workflow across web and mobile environments.
Resources
To learn more and get started, explore the following:
- QuickCapture capability in ArcGIS
Learn about how QuickCapture supports fast, simple data collection in the field and beyond. - QuickCapture widget
Discover how to embed and configure QuickCapture within Experience Builder apps.
Looks good – just wish quick capture wasn’t organisationally locked … it’s the one app that would make public data capture and reporting so easy – but alas.