Enable location tracking

Note:

The ArcGIS Tracker help site is deprecated and no longer being updated. To learn about the ArcGIS Tracker mobile app deprecation and to find the latest information on location sharing and the Track Viewer web app, see Tracker deprecation.

Location tracking is an organization-wide capability, allowing you to record where users are and where they have been. When you enable location tracking, licensed users in your organization can use the Field Maps, QuickCapture, or Tracker mobile app to upload their locations to the location tracking layer. Users only see their own tracks, and additional permissions are required to view the tracks of others.

Once location tracking is enabled, administrators can use the Track Viewer web app to share last known location and track data with other users in the organization by creating track views. Track views define which users have tracks included in the view and who can view those tracks. The Field Maps, QuickCapture, and Tracker mobile apps are optimized for tracking locations in the background, minimizing the impact on device battery. The mobile apps record tracks whether or not there is a data connection and provide mobile users with control of when they are and are not tracked.

As an administrator of your ArcGIS organization or a member with the privilege to manage utility service settings, you can enable location tracking for your members as follows:

  1. Verify that you are signed in to your organization as a default administrator or custom role with administrative privileges to manage utility services settings. For details on what administrative privileges are required, see Enable and manage location tracking.
  2. At the top of the site, click Organization and click the Settings tab.
  3. Click Organization extensions on the side of the page.
  4. Click Enable location tracking.

    If using ArcGIS Enterprise, your organization must have the spatiotemporal big data store (one of the types of data stores available through ArcGIS Data Store) configured.

  5. If using ArcGIS Enterprise, configure the period of time you want to keep the tracks.

    By default, they are kept for 30 days.

    If using ArcGIS Online, tracks are kept for 30 days and the retention period can't be configured.

  6. If using a version of ArcGIS Enterprise earlier than 10.8, download and install Track Viewer for ArcGIS.

    This installs the Track Viewer web app, which allows administrators to share location tracks with other members of the organization. It's already available in ArcGIS Online. See View tracks for more information.

    Note:

    Track Viewer is installed by default with ArcGIS Enterprise 10.8 and later.

    To learn more about the various deployment patterns and recommended specs, see ArcGIS Tracker Deployment Guide for ArcGIS Enterprise.

A location tracking layer is created. As the administrator who enables tracking, you own the location tracking layer. The Location Tracking folder that is created and that stores all items (layers, views, and so on) needed for location tracking is in your content and owned by you. You, along with all administrators, can create track views using the Track Viewer web app, allowing others to view location tracks, but all such views are owned by you. You're the only administrator who can disable location tracking, although all administrators can pause it.

Manage location tracking

Once location tracking is enabled, administrators can manage it as follows:

  • Configure the period of time that tracks are kept.

    Tracked locations older than the configured period of time are deleted from the location tracking layer.

    Note:

    Configuring the period of time for which tracks are retained is only supported in ArcGIS Enterprise. If using ArcGIS Online, location tracks are stored in your organization for 30 days.

  • Pause location tracking.

    While location tracking is paused, the tracks remain but are read-only. No new tracks are collected, and mobile users can't upload tracks to the location tracking layer.

  • Disable location tracking.

    When location tracking is disabled, all items associated with location tracking (layers, views, groups, and so on) are deleted. The privilege to view location tracks remains associated with any roles to which it was assigned. Only the administrator who enabled location tracking can disable it.

Note:

If using ArcGIS Online, the storage of tracks does not consume credits.

Location track security

Location tracks are stored in your organization. With ownership-based access control enabled on the location tracking layer, users can only see their own tracks. Users who need to see additional tracks must have the view location tracks privilege and be assigned to a group that contains the track view they need to access. Administrators (including the one who creates the location tracking layer) can access all tracks in the layer.

While tracks are collected using the Field Maps, QuickCapture, or Tracker mobile app, they are stored in an SQLite database on the mobile device. Each tracked location is created by the user signed in to the app, and editor tracking stores this information with the tracked location. When a user signs out of Field Maps, QuickCapture, or Tracker, the SQLite database is removed. Other users who use the app on the device don't have access to the tracks of previous users.

Note:

To learn more about deploying cloud and enterprise GIS in a manner that helps comply with privacy regulations, such as GDPR, for location tracking services, see ArcGIS Location Tracking Privacy Best Practices.