Montana Land Reliance Safeguards 1.5 Million Acres with Mobile GIS

The Montana Land Reliance (MLR) is one of the largest state-based land trusts in the United States, protecting more than 1.5 million acres of private land in Montana through conservation easements. These voluntary, legally binding agreements help to protect important conservation values while allowing certain uses, and require meticulous, defensible documentation to ensure long-term compliance. To support this work, MLR uses a geographic information system (GIS) to manage and analyze field data across large, remote landscapes.

MLR has 15 field staff members who cover some of the most remote and rugged terrain in the country. Field visits can require up to eight hours of driving each way with limited cellular connectivity. Once on-site, staff capture information about property conditions at the time an easement is established, as well as the location of all human-made features, habitat conditions, access routes, and other relevant land use details. This baseline documentation becomes a permanent legal reference point used to verify compliance and define landowner development rights.

In addition to baseline work, MLR staff validate easement boundaries and development areas with high spatial accuracy. They often stake points in the field so landowners can visualize where construction is permitted. Annual monitoring visits add another layer to this work, as staff meet with property managers to review compliance, document changes, and record detailed written observations.

For years, these tasks were carried out using Garmin GPS units, exporting GPX files and manually processing them in the office. This slow, error-prone workflow delayed decision-making and disconnected field observations from the organization’s GIS. MLR needed a modern, integrated approach that could handle the scale of its operations, adapt to unpredictable field conditions, and support staff with varying levels of technical expertise.

MLR uses ArcGIS Online as its centralized GIS, connecting field data collection with web mapping, analysis, and reporting. Within this environment, staff use a combination of mobile apps designed for specific tasks, following a “right tool for the job” approach rather than forcing all workflows into a single application.

For baseline documentation, MLR uses ArcGIS QuickCapture to collect large volumes of spatial and photo data quickly, even while in motion. As staff drive through a property—sometimes covering thousands of acres—they can record roads as lines while capturing points for structures, utilities, or habitat features, as well as polygons for land use areas. QuickCapture’s simple interface supports staff with varying technical expertise and helps reduce collection errors. The app also captures oriented imagery, recording the horizontal direction of each photo relative to north along with its location at the exact moment the photo is taken, providing critical context for long-term monitoring.

QuickCapture also supports opportunistic observations. Staff often encounter unplanned conditions such as a new fence line, encroachments, or habitat changes on an adjacent property while traveling to and from sites. With a data collection GIS app like QuickCapture, staff can document these observations instantly without configuring a new map or form—even without connectivity. This replaces legacy GPS workflows and removes the need for manual file processing, allowing data to flow directly into MLR’s ArcGIS Online environment.
 

For precision navigation and validation, MLR uses ArcGIS Field Maps. Staff use this mobile GIS app to navigate to specific coordinates, visualize property boundaries, and confirm the location of mapped features. When defining development envelopes or verifying easement boundaries, staff pair Field Maps with Bad Elf GNSS receivers to achieve sub-meter precision. In the field, they can walk directly to a location point, stake it, and show landowners exactly where construction is allowed. Field Maps also supports ground truthing by allowing staff to compare mapped data to real-world conditions and update information on-site.
 

The form-based data collection app ArcGIS Survey123 is used for annual monitoring, supporting structured, repeatable data capture during compliance visits. Staff meet with property managers to review the year’s activities, document changes, and record written observations, often attaching photos to specific responses. While these visits often require less spatial input, this consistent approach ensures each property is evaluated against the same criteria and helps track changes over time. This approach also creates a reliable record of land conditions to support long-term stewardship.
 

All three apps feed into MLR’s unified ArcGIS Online environment, where data is immediately available in web maps, dashboards, and ArcGIS Pro. This integration means that everything collected in the field flows back into the office, particularly to the GIS team led by GIS manager Matt Bell, without delay. ArcGIS Dashboards built from Survey123 responses allow MLR staff to filter by property or data collector, review photos and records, and perform quality assurance checks. This makes information easier to access across the organization and supports more consistent analysis.

The unified system also supports collaboration across MLR’s distributed offices. Data collected across different field workflows can be reviewed, validated, and compared over time within a centralized ArcGIS Online environment. This ensures staff across the organization work from the same authoritative dataset and can track how land conditions change over time.

MLR has transformed its field operations by embracing mobile GIS apps for different parts of the workflow, creating a streamlined, highly accurate, and responsive system. QuickCapture has replaced legacy GPS workflows, enabling high-volume baseline documentation, while Field Maps has given staff the precision tools they need to navigate and validate boundaries with confidence, and Survey123 has standardized annual monitoring workflows. What was once a manual process vulnerable to delays and disconnected data now flows into a connected ArcGIS Online environment, allowing staff to capture, review, and apply information more quickly.

The result is faster training, fewer errors, and immediate integration of field data into MLR’s GIS ecosystem. Staff can now respond quickly to unexpected findings, maintain defensible records for long-term land stewardship, and make informed decisions based on accurate, up-to-date information. MLR’s approach demonstrates that the most effective field strategy is not about consolidating tools into one app; it’s about deploying the right app for each workflow, ensuring each task is supported by the technology best suited to its demands.