The Geopaparazzi Survey Server (GSS) allows users to synchronize Geopaparazzi projects with a central server. The GSSSync app connects Geopaparazzi projects to the GSS to upload and download data using a unique device ID. The GSS provides views for users, surveyors, maps, settings, exports, and a form builder to create customized forms for data collection. Surveys are conducted using Geopaparazzi and forms from the GSS, and survey data is synchronized to the GSS using GSSSync.

1. GEOPAPARAZZI
THE GSS AND GSS-SYNC
Andrea Antonello, Silvia Franceschi
HydroloGIS s.r.l.
Foss4G-IT 2019
February 20th 2019

2. THE GEOPAPARAZZI SURVEY SERVER

3. THE SERVER
The Geopaparazzi Survey Server (GSS) is a web application
that allows geopaparazzi users to synchronize their projects
data with a central server.
Its companion is an Android app named Geopaparazzi
Survey Server Sync (GSSS) .
The app can connect to geopaparazzi projects and
synchronize the data contained using the unique device ID
to upload the data to the server.
available on google play

4. FIRST STEPS WITH THE GSS SERVER
To start the server open your browser and run:
http://localhost:8080

5. You should get the following login screen:
You can login with user=god and password=god, which as
you can guess is an admin.

6. THE DASHBOARD
The dashboard view shows a simple chart listing the amount
of information for each device.
If no data are available, the following will be shown:

7. In case of existing data:

8. THE MAPVIEW
The mapview features the Surveyor list and a map panel.
Data can be browsed and filtered by timestamp.

9. The surveyor can be actived by selecting the checkbox in the
table. Once the data of the surveyor are loaded, through the
zoom button on top of the table it is possible to zoom to the
surveyor’s data extent.

10. THE SETTINGS VIEW
In the settings view it is possible to:
add, modify and remove surveyors.

11. activate an automatic registration mode for 5 minutes.
New devices that connect during the 5 minutes are
automatically added, if the surveyor does not exist. The
name of the surveyor by default is the id of the device.
This can be changed later.

12. create web users and groups. There are two levels of
users: admins and normal users.

13. configure background maps. Several map services can be
added to the background maps.
 Make sure that you have the rights to use the maps
you select.

14. change the locale of the application

15. THE EXPORT VIEW
From the export view it is possible to:
export the form data of one or more surveyors to PDF

16. export the all the data of one or more surveyors to KMZ

17. download the complete spatial database of the server.
The database is in H2GIS format and can then be
connected to with gvSIG, orbisGIS, OpenJump (maybe
others also)

18. THE PROJECT DATA VIEW
In the project data view it is possible to upload basemaps,
overlay databases and geopaparazzi projects to make them
available to the devices through the sync app:

19. THE FORM BUILDER VIEW
The form builder can be used to visually create forms for
geopaparazzi and make them available through the sync
app:

20. THE LOG VIEW
The log view can help to understand issues when they
happen. It lists various types of messages. The two most
usefull types are:
ACCESS: to see if and why a user could not log in or
upload data
ERROR: to understand why a particular problem is
happening

21. THE GEOPAPARAZZI SURVEY SERVER
SYNC APP (GSSS)

22. INSTALLATION
The GSSS can be installed from the .play store

23. Once installed and launched it will just show an empty
welcome view.

24. THE SIDE MENU
In the side menu it is possible to access several features.

25. CHECK YOUR DEVICE ID!
The first thing to do is to check if the device has an own
unique device id. If it has one, the following screen will be
shown

26. SET THE SERVER URL
To be able to connect to the GSS server, the url of the server
needs to be inserted. For the workshop we will use an
existing demo server http://www.test.hydrologis.com

27. PREPARE THE SERVER FOR THE
SURVEY

28. CREATE WEB USERS (LET’S CALL
THEM COORDINATORS)
To prepare the survey we first create web users for the
coordinators. They will be able to create the forms and if
they have admin rights also prepare data for the survey.
Select the Web Users Settings entry and a user for every
coordinator.

29. CREATE SURVEYORS
A coordinator can be different from the actual surveyor. We
therefore need to enable the surveyors. A surveyor can be
added manually:
or with magic ;-)

30. CREATE SURVEYORS WITH MAGIC
Enable Automagic Registration and just connect with the
devices.
 Do this one at the time to be able to connect IDs
properly.

31. FROM GSSS DO ANY CONNECTING
OPERATION
For example do a data download refresh:

32. CHECK AND MODIFY ON THE SERVER
A new surveyor will be available on the server:
Double-click and rename the device id to something
meaningful:

33. GET THE DATA FROM THE SERVER
Datasets available that we will use are of basemap, overlay
and project type:

34. italy.map: mapsforge map of Italy. The complete package
for all the Openstreetmap data of Italy on your device

35. gfossIT_03.mbtiles: mbtiles map of an ortophoto of the area
around the workshop location. The image is from the public
WMS of the Veneto region and has pure educational
purposes.

36. DOWNLOAD THE DATA WITH GSSS
If you open the GSSS, enter the Data Download view and
push refresh, you should see the available data. The
different icons are for basemaps (grid), overlays (polyline)
and project.

37. LOAD THE DATA INTO
GEOPAPARAZZI
To load basemaps enter the tiles icon from the main
actionbar, then use the FAB button to browse the filesystem
for the data:

38. To load overlays enter the map context menu, then use the
FAB button to browse the filesystem for the data.
To load an existing geopaparazzi project choose Load
existing project from the main menu to browse the
filesystem for the project file.

39. THE FORM BUILDER

40. WHAT WE WANT TO CREATE
Let us assume we need to survey the buildings on the
campus. For this we will have a a nice form with 3 parts:
General

41. Structural

42. Images

43. STEPS TO CREATE THE FORM
First go to the From Builder view:

44. STEP 1: CREATE TAG FILE
Push add to create a new tag definition:
Let’s call it foss4gasia_yourname.

45. STEP 2: ADD A SECTION
Sections are what will be a single button in the geopaparazzi
add note view. Let’s call this buildings.

46. STEP 3: ADD A FORM
Forms are seen in geopaparazzi as different tabs (General,
Structural, Images).

47. STEP 4: ADD DIFFERENT WIDGETS
Widgets are textfields, checkboxes, comboboxes etc.

48. The widget has a few important notions:
key: that will be used also as column in shapefiles export
isLabel: is set to true, in the geopaparazzi map, the text
will be shown as the point label
isMandatory: is set to true, geopaparazzi will require that
value to be set.

49. So if you add the following 4 widgets:

50. You should get on the server:

51. NOW PLEASE CREATE THE OTHER
TWO TABS (STRUCTURAL & IMAGES)

52. MAKE YOUR FORM VISIBLE WHEN
YOU ARE READY
Until you are not done, the form doesn’t have to be visible to
the sync app.

53. DOWNLOAD THE FORM (GSSS)
To get the forms on your device just open the GSSS and
enter the Tags Download section. Refresh to get the list and
download.

54. LOAD THE FORM (GEOPAPARAZZI)
Nothing needs to be done in geopaparazzi to load the new
forms, since the forms are saved directly where
geopaparazzi will look for them. Just open the app and see if
the new Buildings button is added to the existing notes
buttons:

55. NOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOUR
NOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOUR
NOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOUR
NOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOUR
NOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOUR
NOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOUR
NOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOURNOW YOU ARE READY! GO FOR YOUR
SURVEY!
SURVEY!
SURVEY!
SURVEY!
SURVEY!
SURVEY!
SURVEY!SURVEY!

56. GET THE SURVEY DATA IN THE
SYSTEM
Once back from the survey, GSSS can be used to load the
incremental (only new notes and logs are synchronized)
survey to the server.

57. THE SYNCHRONIZATION VIEW
If you never loaded a geopaparazzi project before, it is
simple to load one (*.gpap):

58. SYNCHRONIZE THE DATA
Once you choose a project, the notes, logs and images will
be visible in 3 distinct tabs.

59. CLEAN UP AND MAKE DIRTY
From the side menu it is also possible to access some tricky
settings:
the possibility to reset the connected database to be in a
complete dirty state. After that the database will upload
everything as if it never had done before.
the possibility to reset the database to a clean state. After
that no data are synchronized. Only new data surveyed in
geopaparazzi will be uploaded again.
 these settings are dangerous tools, be careful.

60. SEND A LOG
If you experience issues or problems of any kind, you can
use the send debug log button to send some debug
information about the error to the developers. This will help
them to solve the issue and create a new release.

61. GEOPAPARAZZI: USEFUL LINKS
Find out the latest Geopaparazzi news:
Join the Geopaparazzi user’s discussion:
And there’s a group for Geopaparazzi developers too:
If you prefer Facebook: Geopaparazzi Users Around The
World!
http://jgrasstechtips.blogspot.com/search/label/geopaparazzi
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/geopaparazzi-
users
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/geopaparazzi-
devel
https://www.facebook.com/groups/350587351732480/