Client Considerations

There are multiple options regarding how ArcFM Mobile and the data it uses are deployed to client devices. These options fall under three categories:

App deployment
Map data deployment
Map data usage

You also have the opportunity to set a specific spatial reference, which otherwise defaults to WGS 1984 Web Mercator (EPSG 3857/Esri WKID 102100). Setting a spatial reference occurs in the Solution Center.

App Deployment

The app can be installed using one of two methods, depending on your organization's needs.

Local install: the app is installed manually on each device.

For Windows devices, local install involves downloading a Setup.exe file from myArcFM and running it manually on each device. For iPad devices, ArcFM Mobile is installed from the App Store.
Enterprise deployment: for use by administrators to automate installation.

For Windows devices, enterprise deployment of ArcFM Mobile occurs through the customer’s configuration management system (SCCM, Alteris, etc.). This method uses an .msi file that configures an installation script for each user on the machine, which runs the next time the user logs into his/her Windows account. This installation script performs the same installation as a local install, placing ArcFM Mobile on that user’s profile. The .msi file can be downloaded by an administrator by changing "exe" to "msi" in the app download link in myArcFM.

For iPads, enterprise deployment occurs through the customer's mobile device management (MDM) system (AirWatch, Intune, etc.).

Map Data Usage (Windows devices only)

Based on how your tenant has been configured, users on a single machine each have their own map data or share all map data downloaded and maintained by ArcFM Mobile. If your organization opts for the shared approach, be certain that Schneider Electric is aware of your decision. This ensures that your tenant is configured appropriately prior to any client installs.

IMPORTANT: If you opt for a shared configuration, folder permissions need to be configured on each machine, allowing all ArcFM Mobile client users to access downloaded packages. This can be accomplished with the script we provide on myArcFM in the Enable shared data permissions in a multi-user deployment article. The script creates a %PROGRAMDATA%\Schneider_Electric\ArcFMMobile directory and applies the needed permissions to the new folder. In enterprise deployments, System Center Configuration Manager/Group Policy Objects (SCCM/GPOs) can be configured to manage this script.

Map Data Deployment

When rolling out an ArcFM Mobile solution, a common challenge is deploying offline GIS data to a large number of distributed mobile devices. By default, end users must manually choose maps to download in the mobile app. However, ArcFM Mobile offers a couple of methods to automate data deployment:

Auto download is an optional setting on offline packages available as of ArcFM Mobile 11.2.2 for iPad and ArcFM Mobile 3.15 for Windows. An offline package with this option enabled is downloaded automatically to users with access to the operational data in the package. This approach is best for organizations that want to minimize admin effort to deploy data, and are less concerned about network impact of each user's device downloading potentially large files while in remote locations.
Sideloading is a process in which administrators proactively push data packages to users' devices. This is typically a one-time action during initial rollout while devices are in a location with a fast network connection to backend replica storage. It is best for organizations that want to minimize large file downloads by remote users, and are less concerned with the admin effort to manage the sideloading process.

A hybrid approach is perhaps best for most organizations — sideloading for initial data rollout to large numbers of users and auto-download of data to users who start using ArcFM Mobile individually.