VIABY CODE WORKSHOP

VIA 2.0 · User Guide

Automatic Recording

Record positions at distance intervals while moving through a survey.

For VIA 2.0. Some controls are unavailable in earlier versions.

Auto Capture records device positions as you move. It is useful for a route or a sequence of positions that do not need a completed form at each point. Automatic observations carry AUTO notes; they do not fill custom template fields or take photographs.

Set the spacing

  1. Open Settings → Survey → Auto Capture Distance.
  2. Enter a whole number of metres, at least 1, and save. The default is 10 m.
  3. Create or open the survey you want to record into. For practice, use a separate Route recording — practice survey.

Start and stop

  1. Tap Continue, check the point number and wait for GPS.
  2. Enable Auto Capture. Allow the requested foreground and background location access.
  3. Move through the area and check that the point count increases. The first point in an empty survey can be captured as soon as a fix is available.
  4. Switch Auto Capture off when finished, before moving on to another task. Check the recorded count and export the survey.

What the interval means

Capture uses distance from the last recorded point, not a fixed time interval or exact chainage spacing. Device fixes and GPS drift affect where points are recorded. Choose a spacing suitable for the task and check the resulting survey.

Using a locked or backgrounded device

VIA requests background location access for this workflow. Permission alone does not prove that recording continued. Before relying on it for a field task, try a short route on your device: note the count, lock the screen and move, then return and check the recorded positions. Background behaviour and resuming differ between iOS and Android.

Keep the survey session open and do not assume recording survives closing VIA, restarting the phone or changing surveys. Stop Auto Capture explicitly when finished.

If recording does not advance

Check GPS access, background permission, the working CRS and the distance moved. Confirm that the correct survey is active. Recheck behaviour after returning from the background; if your device test fails, keep the app visible and report the issue with the VIA and OS versions.