Field forms and KoboToolbox data
Learn how structured field submissions can become mapped observations without turning a form application into your system of record.
Why this matters
Field teams often collect data with forms because forms work well for repeatable questions, mobile entry, photos, and offline workflows. The integration challenge begins when those submissions need to join GIS, research, or operational data.
Learn it
KoboToolbox is an external field-data collection application that can act as a source for an Atlasemoji workflow. The important teaching pattern is application-independent: identify submission ID, observation time, location, question/field meanings, attachments, enumerated choices, and provenance; then map those fields into the destination schema. Preserve the original submission identity so corrections and re-imports can be reconciled.
Work through an example
A field form might collect site, latitude, longitude, water condition, photo, observer, and time. A mapping decides which values form geometry, observation properties, media links, and provenance.
field submission → source ID + schema → field mapping → spatial observation/datasetPractice
- 1Sketch five fields in a simple field form.
- 2Map each field to location, observation value, properties, or provenance.
- 3Identify the source ID you would use to prevent duplicate imports.
What to watch for
Do not assume a form label is a stable API field name. Inspect the source schema and identifiers used by the actual project.
Where this takes you
This prepares users to connect field-data applications through supported connectors or APIs while keeping the underlying observation model understandable.