How to back up field survey data and prevent data loss
Field data without backup is almost as risky as data never captured.
Field takeaways
- Copy field files to a second location at the end of the day.
- Store exports with project names.
- Photos must keep point/layer relation.
- Use local backup offline and sync later.
- MapLab Survey project/export structure helps backup.
The minimum backup habit
Before the job is closed, copy the project file, the KML/DXF/CSV exports and the report to a second place: another phone, a computer, cloud storage or the team's shared folder. What matters is that the data does not live on one device. Phones fall, drown and get stolen in the field, and none of it announces itself in advance.
The field version of 3-2-1
The classic rule wants three copies: one where you work, one on a second medium, one somewhere else physically. In field practice that translates to: data on the phone, automatic cloud backup switched on, and the exported deliverables on the office computer at day's end. All three do not vanish together.
File naming
A backup's name should carry date, project and coordinate system: not "survey.zip" but "20260820_siteA_TUREF_TM33.zip". Whoever digs through the archive six months later — usually you — should read everything from the name alone.
What the app does and does not do
MapLab Survey supports end-to-end encrypted cloud backup; sign in with Apple or Google, switch it on, and projects are protected automatically. But cloud backup does not replace export discipline: the DXF and report you delivered should also exist somewhere independent of any one app. A backup is not something you entrust to a single system.
The restore test
A backup that has never been restored is an assumption. Once a month, open any backup on another device and confirm it actually reads. Five minutes — and on the bad day it returns hours.
Try these steps on your own phone.
MapLab Survey handles RTK/GNSS point capture, drawing, area and volume calculations and coordinate conversion, then exports to DXF, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoPackage, NCZ or CSV. Capture, calculation and export work offline. Live NTRIP corrections and online basemaps need a connection.
Frequently asked questions
When should field data be backed up?
Before leaving and during long days.
Which files?
Project, exports, reports and photos.
Can backup work offline?
Yes, locally.
Can photos be separate?
Yes, if links/context are preserved.
Technical references
The field guidance in this article is aligned with the technical and official references below.
Related: Offline maps · Field delivery package · Measurement report · MapLab Survey