How to share and back up a MapLab Survey project file
Sharing and backing up field data is as important as collecting it. Project files, exports, photos and reports need structure.
Field takeaways
- Delivery folders should include project, date and CRS information.
- KML, DXF, GeoJSON and CSV serve different use cases.
- Photo to point relation should survive sharing.
- Backup should not wait until the end of the day.
- MapLab Survey helps organize project data and exports.
Share the project or an export?
If the recipient will keep working, they need the project: it carries layers, notes and photos together. If they only need to review the data or drop it into CAD, a clean export is smaller and easier to open. Deciding this up front prevents most of the "the file won't open" phone calls.
What a delivery folder looks like
A good delivery folder separates the site name, date, crew, coordinate system, report, KML, DXF, GeoJSON, CSV and photos so each is easy to find. Files called "final" and "final 2" look clear the day they are made and become unsolvable months later. Use a fixed naming pattern with site, date, coordinate system and version number.
The sharing routine
- Keep the project on the correct layers while in the field.
- Produce the report and export files when measuring ends.
- Add the coordinate system and a method note.
- Check that photos are still linked to their points.
- Back up and share everything from the same delivery folder.
Clean up before you send
Check the layer names and delete tests and drafts — what is obvious to you is noise to whoever opens it next. Save a copy before sharing: a project that comes back edited by someone else should not overwrite yours.
Make backing up a habit
Phones get lost, batteries die, files get deleted by accident. On long field days a mid-day backup adds real safety, especially for photo-linked points and polygons. Keeping that backup somewhere other than the phone is the only measure that survives the sentence "it went with the phone".
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
How is a MapLab Survey project shared?
Through export formats and reports depending on the job.
How should field data be backed up?
With project, exports, reports and photos together.
Should photos be sent separately?
Only if point relation is preserved.
Should CRS be written?
Yes.
Technical references
The field guidance in this article is aligned with the technical and official references below.
Related: Field data backup · Field delivery package · QGIS NetCAD AutoCAD export · MapLab Survey