The Location custom field is used to capture a location in a custom field, either as a street address or as a set of GPS coordinates. The location is identified with a pin on the map and a location description in the Location custom field in the vWork mobile app.  

It is useful when mobile workers need to:

• record the specific location of a feature, such as a new tree planting.
• find the location of something they need to work on at an address for a job, such as a utility tower, manhole, or service meter.
  

The Location custom field is an optional feature in vWork. If you want to find out more about it or add it to your account, please contact support@vworkapp.com and one of our team will be in touch to talk with you about your requirements.

If you want to learn more about custom fields, please read the article: What are custom fields in Jobs and job templates?

In this article

This article explains how to use the Location custom field. 

The topics covered are:

• Add a geocoded location to a Location custom field in the job editor
• Add a location to a Location custom field in the vWork mobile app
• View a pinned location on the map in a report
• Good to know

Click a link from the topic list above to go directly to it. To return to this topic list, click this icon:

Add a geocoded location to a Location custom field in the job editor

Once you have added the Location custom field to your job template, you can start adding locations to your jobs as custom fields. Like every other custom field, these are added in the Custom Field tab in the job editor, or in the Fields screen on the mobile app. This topic looks at what you can do in the job editor on the website. 

There are three formats that can be used when adding a geocoded location to the Location custom field in the job editor. You can select the format that most suits how accurate you need the geocoded location to be.

Format 1: geolocated street address

You can add a geolocated street address to a Location custom field exactly as you would add it to a step. This will show the geolocated street address in the field on the mobile app and will show a pin on the map in the general location of the street address. This is best when a precise location is not required and a street address is helpful.

To add a geolocated street address to the Location custom field:

1. Click the Details for the Location custom field and start typing the address.
   
   
2. Click to select the address you want from the options presented in the drop-down list.
   
   
   
   
3. Once selected the geolocated address shows this symbol to indicate it is geolocated.
   
   
   

Format 2: generate an address from GPS coordinates

If you have the GPS coordinates of the location, but you want this to be displayed as the nearest geolocated address, then you can enter the GPS coordinates to find this. 

To add a geolocated address to the Location custom field using GPS coordinates:

1. Click in Details and enter the GPS coordinates; for example, -36.849730, 174.763708.
   
   Tip: You can copy GPS coordinates directly from google maps and paste these into the Location custom field. To do this, open Google Maps and right-click on the location to show the GPS coordinates. Click on the coordinates to copy them to your clipboard ready for you to paste them into the Location custom field. For more information on supported coordinate formats, please refer to this article.
   
   
   
   
2. Click or tab out of the address to show the nearest geolocated address to the GPS coordinates that you entered. 
   
   Note: If the GPS coordinates are not close to the street where the mobile user gains access to the property, or the coordinates are close to a boundary, the geolocated street address may show as the nearest neighboring street address.
   
   

Format 3: raw GPS coordinates

When you must show the exact location of a feature on a map it is best to use precise GPS coordinates. To make sure GPS coordinates don’t give you a nearby street address add square brackets around them. They will show as GPS coordinates in the job editor and on the mobile app.

To add raw GPS coordinates to the Location custom field:

1. Click in Details and enter the GPS coordinates with a square bracket at each end; for example, [-36.849730, 174.763708].
   
   Tip: You can copy GPS coordinates directly from google maps and paste these into the Location custom field. To do this, open Google Maps and right-click on the location to show the GPS coordinates. Click on the coordinates to copy them to your clipboard ready for you to paste them into the Location custom field. (Remember, you will need to add the brackets before exiting the Location custom field.) For more information on supported coordinate formats, please refer to this article.
   
   
   
   
2. Click or tab out of the field.
   We geolocate the GPS coordinates for you and show the coordinates in the field with this icon to confirm the location is geocoded.
   
   
   

Add a location to a Location custom field in the vWork mobile app

You can use the Location custom field to drop a pin on a map to show the precise location of a feature. You can also use the saved location added by a dispatcher to view the location on a Map to make it easier to locate. 

We have two articles that explain how to use the Location custom field in the vWork Mobile app from the perspective of a mobile worker. The articles are:

• Android: Using the Location custom field
• iOS: Using the Location custom field

View a pinned location on the map in a report

When the job is completed you can run reports that show the information captured in the Location custom field.

Here is an example using the same job we used to plant the trees above. This is the Job Status report (V2) view of the field we called Plant Location 1.

You can see:

• The location field has a zoomed-out map of the location where the pin is placed. The pin will be in the center of the map.
  
  
• The GPS coordinates are also shown beneath the map. The coordinates are colored blue to tell you that they are a link you can click to view the location n the Map.

To see a close up view of the pin’s location:

1. Click the blue location information at the bottom of the map to open Google Maps at the location of the pin. 
   
   
   
   
2. You can then zoom in and change the view to see what you need to.
   
   
   

Good to know

• Location custom fields are useful for viewing locations on a map but are not a navigation tool. The geocoded step address is the tool to use when you need to navigate to a site. The Location custom field can help you find a feature or location at a site.
  
  
• You can find out more about using GPS coordinates in the article: Can I enter GPS Coordinates instead of a street address?
  
• For the Location custom field to work correctly in the mobile app, make sure you allow vWork to access the mobile device's location while the app is being used. This is set up in the phone’s settings under the location permissions for the vWork app. In Android, you must also make sure that Location Tracing is enabled in the vWork app. 
  
  
• Make sure mobile devices are running the latest versions of the mobile app to get the best result using the Location custom field.