Selecting Device Roles & Teams

What is “Mapping on your own”?

When CoMapeo is first installed on a new device it is set up to start collecting data within a project of which it is the only member, it is not collaborating with any other devices or teams. This might be ideal for individuals working independently, with no need for customized categories.

👉🏽 Note

Changing category sets requires Coordinator Tools which become visible after a project has been set up. There is no requirement for inviting devices for a project to have Customized Category Sets.

Go to 🔗 Changing Categories Set to follow necessary steps

In some cases, people may want to backup and view the information they collected in a computer. To do this, install CoMapeo Desktop on the computer and invite it to the same project. This workflow works the same way as inviting a different mobile device to a project - both require the original device to invite them to collaborate.

Collecting Data with a Team and a Project

One of CoMapeo's strengths is to allow users to not only collect data on their own, but to collaborate with others as part of a team. To do this, users set up new projects, of which they become Coordinators, and then can invite other members as either Coordinators or Participants. These two roles have different permissions, outlined below. All users within the same project can exchange project data amongst themselves, and will have access to the same set of categories to collect data. They can also all exchange data with a Remote Archive, if it has been set up.

What is a Team in CoMapeo

Team is the list of devices that are included in a project, and the roles that each device has been assigned. Teams can include anything from two devices upwards. Every device in the project can view the team information to know which other devices are part of their project, and every device can view all observations and tracks that have been exchanged.

Roles available in CoMapeo

Participants can create Observations record Tracks, and Edit their own observations, and distribute information using Exchange or Share or Download Observations.

Coordinators can do all of the above. In addition they can Edit observations collected by others, and use the Coordinator tools including inviting collaborators, adding customized categories, and enabling features like Remote Archive.

Roles are assigned to devices by the coordinator which invites them, during the invite process. Roles are visible on the menu, and to all project members on the team screen.

👉🏽 Note

If a role has been mis-assigned, cancel the invite if possible. If the invitation has been accepted, follow steps to remove the device. Then repeat the invite device process again being careful to select the correct role.

See 🔗 Removing a device from a Project

Role Permissions in Detail

Topic	User Actions	Coordinator	Participant
Collaboration	Create a new project	✔️	✔️
Collaboration	Invite Device to a project	✔️	❌
Collaboration	Assign a role to a device before sending invite	✔️	❌
Collaboration	After invite, edit user roles ( change from participant to coordinator, or vice versa)	❌	❌
Collaboration	Leave a project	✔️	✔️
Collaboration	Remove user from project	✔️	❌
Collaboration	See the list of devices on a project	✔️	✔️
Collaboration	Rename project	✔️	❌
Collaboration	Delete project	❌	❌
Collaboration	Exchange	✔️	✔️
Create Observations & Tracks	Collect observations (Mobile only)	✔️	✔️
Create Observations & Tracks	Record Tracks (Mobile only)	✔️	✔️
Review Collected Data	Review own observations and tracks	✔️	✔️
Review Collected Data	Review others’ observations and tracks	✔️	✔️
Editing Collected Data	Edit own observations on and tracks	✔️	✔️
Editing Collected Data	Edit others observations and tracks	✔️	❌
Editing Collected Data	Add media (photos and audio) to a saved observation (only with edit access) (mobile only)	✔️	✔️
Editing Collected Data	Delete own observations and tracks	✔️	✔️
Editing Collected Data	Delete media (photos and audio) from a saved observation	❌	❌
Editing Collected Data	Delete others’ observations and tracks	✔️	❌
Customizing the CoMapeo experience	CoMapeo Settings (App language, Coordinate system, security options)	✔️	✔️
Customizing the CoMapeo experience	Change Categories Set of a project (via Coordinator tools)	✔️	❌
Customizing the CoMapeo experience	Upload Background Map	✔️	✔️
Customizing the CoMapeo experience	Remove Background Map	✔️	✔️
Customizing the CoMapeo experience	Share Background Map	✔️	✔️
Customizing the CoMapeo experience	Receive Shared Background Map	✔️	✔️
Customizing the CoMapeo experience	Replace offline map	✔️	✔️
Output	Share - Single Observation	✔️	✔️
Output	Share - Observation Metadata	✔️	✔️
Output	Share - Photo Metadata	❌	❌
Output	Download Observations and Tracks (GeoJSON, Zip with Media)	✔️	✔️
Security & Privacy	Diagnostic Information Collection options	✔️	✔️
Security & Privacy	App Usage Collection options	✔️	✔️
Security & Privacy	Secure Passcode (Mobile Only)	✔️	✔️
Security & Privacy	Obscure Passcode (Mobile Only)	✔️	✔️

Related Content

Go to 🔗 Creating a New Project

Go to 🔗 Inviting Collaborators for instructions

Go to 🔗 Understanding How Exchange Works for full explanation

Having Trouble?

Go to 🔗 Troubleshooting: Mapping with Collaborators

💡 Tip

To change the role of a device from Participant to Coordinator or from Coordinator to Participant, it needs to be sent a new invitation after either leaving a project, or being removed from a project.