Esri’s ArcPad is a wonderful field collection software for those users interesting in working directly within the ArcGIS environment while utilizing a check-in and check-out process.  This is ideal for data maintenance because a user can zoom into a particular area of interest, pick the features they want to edit or view, and then check them out to a mobile device running ArcPad.  Once the field data collection is complete, the user can then check the data directly back into their Geodatabase.  However, ever since ArcPad developed the AXF format, several of our users have been plagued with ArcPad Low Memory issues.  The strange thing was that the mobile devices were getting better with more memory, faster processors and better screens, yet the memory issues kept getting worse.
The underlying issue really comes down to MicroSoft operating system and its severely limiting 32MB process limit on the Windows Mobile OS.  There are different techniques we have our users employ when they begin seeing these memory issues, yet it never really seems to solve the problem.
So if you are tired of dealing with memory issues with ArcPad running on the Trimble Mapping & GIS hardware, then read on…
In the past, Trimble’s TerraSync field software workflows were restricted to its own office software called GPS Pathfinder Office.  However, the Trimble Positions Dev team has just released a NEW version of Trimble Positions Desktop that will allow users to check data directly our of ArcGIS to Trimble’s TerraSync field software while maintaining your projects features and domains all within a Trimble Data Dictionary fil e (DDF).
Trimble’s TerraSync field software has been around for over a decade, and its still running strong.  It is an easy to use workflow, that even a beginner can pick up and be efficiently collecting data within a few hours.  Also, Trimble has dealt with the MicroSoft processing limit by breaking its SSF file up into 8 – 9 components, so memory issues occur very seldom.
If using the TerraSync field data collection platform directly within ArcGIS Desktop sounds interesting to you, then please read my article on the new features in Trimble Positions or contact NEI Support for more details or a demo.