The size of an offline area created using the Field Tool is limited by the size of basemap and feature data. Here are some tips for creating larger areas:
- Basemap - The limit is 250MB. This may be smaller since large caches can take a very long time to load, sometimes never, depending on the quality of your wifi. The size the basemap can be managed by the user by both the setting the extent of the offline area and the level detail desired. For example, I can cache a full county if the level of detail is set of basic navigation. Aerial images are larger.
- Data - The limit is 2000 features. This can be a limiting factor for some clients if, for example, unrated structures are being loaded - which can quickly create a large number. The only solution is to assign users needed to create large offline areas a role that does not include the layer with a large number of features. If a role does not exist, please contact customer support.
However, basemaps cached for large areas will likely not visible at a scale users will want to use them. If you have a need to cover large patrol areas offline - common for wildland agencies and aviation, there are currently better off-the-shelf apps for the purpose of navigation - on and offline. You may want to consider using one of these other apps to get users to the area of interest and then use the Field Tool for viewing and sharing agency data with other users.
Google Maps, Waze and some ‘hiking’ apps are free, can be used offline and some include routing and other features popular for navigation. Avenza Maps is also popular and includes the ability to load a geo-referenced pdf basemap or IAP maps created by an agency, IMT GISS. Geo-referenced pdf's can also be exported from Intterra’s Maps app and shared with other apps. See Layer Export Tool.