Datuma: The Complete Guide to Field Surveying on Mobile (A to Z)

Import instrument files, manage projects offline, visualize points on the map, and export back to CAD — all from your phone.

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Introduction: The Problem Every Field Surveyor Knows

If you survey in the field, you have lived this workflow:

1. You collect or receive points from a total station as GSI, SDR, or CSV — and need them on your phone before you get back to the office.
2. You stake out or check coordinates on site — but your map app does not understand surveying projections or point codes.
3. You need a quick traverse check, distance, or coordinate conversion — and open a generic calculator that uses the wrong units or bearing format.
4. You finish a job and email files to the CAD team — hoping the point numbers, codes, and elevations survived the handoff.

That loop is fragmented, connectivity-dependent, and often disconnected from your AutoCAD workflow.

Datuma is the mobile app built to collapse those jobs into one offline-first workspace. Import industry formats, organize points into projects, view them on Google Maps, capture GPS with photos, run field calculators, and export back to the same formats your office expects. Core work runs without an account. Your project data stays on your device.

Datuma sits alongside Survey Point Manager (AutoCAD) and Surveying Core (web calculators and converters) as the field companion in the same surveying toolkit — same five-field point model, same format rules.

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Who Is This For?

Available on: iOS and Android (com.datuma.mobile.app)

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The App: Four Tabs, One Field Workflow

CODE // TEXT
HOME → PROJECTS → LEARN → TOOLS

HOME — Your dashboard

Quick access to recent projects, active jobs, learning progress, and search. Jump straight into import, GPS capture, or the last map you had open.

PROJECTS — Where your data lives

Every job is a project with its own coordinate system:

Each project stores points locally on your device. Open the points list for editing, or the map view to see markers, draw shapes, and measure on the ground.

Share a whole project with a colleague using a .spj package — project metadata and all points in one file, importable on another phone running Datuma.

LEARN — Surveyor Career Journey

A structured learning path for surveyors and students — modules, lessons, and quizzes covering field methods, instruments, and professional practice. Full English and Arabic support with right-to-left layout where needed.

TOOLS — Calculators without leaving the app

Eleven built-in field tools, no sign-in required:

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The Five-Field Point Model

Every point in Datuma uses the same structure as Survey Point Manager in AutoCAD:

This alignment means files you import on your phone export cleanly into AutoCAD without column juggling or renamed fields.

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Import: From Instrument File to Project

Datuma reads the formats surveyors actually receive in the field:

Import workflow:

CODE // TEXT
Choose source (device, share sheet, Google Drive, Dropbox)
    → Format auto-detected from extension and content
    → Map columns (CSV/TXT if needed)
    → Set projection and merge/replace options
    → Points saved to project on device

Quick Convert — import a file, change format, and export without creating a project. History keeps a record of recent conversions for repeat jobs.

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Export: Back to the Office

Export any project (or quick-convert session) to:

CSV, TXT, SDR, GSI (8 & 16), IDX, DXF, KML, KMZ, GeoJSON, LandXML, Shapefile, LAS

DXF export targets AutoCAD R12 compatibility — the same lineage as Survey Point Manager. Generate a PDF point report for client handoffs directly from the app.

Share exported files through the system share sheet — email, cloud drive, or AirDrop.

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Map View: See Your Points on the Ground

Open any project's map to:

• Display all points as markers with coordinate conversion to WGS84 for Google Maps
• Draw and edit shapes — circles, rectangles, polygons, polylines
• Run advanced measurement — distances, areas, and traverses on the map with GPS accuracy warnings
• Edit point positions and attributes from the map

Map tiles require connectivity; your point data and shapes are always local regardless of signal.

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GPS Capture: Points from the Field

The capture screen gives you:

• Live GPS position with optional averaging for better accuracy
• Toggle between lat/lon and UTM display
• Attach a photo to the observation
• Save directly into the active project or as a standalone point

Ideal for as-built shots, boundary photos, and quick control without a total station.

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Offline-First by Design

When connectivity is weak, a banner shows your status so you know whether sync-dependent features are available. Core surveying work never blocks on a server.

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Cloud & Account Features (Optional)

Sign in with Google or Apple to unlock:

• Community — Q&A and tips from other surveyors (moderated)
• Library — curated professional resources, pin for offline reading
• Google Drive backup — zip backup of your local database for device migration

Backup is opt-in. Daily field work does not require an account.

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Typical Workflows

Workflow A: Total station file to map check

1. Receive a .gsi or .csv from the instrument crew.
2. Import into a new UTM project (map columns if CSV layout is non-standard).
3. Open map view — verify point pattern against the site.
4. Capture GPS at a check point and compare to imported coordinates.

Workflow B: Field capture back to AutoCAD

1. Create a project on site with GPS capture and photos.
2. Add codes (EP, BLD, etc.) as you go.
3. Export DXF or CSV at end of day.
4. Import into Survey Point Manager or native AutoCAD — same PN/E/N/Z/Code fields.

Workflow C: Quick format conversion

1. Tap Quick Convert from import.
2. Select a .sdr file from email.
3. Export as .gsi for the Leica crew — no project created.
4. Share the output file immediately.

Workflow D: Share a job with a colleague

1. Open project → Share → generates .spj package.
2. Colleague opens Datuma → import shared project.
3. Full point set and project settings transfer to their device.

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How Datuma Fits the Ecosystem

All three share the same point model and format parsing rules — field, web, and CAD stay aligned without manual rework.

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Getting Started

1. Install Datuma on iOS or Android.
2. Create a project and set your coordinate system.
3. Import a file or start GPS capture.
4. Open the map to visualize, or export when ready.
5. Explore Tools for field math and Learn for the career journey.

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Summary

Datuma is built for surveyors who need professional point management on a phone — not a generic map pin app. Import the formats your instruments produce, work offline with projects stored locally, visualize and measure on Google Maps, and export back to CAD-ready files. Optional cloud features add community and backup without making connectivity a dependency for core field work.

Same data model as your AutoCAD plugin. Same formats as your web tools. One workflow from the truck to the drawing board.