Add Distance Input Tool for Precise Line/Polygon Creation (Similar to QGIS "Advanced Digitizing")
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Diego Varela
As a long-time power user of QField who regularly trains water utility companies in its use, I find the app fantastic for field data collection. However, a critical feature is missing that would dramatically expand its adoption: the ability to type precise distances when drawing lines or polygons, mirroring QGIS Desktop’s "Advanced Digitizing" tool.
Currently, water companies (and similar industries) rely on CAD or QGIS for designing water networks due to the need for millimeter-accurate digitization (e.g., pipe lengths, valve placements). While QField excels in mobility, the lack of distance input forces field crews to approximate measurements or resort to post-processing, reducing efficiency and accuracy.
Proposed Solution:
Integrate a "Distance Input" toggle during vertex placement when drawing lines/polygons.
Allow users to manually enter:
Distance (e.g., 5.25 m) and angle (e.g., 45°) for the next segment.
Mimic the workflow of QGIS’s "Advanced Digitizing" panel for intuitive use.
Impact:
This addition would make QField indispensable for infrastructure management. Water utilities (currently hesitant to switch from CAD/QGIS Desktop) could:
Digitize water/sewer networks with precision directly in the field.
Eliminate post-processing errors and save significant time.
Fully replace traditional tools with QField’s mobile-first approach.
Closing:
This feature would elevate QField from a "great" app to a game-changer for engineering-grade fieldwork. Industries managing linear networks (water, energy, telecom) would adopt it en masse, knowing they can trust on-site precision.
Thank you for considering this transformative enhancement!
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2M2C
Hello. I'd like to join your discussion, even though I'm not part of your community. I'm a daily QGIS user, and in my spare time, I'm working on building a surveying station based on a Leica D510, FTA360, magnetic angle encoder, and ESP32 MCU. Being able to connect such a device for offset measurements in Qfield is of particular interest to me. There are two challenges to overcome: enabling Qfield to communicate with a Bluetooth device (both standard and BLE, as both exist for rangefinders), and parsing the device's data frame to the survey table in Qfield. To do this, we should look at what has been done by the caving community. Two main tools are worth considering: Topodroid and CaveSurvey. Below you will find the CaveSurvey GitHub repository where parking scripts corresponding to various rangefinders on the market are shared:
https://github.com/lz1asl/CaveSurvey/tree/master/doc/devices
Furthermore, if you want to go further and make Qfield comparable to professional surveying applications like SurPad, Micro Survey, or Landstar, you could integrate a total station support function using the same principle. To do this, in the same way as integrating a rangefinder, you would need to use the communication protocol specific to total stations, but with regular querying using a series of commands at a frequency of 0.5/1 Hz. You should look into the Leica GeoCOM protocol, which seems well-documented and quite commonly used. There are also projects that have successfully created such serial communication with smartphones:
https://github.com/MrClock8163/GeoComPy
https://github.com/surf3s/EDM
Python libraries for communication with stations include Ulyxes, tachyconnect, pyGeoCOM, and GeoComPy.
In terms of COGO tools, at least the following would be required:
-Azimuth distance (communication with an internal compass and/or an external device such as the WitMotion WT9011DCL, with support for north and point-to-point aiming).
-Trilateration (intersecting two circles so the tool can be used with a smartphone without a compass).
And if you want to do things thoroughly, add:
-Alignment offset – projecting a point onto a line and calculating the offset.
-Intersection of two directions (two points / two azimuths) – calculate the point of intersection from two lines.
-Reversed angle / Distance – calculate a point from a starting point, an angle, and a distance (radius).
Hoping this helps.
Best regards
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2M2C
Oh, and one last little edit. Recently, researchers developed an app that can collect raw data from the internal GNSS of smartphones and apply RTK corrections via NTRIP. I recommend you look into this as well, because the future lies there.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352711025002924
https://github.com/z1Yang-1/myGNSS
And one more thing. If you manage to integrate automatic querying of the internal Android compass, then you'll be a small step towards creating IMU compensation via smartphone for GNSS using Qfield. By placing your smartphone horizontally on its GNSS pole mount, using the tilt sensor to determine the cardinal orientation of the tilt, and applying the pole length, you can calculate the offset of a point surveyed with GNSS at an angle, just like on a high-end RTK. Frankly, unlocking Qfield's ability to communicate with internal and external components could open up an extraordinary range of possibilities.
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Zsanett Medvei
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Zsanett Medvei
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9ls1
Our institute is interested in such a possibilty in QField and may perhaps be able to contribute. How much will it cost to implement such a feature?
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Zsanett Medvei
Dear all,
This functionality is a fantastic idea and has been on our radar for a long time. I have marked it as "looking for funding." If anyone has the possibility to (co)fund this feature, please reach out to us regarding funding opportunities:
Nico Tripcevich
+1 from an archaeologist!
A great app that would be much improved with these suggested features.
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Zsanett Medvei
marked this post as
looking for funding
Z
Zsanett Medvei
Merged in a post:
Laser Rangefinder Compatibility
Tulio Soto Parra
The feature I believe is called COGO calculation. Essentially, this entails computing or calculating from a baseline using distance and offset parameters. The baseline itself can be established through previously collected points or temporary points.
A Laser Rangefinder would be paired via Bluetooth, then, a baseline or reference point is defined using either internal or external GPS. Subsequently, points and polygons relative to this reference point can be measured. This offers the advantage of measuring points and objects beyond physical reach, and would be, in my opinion, a great feature to have in QField.
Nico Tripcevich
We purchased Lasertech MapSmart ($500) to pair with a Trupulse rangefinder. You can save out directly to kml, gpx, or dxf and load into software. Qfield can read KML or GPX directly
Jeremy Jackson
I have a Trupulse 360 which would be great to integrate into QField
Thomas Mayer
Tried Mapit spatial (free) - here you can config a rangefinder integration. This would be nice to have in Qfield (and QGIS). You can manual set the distance and bearing or from a bluetooth rangefinder (like my LEICA) automacticly. And as addition you can choice between actual point or distance point, reference point new or from last record. please add this to QField.
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