Mission members can collaborate with each other through chats and geomessages. Chat is the main communication tool used in ArcGIS Mission. Geomessages are also used in ArcGIS Mission and combine map graphics and communication tools.
Chats
Chats are text-only messages sent between mission members, either from ArcGIS Mission Manager or ArcGIS Mission Responder. The Chat tool used in ArcGIS Mission Manager is only accessible from the mission analyst experience.
Chats can be sent to any mission member, group of members, team, or teams. Recipients are specified on the participants panels. Chats to connected users are sent in real time. Chats can be sent to disconnected users, but these are stored and sent when the user becomes active again.
All chats between mission members appear in the all activity panel. Chats in which you are a participant, including chats that you create, are listed in the My Activity panel.
Create a chat message
To begin a chat in ArcGIS Mission Manager, open the mission analyst experience.
- Click Create a Chat Message.
The Compose Chat Message dialog box appears, which contains the To and Message fields, as well as the Send Chat and Cancel buttons.
- Select chat recipients from the Members or Teams panel by clicking the mission member's name or the mission team name.
Selected mission members or teams appear in the To field, above the Message field.
- Type your chat into the Message field.
- Click Send.
Note:
To send a chat to every mission member, either select them all individually or send the chat to a mission team containing all mission members.Reply to a chat conversation
Once a chat is created, it appears in the My Activity panel. If you are a chat participant, you can reply to the chat conversation by completing the following steps:
- Locate the chat in the My Activity panel.
- Click Reply or expand the chat message and click the in-line Reply button.
Once a chat is created, it appears in the My Activity panel. If you are a chat participant, you can reply to the chat conversation by completing the following steps:
- Type your chat into the Message field.
- Click Send.
Geomessages
Geomessages are geolocated graphics drawn on the mission map with options for providing text or adding attachments. The GeoMessage tool is located in the messaging area in the mission analyst experience. For every geomessage, you must click Create a GeoMessage, which opens the Compose GeoMessage dialog box. This dialog box contains all of the various geomessage tools and options.
Mark Up tools
Typically, the first step of composing geomessages is to draw the graphic. The tools for drawing geomessages are under Mark Up tools.
Geomessage graphics can be drawn in three main geometries: point, line, and polygon. Polygons are further divided into the rectangle, circle, and polygon tools. The polygon tool allows you to hand-draw polygons with a series of clicks or by dragging the pointer.
To redraw the graphic, click Clear to remove it from the map before drawing again. Clicking a mark up tool once the graphic has been drawn, but prior to sending the geomessage, also removes the graphic. To use the mark up tools, complete the following steps:
- Click Create a GeoMessage.
- Find the location on the map where you want to create a geomessage.
- Click the mark up tool you want to use.
- Draw your graphic on the map.
For lines and polygons, double-click to end the drawing process.
Continue creating the rest of your geomessage.
Geomessage details
You can add details to your geomessage to provide mission members with further context. The Title field allows you to label geomessages based on your current mission or task. A title is not required to create a geomessage. If you leave this field empty, it is titled Drawing by default.
The To field allows you to select the recipient of the geomessage. This includes individual mission members and mission teams or any combination of the two. It is filled by selecting users from the Members panel or Teams panel. If no recipients are selected, the geomessage is broadcast to the entire mission
The Description field allows you to create a text note or detailed description of the geomessage. For example, this can be a description of an event that took place at the location noted by the geomessage.
Attachments
The geomessage Attachments field allows images to be included as part of the geomessage. Image names are displayed in the Attachments field and can be removed prior to sending the message. To attach an image, complete the following steps:
- Click Create a GeoMessage.
- Click Attach, located to the right of the Attachments field.
- Click Choose Files.
- Browse to the image or images you want to attach.
- Select the image or images.
- Double-click the image or click Open to confirm your selection.
- Click Attach.
Your image titles are displayed in the Attachments field. Continue creating the rest of your geomessage.
Create a geomessage
The only required part of a geomessage is a graphic that must be drawn on the mission map. However, it is recommended that you add a title and brief description to your geomessage , depending on organizational requirements and the situation in which the geomessage was created.
- Click Create a GeoMessage.
- Identify the location on the map where the geomessage will be drawn.
- Click a mark up tool.
- Draw your graphic on the mission map.
- Select recipients from the Members panel or Teams panel.
Remember that if you do not select recipients, the message is sent to the entire mission.
- Fill in the geomessage title.
- Fill in the geomessage description.
- Optionally attach images.
- Click Send.