Reporting a trouble spot

Platform: Mobile (Archer Setup app)

Reporting a trouble spot is the main way field staff put an issue "on the list" for someone to deal with. There are two flavours:

• Single report — you pin one spot at a time, pick a type, add notes, and save.
• Work mode — you pick a type once, then tap/tap/tap down the row to drop multiple spots of the same type. Great for scouting walks.

Before you start

• You're signed in to the mobile app and in the correct management group.
• Your GPS position is healthy.
• You're standing near the spot you want to report (or you're about to walk a block in work mode).

Single report

1. Open the Field tab.

   📷 Screenshot: Field tab with map and current position.

2. Tap Report trouble spot (or tap-and-hold at the exact point on the map where you want the pin, if you're not standing on it).

3. Choose the category, then the type. Archer shows the entries configured for your organisation.

   📷 Screenshot: Category picker showing common categories.

4. (Optional) Add notes. Notes are free text — use them to describe exactly what you saw, especially if the type is generic.

5. Tap Save. The spot is uploaded to the cloud and appears in the pending trouble spot list immediately.

   📷 Screenshot: Confirmation after saving a single trouble spot.

The spot is automatically tagged with:

• Your GPS location (lat/lon).
• The block you're in, if you're inside one.
• The row and distance down the row (if the block has row geometry).
• Your user name and the current timestamp.

Work mode (bulk reporting)

Work mode is for when you're walking a row and seeing the same issue repeatedly — for example, scouting for powdery mildew.

1. From the Field tab, tap Report trouble spot and choose the category and type you want to lock in.

2. Tap Start work mode (or the equivalent "pin this type" option).

   📷 Screenshot: Work mode toolbar showing the locked category/type.

3. Walk the row. Each time you see the issue, tap Report here. The app immediately creates a trouble spot of the locked type at your current GPS position. No extra prompts.

4. When you're done, tap Exit work mode.

You can add notes to individual spots after the fact from the trouble spots list if you need to.

Tips

• Be specific with types. "Disease → Powdery mildew" is much more useful downstream than "Other → Notes". If the type you want isn't there, ask your admin to add it.
• Use work mode when it fits. It's significantly faster than the single-report flow for scouting walks.
• Reporting is cheap. If you're not sure whether something's worth recording, record it. It's much easier to ignore a spurious trouble spot than to remember something you saw three hours ago.
• You can see your own recent reports. Check the Trouble spots screen after a walk to make sure the spots you just added look right.