Geolocation
Stores a geographic position — latitude, longitude and an accuracy figure — captured from the device or set on a map.
Where to find it
Architect Panel → Data:
- Datastores — the datastore, then Table Designer to add or edit a field
Architect Panel → Integration & Connections:
- Postcode Lookup — the distance and mapping this feeds
Architect Panel → Layout & Pages:
- Browse Views — distance sorting and the map view
A point, not an address
The distinction that decides which field you want. An address is where somebody lives or receives post; a position is where something physically is.
Many things have a position and no address at all — a fault in a field, a bin, a lamppost, a tree, an incident on a footpath. For those, this is the right type and an address field is not.
It needs no lookup
Because it already holds coordinates, records using this field need no geocoding and no cache entry. Distance sorting, the radius filter and maps work directly from what is stored.
That makes it the cheapest and most precise option where you can capture it.
Accuracy is stored, and you should use it
The field records how accurate the reading was. A position captured indoors, in a city centre or with a poor signal can be tens or hundreds of metres out, and the accuracy figure is the system telling you so.
Ignoring it means treating a 300-metre estimate as if it were a precise location. Where the position matters, record it, display it, and let people judge — "within 5 metres" and "within 400 metres" are very different facts.
Capture at the point of observation
The reading is only meaningful if taken where the thing is. A position captured back at the office is the office, and a photograph plus a position taken at different times is worse than either alone.
Design the form so capture happens at the moment of recording, and consider warning if the reading is old.
It needs the browser’s permission
Location access is requested by the user's browser and can be refused permanently. Plan for that: a field that cannot be filled because permission was declined must not block a form, and an address or a manual map placement should be available as a fallback.
Position is personal data when it is about a person
Where a position is captured from a member of staff's device it is information about their movements, which is a considerably more sensitive thing than a location on an asset record.
If you are capturing positions from people, be explicit about it — in the interface and in your privacy information. This is an area where quiet collection causes real trouble.
Do not use it as a proxy for an address
Converting a position back into an address is imprecise and costs money. If you need a postal address, capture one.
Worked example
A street maintenance application records faults with a geolocation captured on site, plus a photograph and a description. Accuracy is displayed to the crew so they know how precisely to search. Fault records sort by distance for the nearest crew, with no geocoding involved because the coordinates were captured directly.
Recommendations
- Use it for things without an address.
- Record and show the accuracy figure.
- Capture at the point of observation, not afterwards.
- Be explicit when capturing positions from people.