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Tracking

Start a patrol or track your movement in the field, and understand how to end your session correctly so no data is lost.

Recording a Patrol or Track​

Starting Tracking​

Tap Tracking at the bottom of the map screen to begin recording your movement. The status indicator will show:

  • Tracking Live — You are online. Location data is uploading in real time.
  • Tracking On — You are offline. Data is being saved locally on your device and will sync when you reconnect.

Starting a Patrol​

Tap Patrol to begin a structured mission. All events you create during an active patrol are automatically linked to that patrol record on your EarthRanger site.

  • Choose a Patrol Type from the available options.
  • (Optional) Enter a Patrol Title (label for the patrol).
  • Click Start Patrol to begin.
  • In the bottom pane the patrol details will be visible whilst the patrol is active (showing distance travelled and duration).

Ending a Session​

Tap the red End button when you want to stop tracking your location or ending the patrol. If you are ending a patrol, you will also be asked to confirm you want to end the patrol in the pop up (Tap "Yes" to end the patrol).
Please note a patrol cannot be started again once stopped.

Patrol vs. Tracking

Not sure which to use?

  • Choose Patrol if you want to see your time taken and the distance and to create a patrol record — a patrol formally records your start time and location,end time and location, and links any events you create along the way to that patrol record.
  • Choose Tracking if you only need a GPS trail of your route; your location updates continuously, but no patrol record is created and events are not linked to your movement.

Offline Use & Data Sync​

ER Mobile is designed for field use where connectivity is unreliable. Your data is always saved locally first, then synced when a connection is available.

The "Zero Pending" Rule​

Before ending your mission or logging out, always confirm your Pending Sync count has returned to zero.

  1. Reconnect to the internet (mobile data or Wi-Fi).
  2. Go to the Patrols tab → Tracks — it will show a count of unsynced tracks.
  3. Wait for the count to reach zero before logging out or powering off.
  4. If sync doesn't start automatically, go to Settings and tap Sync to trigger it manually.
Data Loss Risk

Do not log out while you have pending sync items. If you log out before your data has uploaded, all locally saved events and tracks will be permanently erased from your device. This data cannot be recovered.

For additional help, visit the EarthRanger Help Center or contact your site administrator.