Survey123 only allows a single feature type (point, line, or polygon) to be collected in a survey. Rather than requiring a separate survey for each, the Observations survey accommodates all by nesting the feature types within repeat sections. Hence, when looking at the Observations Feature Layer, there are 4 layers.

  • Observations (Point layer): (may have a different name, depending on customization) is the first Point layer. It contains all of the data and a GlobalID for each record which enables a relationship to the spatial layers and tables.
  • Spatial layers (point, poly, line layers): only contain the spatial data and a ParentGlobalID which is equivalent to the GlobalID for the related record in the Observations layer.
  • Tables: related tables contain a ParentGlobalID which is equivalent to the GlobalID for the related record in the Observations layer. Related tables are found within a repeat in the survey to accommodate a one-to-many relationship, such as Associated Species. The related tables within the survey may differ according to customization. Although upgrades to Survey123 no longer require photos to be in a repeated section to have more than one photo associated with the survey response, if one has a description or title field related to the photo, a repeated section is still required. Additionally, the Observations toolbox currently downloads the photos from the related table.

To see the survey data, go to the Data tab.

To see the GlobalID, which is the unique identifier for each record, select Show/Hide Columns from the (hamburger) menu.


From the fields displayed, indicate which fields to display/hide and then click away from the field list.


The Observations layer is shown by default, as it contains the survey data. The GlobalID field is the unique identifier used to relate between the data within the Observations (main) layer and the related layers/tables. To see the data within the other layers/tables, select the desired layer/table from the dropdown list.


The tables contain the ParentGlobalID field which is equivalent to the GlobalID value for the related record in the Observations layer. Related tables accommodate a one-to-many relationship, such as Associated Species. In the case of the feature layers, the spatial data is in separate layers to accommodate point, lines, and polygon features within the same survey.


To view the spatial data, go to the Visualization tab. Depending on the version of survey, records may appear at 0,0 Lat, Long. These points reflect the line and polygon spatial features within the Observations layer and can be ignored as they are correctly represented in the line and polygon feature layers. This is avoided in later versions of the survey. Submit a ticket by emailing biotics@natureserve.org for assistance.


The survey data can also be viewed in a more user-friendly format in the Dashboards and via ArcGIS Survey123 .


Question: Why do my Observations appear off the coast of Africa (0,0)? Why do the points and Observations not always display in the same location?

As explained earlier, Survey123 only allows a single feature type (point, line, or polygon) to be collected in a survey. Rather than requiring a separate survey for each, the Observations survey accommodates all by nesting the feature types within repeat sections. Hence, when looking at the Observations Feature Layer, there are 4 layers - the Observations layer, point, line, and poly layers. The Observations (point) layer contains the (tabular) data for all Observations, not just points.


Latitude and Longitude are calculated from the point_shape in the point repeat section. As such, it is not calculated for lines or polygons. In the case of polygons and lines, the Observations may be reflected by points off of Africa (at 0,0) if entered via the web app. Otherwise, the Observation point would reflect your location when digitizing/streaming the line/poly feature.

The Observations (point) and point_shape may not align if the feature was manually digitized (rather than taking the actual location) or if the data was entered via the web app or without location enabled. 

Given these potential discrepancies and the confusion that ensues, the Observations Dashboards do not display the Observations (point) layer, but instead rely on the point, line, and polygon layer spatial features. To avoid confusion, you can create a view of the spatial features which include the data found within the Observations layer. Instructions for doing so can be found within this solution.