Map Update Cycle

Discussions about the Ward Directory and Map tool on churchofjesuschrist.org.
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egowen
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Map Update Cycle

#1

Post by egowen »

Does anyone know when the map database is updated due to changes in MLS? We have made some changes but the old data is still being displayed in the mapping application. I'd like to hope it happens at least every few days.
Regards,

Ed Gowen
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Edward J Gowen Jr
Macon Georgia Stake Clerk
RossEvans
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#2

Post by RossEvans »

egowen wrote:Does anyone know when the map database is updated due to changes in MLS? We have made some changes but the old data is still being displayed in the mapping application. I'd like to hope it happens at least every few days.
What information was changed in MLS (name, address, etc.)? You should see name and address changes displayed fairly soon. But if the address is changed due to a move or correction, do not expect the mapped member location to change. The clerk would have to do that manually within the mapping site. See this thread.
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egowen
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Map and Member Directory Update Cycle

#3

Post by egowen »

I guess my question was not quite as clear as I intended. I've noticed that using the web interface to update a member's address is not sufficient to cause their records to be moved from the ward even when the change in address put the family way outside the ward boundaries. Updating the family location in MLS under the Move Out link seems to be the only mechanism that moves families from one ward to another. Once that is accomplished and a Send/Receive operation is completed, the records are removed from the losing ward's MLS. The web based Tools / Leader Resources / Membership / Member List (Only available to ward leadership) is updated quite quickly but the Tools / Directory and Tools / Maps does not get updated at all quickly. I'd like to know is how frequently the member accessible directory and maps databases are updated based on changes to MLS.

We have had the following scenario several times. A diligent home teacher reports one of his families has moved and provides the new address. The MLS move out operation is completed and the home teacher is told that the families records had been moved. The home teacher looks at the member accessible directory or maps application and calls back to say that the family is still listed and the clerk didn't do what he said he had. Sometimes they are using a smartphone app and we remind them that their local copy of the database is only updated when they tell the smartphone app to fetch a new copy of the database but sometimes that does not work because the database that supports the web based access and smartphone apps has not yet been updated.

Technology is wonderful when it works the way we think it should.
Regards,

Ed Gowen
--------------------------------
Edward J Gowen Jr
Macon Georgia Stake Clerk
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aebrown
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#4

Post by aebrown »

egowen wrote:I guess my question was not quite as clear as I intended. I've noticed that using the web interface to update a member's address is not sufficient to cause their records to be moved from the ward even when the change in address put the family way outside the ward boundaries.

There is no way to update a member's address using the Maps website. I think you're assuming that changing the household marker's position somehow changes the address. That is not the case. Placing the marker is simply the way that you help make the geocoding of the address more precise. It does not change the address.
egowen wrote:Updating the family location in MLS under the Move Out link seems to be the only mechanism that moves families from one ward to another.

That's correct. After all, it is possible for a household to be outside your ward boundaries and still have records in your ward (this is completely within policy for moves that are shorter than 3 months, and can be for even longer moves with appropriate permission -- but that's another topic). So the fact that a household is outside your ward boundaries does not necessarily imply a move of records.
egowen wrote:Once that is accomplished and a Send/Receive operation is completed, the records are removed from the losing ward's MLS. The web based Tools / Leader Resources / Membership / Member List (Only available to ward leadership) is updated quite quickly but the Tools / Directory and Tools / Maps does not get updated at all quickly.

That's not my experience. The Directory gets updated very quickly -- I don't know precisely how fast, but it's much quicker than a day. I'm guessing it's a matter of a few hours or even quicker. I do know that the speed of the move depends on the specificity of the data that is supplied -- if you are pushing records out, the accuracy of the description of the new address and new ward makes a big difference, and if you are pulling records in, then the accuracy of identifying the person (supplying birth date, full name, and even MRN) also makes a difference. I don't look at the Maps nearly as often as the Directory, so I can't comment on that with as much confidence.
egowen wrote: I'd like to know is how frequently the member accessible directory and maps databases are updated based on changes to MLS.

We have had the following scenario several times. A diligent home teacher reports one of his families has moved and provides the new address. The MLS move out operation is completed and the home teacher is told that the families records had been moved. The home teacher looks at the member accessible directory or maps application and calls back to say that the family is still listed and the clerk didn't do what he said he had. Sometimes they are using a smartphone app and we remind them that their local copy of the database is only updated when they tell the smartphone app to fetch a new copy of the database but sometimes that does not work because the database that supports the web based access and smartphone apps has not yet been updated.

The scenario of the LDS Tools app on a mobile device seems much more likely to lead to out of date data than the online Directory. If the user doesn't do a manual update, then the data could easily be stale. And I thought that the webservices that populate the data were updated just as fast as the Directory, but I'm not certain of that.
egowen wrote:Technology is wonderful when it works the way we think it should.

Well said. Sometimes are expectations are the problem, and sometimes it's the technology.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
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egowen
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#5

Post by egowen »

aebrown wrote:There is no way to update a member's address using the Maps website. I think you're assuming that changing the household marker's position somehow changes the address. That is not the case. Placing the marker is simply the way that you help make the geocoding of the address more precise. It does not change the address.

While I agree that you can't change a member's address through the maps application itself, leaders can certainly change a member's address through Tools / Leader Resources / Membership / Member List / select a member / Edit / make the changes / Save. This seems to immediately update the membership database and is reflected in MLS as soon as a Send/Receive is done on the local unit computer.
aebrown wrote:That's not my experience. The Directory gets updated very quickly -- I don't know precisely how fast, but it's much quicker than a day. I'm guessing it's a matter of a few hours or even quicker. I do know that the speed of the move depends on the specificity of the data that is supplied -- if you are pushing records out, the accuracy of the description of the new address and new ward makes a big difference, and if you are pulling records in, then the accuracy of identifying the person (supplying birth date, full name, and even MRN) also makes a difference. I don't look at the Maps nearly as often as the Directory, so I can't comment on that with as much confidence.
I initiated a household move out using MLS around 3:00 PM this evening, specifying the new address, new ward and new stake. I then did a send/receive and the records were gone from our MLS. I quickly checked and the records were gone from the Tools / Leader Resources / Membership ... but even eight hours later the household is still in Tools / Directory and Tools / Maps. It looks like Tools / Directory and Tools / Maps use the same database while Tools / Leader Resources / Membership goes to a database that is updated in near real-time.
Regards,

Ed Gowen
--------------------------------
Edward J Gowen Jr
Macon Georgia Stake Clerk
davesudweeks
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#6

Post by davesudweeks »

I normally see a 1-2 day lag with the mapping function for Record moves. In other words, if I move records out in MLS on Sunday, they usually continue to show on LDS/Maps until Tuesday. The converse is true. If I receive records in MLS on Sunday, they show in the directory a day or two before they show on the Map.

I never thought of it as a "problem," just as a function of the different applications and how they work.
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