What’s new
ODK Central v2025.4 releases more capabilities around Maps!
Map views for Entities
In addition to viewing Submissions on a map, you can now view Entities! Entities are mapped using their geometry property, if one exists.
Newsletter opt-in
New Web Users now see an optional newsletter signup on first-time login, making it easy to get updates on new features and improvements. Existing users who aren’t subscribed may see a one-time prompt after upgrading. Now you can easily stay informed about what’s new in ODK.
Web Forms
Maps and placement maps
You can now use geopoint questions with map and placement-map appearances. If your workflow relies on data collectors navigating or referencing a map, this feature is now fully supported. We’d love to hear how it works for your team.
Editing submissions with geo questions
Project Managers can now edit submissions that include geo questions, using the placement map to adjust or correct any location-related responses.
Events and Actions
Forms can now run certain calculations at helpful moments, like when a user opens a form, adds a repeat group, or changes an answer. Spec: https://getodk.github.io/xforms-spec/#actions
Preload
Use jr:preload attributes to preload fields with useful information, such as the device ID, start and end times, or details about the user. Spec: https://getodk.github.io/xforms-spec/#preload-attributes
How to get these improvements?
If you are using Central on ODK Cloud, we'll be rolling out these updates in the coming days. If you are self-hosting Central, follow the upgrade instructions.
See the Central installation documentation for information on configuring external storage.
What’s next
In our next release, you’ll be able to delete Entity Lists and Properties, giving you more control over your data and making Entity management even simpler. We’re also adding support for geotrace and geotrace question types in Web Forms, expanding the ways you can capture and work with location data.
For our overall roadmap, please check out See getodk.org/roadmap.