The FOM Sync App
A summary of uses and brief how-to guide for installing the latest FOM app.
What is the FOM Sync App?
The FOM Sync App is a tool IAATO members can use to download the IAATO Field Operations Manual (FOM) to their computers and electronically access the most up to date files. The FOM Sync App v4.1.2 allows users to search the FOM for specific documents and/or content within a document. If at any time during the year a new document is added to the FOM, sync the App and the new document will download automatically. After the initial download the App will only download new documents, not the entire FOM.
The initial sync of the FOM Sync App should take about 5 minutes over a strong stable internet connection. The total space needed for storage is about 790mb.
Please note: This is not to be confused with the IAATO Polar Guide App which is available for iOS and Android Platforms, and only contains publicly available documents.
How to Download the App
The latest version (v4.1.2) of the FOM Sync app is available for download below. If you already have the FOM Sync App on your computer, ‘Sync’ the app to retrieve the most up to date documents.
**If you are running v3 of the FOM Sync App (downloaded prior to Aug 2020), please delete before downloading v4.
It is recommended that you use a computer running on Windows 10 or macOS 10.15 Catalina or higher. Any operating systems running on older versions or versions no longer supported by Windows or Apple may have issues downloading or installing the app.
Download the 2024-25 season IAATO FOM Sync v4.1.2 app:
To install a new version of the FOM Sync app, please follow the instructions below:
- Download the Windows or Apple Mac FOM Sync app file using one of the links above.
- Extract the ZIP file in the Downloads folder.
- Drag and drop or copy and paste the extracted file into a different folder or to a USB flash drive.
Note for Mac users:
- If you get an Initialization Error warning when starting, close the app and copy FOMSync.MAC to a different folder. For example, move the app to the folder ‘Documents.’
- If you get a “FOMSync.MAC” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software warning, right click the app and select ‘Open.’
Note for Windows users: if after download and when launching the app you get a warning that it doesn’t have a valid digital signature, please follow the steps below:
- Right click on the file or program that you are not able to access
- Go to properties and click “Unblock”
- Try to run the application again
If you have any issues downloading the FOM Sync App please email: operations@iaato.org
How to use the FOM Sync App
Here are some tips to make navigating and searching the FOM a bit easier:
- The search bar allows you to search the FOM by the title of a document or by the contents within a document. You can change how you search by changing the drop down to the left of the search bar at the top of the app.
- To search multiple words such as Half Moon, use quotation marks in the search ex., “Half Moon”.
- You may also use an asterisk as a wildcard, for example guide* will return results that include “Guide” or “Guidelines”
- Sync the app periodically to have all new and updated documents by clicking the Sync button in the top left corner of the app.
- Click the ‘+’ button next to a document title to see translations, related documents, and/or a brief description of the document.