Building a custom mobile app to streamline data collection

At Vanguard Assessments proper lighting is an expected and imperative feature for the many buildings and facilities the people use each day. To ensure that the lighting is up to code, audits are required to be completed. This gives the organizations vital feedback in maintaining their lighting.

These audits require ambient lighting status, then for each point of interest GPS location, lighting reading (lux or foot candle), and any notes of interest. A lot of equipment is required for doing these audits.

After the audit is complete a report must be generated with the data collected.

Main Challenges


A lot of equipment is required for completing the audits:
  1. GPS unit
  2. Light meter
  3. Clipboard
  4. Flashlights

Audits must be done at night, and take a lot of time to complete
  1. Dealing with clipboards and flashlights to get data written down can be a hassle

Reports must be compiled with all the data collected, adding an investment of time

This in effect doubles the time that it takes to complete an audit.


Sharing reports can be challenging

This usually looked like printing multiple pages and handing them off as needed.

The Fix

Almost everyone is carrying a computer in their pockets these days. These computers also have GPS capabilities. So it was decided to create an app that would minimize the need to carry so many things into the audit.

GPS support on mobile devices is good enough to get the location of an audit point, so we could remove the GPS unit from the auditors load-out. However, phones, don’t usually have good enough light meters to be used for this purpose, so we had to keep that.

Using a data entry form within the app we could remove the need to carry a clipboard as well. This greatly helps with the cumbersome nature of what was needed in the field.

This data entry from is able to update the website portion of the application suite. This generates the report in real time, making the only time needed to spend on the audit is field work.

Sharing links can be created and shared for the report. This makes it simple to get to everyone that needs to see the report.

The Benefits


Time savings

No longer required to generate the report from data on a clipboard


Accuracy

No need to fumble with a flashlight while writing data on the clipboard


Less to carry for an audit

Overall easier for the auditing technician


Simpler audit sharing

Now only a link is required to be emailed out to other persons of interest


Better overall audit insight

Audits are easily reviewed and historical data can be aggregated