New Scouting App Released
 

Hey all, just a heads up. Team 2410 just released a brand new scouting app for this year's game. It can be found here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...51bGwsMSwyLDNd

Currently it is in Beta testing. It only works in off line mode, but we plan on having it set up to run online via Bluetooth before the first regionals. Additionally, we will release the source code on our website, so that anyone who wants to modify it can do so freely. The programmer on the team in charge of the project has done an amazing job, so please let him know! We also appreciate feedback or notification any problems you encounter while using it.

Backstory:
Since we were tired of pencil and paper scouting systems, we came up with the basic parameters for an app that would make scouting easier. We decided that we wanted all the data stored on a central computer, and that scouting should be done through android devices connected to the central computer via Bluetooth. Once the game was released, we started designing and coding.

Enjoy!

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

This scouting app looks AWESOME! Exactly how would the online scouting work? Would you be able to collaborate results with your team, or would it be public to everyone? Will there be a way to rank teams based on how well they do in their matches?
Thanks again for posting this! This is exaclty the kind of thing I was hoping for!:)

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Looks very nice! I will download and play with it now. Is there a possibility in the future for a central stats database? I don't know if that would be worth the time invested, but it could be something to consider.

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

I am sitting here with our dev, Austin.

Online scouting is set up by setting up a central computer with a desktop app. Then the devices connect through Bluetooth to upload stats and data. The data is compiled on this computer and be pushed out as needed.

There will not be a central database. Basically, it is up to each team to set up their own database. We will release code for the desktop app on our website at a later date. Basically what we intend is for each team to modify it for their own use.

As I said before, we will be releasing all code eventually. From that point, we encourage each team to modify the app as they see fit to fit their purposes.

If you have any other questions regarding the app, please contact atcosner@gmail.com

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Thank you both for the positive reviews! The Scouting Server over Bluetooth that we are developing will allow your team to create a database to store all of your results and will have tools to sort the results based on a variety of factors! Unfortunately a central database for all of the FIRST teams is a little bit outside of the scope of our resources.

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Could it work something like Google Drive or something? Basically each team could make a scouting account, and multiple scouts could update it as soon as they can? Plus, lots of people will have phones and tablets with 3G/4G, so they could connect to each other with that..? Just an idea, but it'd be cool to see it happen :)

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

I understand that you will be releasing source code in the near future... can you tell us what tools were used to build the app and database, language used, etc. Also any possibility of it working on iPhone as well as Android? [Personally I prefer Android as do most of our mentors, but many more of our students have iPhones].

Thanks for doing this... hopefully it will help MANY teams out there.

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

I used the default Android SDK, which uses Eclipse as its default editor, to program the app and design the layouts. Android apps are written in JAVA, so that is what I used to code the App. The Bluetooth Server Application will also be coded in JAVA. The database will be created on the Bluetooth Server and it will be an SQLite database, which supports standard SQL queries. Unfortunately I do not know Objective C which is what iPhone Apps are coded in and no one else on the team knows either so as for our team we will not be releasing an iPhone Client.

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Yeah, this idea has been suggested by our team members as well as our mentors. I like the Idea, and I would be able to implement it, but there are quite a few other features that take precedence over this, but I have included it on the list of priorities and I will implement it if I have time. Thank You for the suggestion!

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

This is awesome!! I will DEFINITELY forward this to our other Android users here at 3753 :D

Some questions:
-Are there any plans for an iPhone version? EDIT: nevermind, just read that
-I actually have NEVER used bluetooth.. so.. what do I need to do to set up my computer as the central computer for data?

Some feedback:
-Add a section for Autonomous scoring (Whether they went for the 1, 2, or 3 pt goal, how many they shot, how many they scored, and Autononomous points scored. Don't forget some teams might shoot more than 3 frisbees in Autonomous, and some teams might do more than just shoot. Might want an Autonomous section in the comments too.)
-The whole thing is kinda expanded, but I think it could be smaller. For example, when Scoring is marked as "Cannot score", HIDE the Can Score On section. (same for climbing). Dropdowns and Show/Hide Section buttons.
-Split Penalties up into Team and Alliance

Later today I'll post a picture of how you might be able to update it

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Thank You for the UI Suggestions, I will see what I can do on the Added Fields and I will definitely add sections for Team/Alliance Penalties, Thank You!

To get Bluetooth Working on Your computer you will need Built in Bluetooth or An External Bluetooth Module, other than that you should be able to run the Bluetooth Server without a problem.

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

I've actually been working on my own implementation of a scouting app. I had a working app last year, but it was thrown together last minute, so it could only be used by my team. I'm working on making it usable by other teams, and updating it for this year.

I like the bluetooth idea a lot, it hadn't even crossed my mind. Mine interfaces with a custom webpage on our team's server, and utilizes the SQL database on the server for data storage, but as such, the app requires an internet connection.

I plan on releasing mine sometime soon (probably not in time for this year's game), including the php source and a script to generate the database tables needed.

I'm open to any idea-sharing though, I like the bluetooth idea, and I'm still working on data presentation functionality.


Good on ya!

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Yeah, our original idea was to use WiFi and the internet, but we read a rule that restricted wireless communication in the stands, so we found Bluetooth as an acceptable solution, but I was considering interfacing with our teams database to create a publicly available database of everybody's scouts.

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Another thing to take into account everybody:

Since the app and its source code will be released, other people can play around with various ways to implement it. Our hope is that it is not merely a 1 year app, and that people can continue to build on the platform we set up for years to come...

Re: New Scouting App Released
 

Heres the paper i mentioned in an earlier post.
I tried to add a few things and several new features that would help in my opinion. Sorry for sloppy hand-writing and what not. Hope this helps yall :) Thank you for the free app!