Scouting using tablets

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Ed Law

We are going to 6 tablets this year after 4 years of paper scouting and one laptop entering data in the stand.

Here are the pros and cons of using tablets.

Pro:
1) Error checking can be built into the program
2) Save money and trees not having to make so many scouting sheets each year
3) Do not have to decipher bad handwriting
4) Eliminate error in entering wrong team number, match number etc.
5) Faster transmission of scouting data to drive coach
6) Easier to do pit scouting and transmitting data
7) More fun when collecting data

Con:
1) Initial cost of 6 tablets
2) Expensive to replace if somebody drops it
3) Effort and knowledge needed to develop the app

I think the advantage is worth the cost as long as you are making full use of the potential of using tablets. We do not like to rely on internet access to do our scouting. Good luck to your scouting team this year.

Very good points. Will you be developing (or have you already developed) your own scouting system?

[Ed Law]

Originally Posted by dcarr

Very good points. Will you be developing (or have you already developed) your own scouting system?

We are in the process of developing our own. I have looked at other team's but there isn't one available that fits the way we do scouting.

[hiyou102]

I made an app for Android for scouting that can be found here: http://goo.gl/6gKom

It uses Google Fusion Tables to send data from the device to the web. It's in beta right now and should be done by build season. When the game is unveiled it will update it to send the necessary fields. I strongly recommend that you try it out before build season to see if it's right for you. If you would like for me to add a feature or change something contact me at the developers email address listed.

[dellagd]

Our team is currently working to port our completely live laptop based scouting system to tablets, mostly for increasing the portability overall by getting rid of wired connections and just by using tablets.

If going tablets though, I agree, do not rely on the internet, so you would probably have to implement a bluetooth network of some sort.

[Ed Law]

Originally Posted by dellagd

Our team is currently working to port our completely live laptop based scouting system to tablets, mostly for increasing the portability overall by getting rid of wired connections and just by using tablets.

If going tablets though, I agree, do not rely on the internet, so you would probably have to implement a bluetooth network of some sort.

Yes we use bluetooth. The tablets do not need to be all on a network. We have a master tablet and all other tablets transmit data to the master tablet through bluetooth after each match one at a time. The other tablets do not "talk" to each other. The master tablet then transmit data to a laptop whenever it is close by. The data is used in an Excel spreadsheet by coach and drive coach. The Android app is currently being developed by a student on the team.

We like tablets over laptops because tablets can last a whole day without charging but laptops need to be plugged in.

We do not want to rely on the internet because some venues do not get 3G connections.

We considered using Android phone but the screen is too small. You can make it work but it will limit how you scout.

[karomata]

FRC 1511 has been considering using tablets for a scouting system this year, in previous years we used 2 car batteries to power laptops for the entire competition. The largest difficutly we are facing with tablets in the price, power usage without large power source, and how it networks. But another gain to scouting using tablets is that it is easier for the scouters to move around and get better views if nessesary, though a new Ipad mini can go for $300, which not many teams can afford to buy 6 or 7 of.

[F22Rapture]

Originally Posted by karomata

FRC 1511 has been considering using tablets for a scouting system this year, in previous years we used 2 car batteries to power laptops for the entire competition. The largest difficutly we are facing with tablets in the price, power usage without large power source, and how it networks. But another gain to scouting using tablets is that it is easier for the scouters to move around and get better views if nessesary, though a new Ipad mini can go for $300, which not many teams can afford to buy 6 or 7 of.

I would recommend the Nexus 7 over the iPad mini for this situation. It's $100 cheaper, doesn't require a mac to develop apps for, uses cheap generic USB chargers and has multi-user support, which are all (especially the price) desirable features when it comes to FIRST teams.

[chmconkling]

Originally Posted by hiyou102

I made an app for Android for scouting that can be found here: http://goo.gl/6gKom

It uses Google Fusion Tables to send data from the device to the web. It's in beta right now and should be done by build season. When the game is unveiled it will update it to send the necessary fields. I strongly recommend that you try it out before build season to see if it's right for you. If you would like for me to add a feature or change something contact me at the developers email address listed.

i will really check this out!! we were looking at using android tablets!!

[hiyou102]

Originally Posted by chmconkling

i will really check this out!! we were looking at using android tablets!!

I would like to mention that you don't need necessarily tablets for scouting. We are planning to use the Android phones that members on our team already have.

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by hiyou102

I would like to mention that you don't need necessarily tablets for scouting. We are planning to use the Android phones that members on our team already have.

Phones also have their own data connections, which (in most venues) negates the need to worry about a bluetooth/wifi network for scouting. Of course tablets with built in 3G/4G work too but are more costly.

[Dale]

We've used 3G iPads for the last two years for all,of our scouting. Six in the stands and one for the drive coach. Our code is written in PHP and JavaScript and served up,on a we page hosted back at our school. Data is stored in a MySQL database.

Some things we've learned:
1) Never assume your 3G connection will work all the time. The data services can get horribly congested at big venues, especially at championships. You need a system that can deal with its Internet connection being gone for many minutes before reconnecting. AT&T died completely at champs last year as far as data was concerned. We were fine because our iPads just stored up their data and delivered it outside but we would have been hosed otherwise.

2) Previous rules don't allow WiFi in the stands. I assume that rule will continue.

3) Bluetooth isn't designed for a network, just device to device as best we can tell. If someone figures out how to get six iPads connected via Bluetooth to a single router or computer I'd love to hear more about it.

[Tom Line]

Dale, look up "PAN", or Personal Area Network. It's method of connecting multiple devices (including computers) using bluetooth and may fit your needs. It's built into newer versions of windows.

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

Dale, look up "PAN", or Personal Area Network. It's method of connecting multiple devices (including computers) using bluetooth and may fit your needs. It's built into newer versions of windows.

Unless it's supported on iOS or Android, I'm not sure it would help a ton in this scenario...unless you are using Windows 8 tablets (ha!). As far as I know, Bluetooth PAN functionality is limited to tethering on Android, and even that requires third-party apps.

[Mr. Mike]

Our team went paperless last year. It is defiantly the way to go. The biggest challenge is power for your devices. Each venue is different. A mentor and student leader must approach the proper venue staff and the FTA to make sure everyone is ok with the setup.

Dale,

How did the batteries in the IPads hold up. We were using laptops last year.

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Mr. Mike

Our team went paperless last year. It is defiantly the way to go. The biggest challenge is power for your devices. Each venue is different. A mentor and student leader must approach the proper venue staff and the FTA to make sure everyone is ok with the setup.

Dale,

How did the batteries in the IPads hold up. We were using laptops last year.

If your rely on nothing other than 3G/4G connections, why would the FTA need to be asked? If the system uses any WiFi access point, I think we already know that's prohibited.

I'm hoping that with 9 hour+ battery life, tablets would be able to do the job (perhaps with a top-off over lunch).