Questions: Scouting App or Other Scouting System

[Ben Martin]

Back when I was on 234 back in '07 and '08, we actually started using Excel on Pocket PC's -- wow, times have changed.

Here is what 225 does right now:

What language do you program your scouting app in?

Java for an Android app, Node.js for a web app

If I need to learn this language, how hard would it be to do using internet guides?

Not the expert on this one (as I didn't write the system), but if you're curious, I can point you toward the guy who did.

What is your scouting app capable of doing?

- Very customizable -- it's really easy to add fields between events or to adapt the app to a different game
- Graphs of different fields
- Pit scouting, including pictures
- Raw and consolidated data views
- Event management and version management controls

An Android app does the data collection, then the data is transferred to a master tablet or phone via bluetooth. The master tablet or phone uses a cell signal to send information to our server, which hosts the web app. To view the data, we use cell signals (or if available, WiFi connections) in the pits to access the web app on our personal phones.

What game day advantages does your app lend you?

Instantaneous viewing of match data, other standard advantages of collecting scouting data.

How much human interaction (or data monkeying) is required?

If we scout an off-season event, some interaction is required. Normally, the match list is populated automatically, but if it isn't in the FIRST/TBA, we sometimes need to do it manually.

How long did it take to build the first product of your app?

Since most of it is already done, we'll just be making upgrades. It's never done, though. Everything is always being improved and iterated on.

There were 3 to 4 months worth of work from project start to the completion of the first iteration.

Is 1 programmer capable of doing this app by himself?

Yep

Any other information I should know about your app?

PM me if you have more questions. I have a lot of experience with CB 234 scouting, at least through 2013.

Any other successful scouting systems out there that don't require an app?

I've always been a fan of the one-cardstock-sheet-per-team method as a low-cost, low-effort option. There are quite a few of them out there. We ran that the previous two years. The problem with this option, though, is it can be hard to fit everything on one piece of paper if you want to collect a lot of data (especially if you're collecting where they pick up game pieces, where they release game pieces, etc in each match with a field map)