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.
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!
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.
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 [email protected]
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
This is awesome!! I will DEFINITELY forward this to our other Android users here at 3753
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
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.
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.
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.
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…
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!
WOW We are really considering using this! Great work!
I second the autonomous section that would really make this perfect. We heavily use autonomous data to make our selection it is very important to our team.
To make things a little more intuitive, you might want to change the goal scoring from being on/off switches and instead make buttons of 1, 2, 3 and 5 that can be tapped and then display the number of taps next to it. Then you could add those scores together automatically with the climbing points.
Also, it might not hurt to include a section on shots missed.
I will use my B-level of java knowledge (and below average android sdk knowledge) to poke through the code when/if it’s released.
It’s a great idea, one that I never had the time to develop while a member of a team and now have even less time as a college student. Thanks!
Today, I caught up with several of the ongoing threads related to scouting, specifically tablet scouting systems. Last year, FIRST Team 1073 created on a system for scouting that uses Android tablets and a central data processing application written in Python. It appears to be similar in concept to what FIRST Team 2410 is doing. And, in the spirit of open collaboration, we’d like to put the system out there for other teams to look at and see if it has usefulness for them. All of the source code is open sourced through GitHub, though at the moment enhancements for this year are still being actively developed.
We do realize that the teams who have already invested in a tablet solution probably have a particular attachment to that system and are not likely to consider something different. But, it would be very cool if we could work together on ways that our systems could potentially interoperate and share data. Please PM me if you are interested in getting something going. Additionally, FIRST Team 1073 is going to be trying out a “cloud based” version of our central application this year so that all team members can access our data at comp through a smartphone or 3G tablet. We’re always trying to find different ways to keep everyone informed and engaged throughout the competition events, and this cloud model is something different for us.
If you are a team evaluating a tablet solution, send me a note and I will respond with more detailed information. I initially had the details in this post but it got way too long…Here are links to the current version of our team’s pit and match scouting applications. You should be able to click on each link from a browser on the Android tablet and the package should get installed. The only requirement is that the tablet be running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
Thank You for the offer! It would be cool to see a iPhone client developed! I am planning on releasing the code on February 19th. If your programmers are interested, feel free to email me at [email protected], and I can give you the code so your programmers can start! Thank You for the interest in helping!
