Two years ago, we introduced The Purple Warehouse, FRC’s first-ever collaborative scouting app and analyzer where teams could scout, share, and access data alongside other teams at every competition. We were so excited that so many of you joined us to share data with each other, with over 250 teams contributing so far. By scouting collaboratively, we were able to give access to rich scouting data and insightful analysis to teams who otherwise would not be able to scout as much. Due to the large size of our data lake, we were also able to implement an accuracy score for each scouting entry, enabling better strategy and analysis tools.
After kickoff, we released an updated version of our scouting interface for Reefscape to our scouting community in under 24 hours, and we can’t wait for you to share your data with us! A prototype version is live at thepurplewarehouse.com so that we can get your input and feedback before competitions start (join our Discord server to get an access token for your team and to share your suggestions with us).
Two seasons ago, we also implemented basic gamification with Nuts, Bolts, and XP awarded to scouters based on both the quantity and accuracy of their scouted matches. Although there were no updates on these features last year, we have many exciting additions to this coming this year, including a leaderboard so scouters can compete for top positions, and a shop for scouters to finally use their hard earned resources after waiting for so long. More information on these features will be shared as they are released, and any suggestions on these features are always welcome in our discord server.
For this year, we have also completely revamped our interface, creating an all new experience for scouters. Screenshots of this year’s scouting interface are shown here:
Question regarding getting access to this - can someone get a token without joining Discord? In accordance with our team/district and YPP policies we do not explicitly ask any mentor or students to join FRC related Discords.
Does just one person from the team need to be there to get a token that can be used by multiple team members?
Good question! The same access token can be used by all members of the team, so only one request for an access token is necessary. Our Discord server was independently evaluated for adherence to YPP policies, but teams who prefer not to use Discord can also get an access token through the contact email listed on the website: [email protected]. Ongoing updates about the app are primarily sent through Discord so it can be beneficial for someone from the team to join, but it’s definitely not a required part of using the app.
Thanks for your consideration of this! I’ll pass it onto our team.
@kabir one additional question - does this support an “offline mode” for scouting at events without wifi or hotspots? Our current system uses a series of QR codes to gather data each match from each scouter within a locally stored database at events on a laptop. Wondering if something similar can be used here.
@Akash_Rastogi@D_Price Once the scouting page has been loaded on scouter devices, it should continue to work without a connection. Scouters can use the QR code feature to upload the data through someone connected to the venue wifi in between matches, or they can use the copy data option at the end of each match to save the data to a notepad which can be individually uploaded later (either on the venue wifi or on hotel wifi). Both of these additional upload methods (QR code scanner and data from a notepad) can be found on the Upload Data page of the app.
