AngularJS for a responsive web app

One doesn’t need to look far to realize that smartphones have quickly become the defacto way that many people access the Internet. For a growing number of people, it’s the only way that they interact with the web.
The growth is astounding.

• In 2013, mobile data traffic grew by 81%!
• 91% of the people on this planet now have a cell phone.
• 56% of those cell phones are smartphones
• 50% of smartphone users using their phone as their primary means to access the web.

The problem is, most web sites, designed before the (latest) explosion in mobile (like, say, 18-months ago!), look fine on a desktop but do not present in an optimal way on a mobile device. While many sites have a “mobile version” available, they tend only to be accessible to visitors who are willing to squint and jab at miniscule hyperlinks and, once-accessed, they often lack much of the content and functionality of the main sites.

Most of the application development projects that we have been involved in over the past year have had a requirement that the application run on a mobile device. The native apps tend to be easier with regard the predictability of how the interface will appear and function when deployed to a mobile device.

Applications that need to run equally as well on both desktop and mobile browsers can provide a few more puzzles concerning their predictability.

One way we’ve met this challenge is through the use of AngularJS, an open-source Javasript MVC framework. Angular allows us to create rich and responsive internet applications for both desktop and mobile environments with the same codebase.

One of our lead developers, Alex, has been a huge proponent of Angular.  When asked to share some of the biggest reasons why he likes to use it, Alex says: “AngularJS allows us to essentially create rich applications that run in the browser. Similar to a smart phone application, once the application is loaded in the browser, the user interactions are very fluid and responsive. The quality of applications are similar to what we used to create with Silverlight or Flash, except that Angular applications can be run in any HTML5 compliant browser, including mobile browsers.”

Some other notes about Angular —

• It’s open-source, but it is also maintained and backed by Google, suggesting a certain degree of support, community size and activity, which are important considerations for selecting open source frameworks.
• The MVC framework allows us to easily unit test the business logic of the application by writing tests against the controllers and models. Having unit test allows us to have shorter release cycles with higher quality code.

As a result of our use of AngularJS, we have been able to deliver high-quality web applications to our clients that meet the needs of an ever-increasing mobile audience.

If your company has a web presence, you need to ensure that you can reach the large number of users out there who are surfing the web on their mobile devices. Contact us. We can help!

An update on what's going on around here

Happy Spring!
I know, I know… it’s been Spring for almost a week now, but we’ve been really busy!

We have a lot going on;

• we’re working with the City of Portland’s Public School Administration to develop a GIS platform in order to extend location intelligence across business lines, with the initial focus on mapping out safe walking and biking routes to each of their 64 elementary and middle schools,
• we’re helping the Idaho Department of Transportation evaluate the best software for their specific needs,
• we just kicked off a two-year project with Seattle City Light to provide Strategic planning and ongoing support services in order to fully integrate location intelligence capabilities into the workflows, analysis, and reporting needs of this major electrical utility serving Seattle,
• we’re in the process of configuring our Performance Atlas web application to meet the needs of Etisalat, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies; when we’re finished, we will have provided the Etisalat team with a hosted solution that will increase their location intelligence related to performance across sales, marketing and facility planning business lines,
• we’ve almost wrapped up a project to provide Pike Energy with location intelligence capabilities integrating centrally-managed data, web-tools for project planning and management, and mobile data collection in disconnected scenarios,
• we just wrapped up a project with Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to assess the best way to bring the popular hunting and shooting ranges map to mobile devices,
• we also just wrapped up a project where we configured a web application to provide a client with a hosted solution providing web access to college campus, floor-by-floor, viewing and updating of facility conditions and assets,
• and of course, we continue to provide hosting services to many happy clients!

Just because we have a lot going on doesn’t mean that we’re too busy to talk to you. If you are in need of some GIS consulting, or need a web application for your GIS data, or need a home for your GIS data – or just want to talk – please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here!

Mobile asset management

We’ve recently completed Phase 1 of a project with Pike Energy to build a mobile asset management tool.
Phase 1 saw us develop an app for the iPad that allows workers in the field to enter asset information related to the utility poles that they are responsible for. In the past, these workers collected the information on a paper form, and then, upon returning to their office, would enter the information into spreadsheets which lacked any integrated map view of field assets. Once this project is complete, field crew members will use iPads to directly record their observations and sync them to a centralized database we’re hosting for Pike. In addition to capturing details about the condition and attributes of assets, field workers will even have the ability to take and attach photographs to each pole’s record. Of course, all collected data will be map-based, so there will be strong support for an efficient QA process in which office personnel may easily navigate to particular project areas and features and review, correct, flag, or approve the data submitted from the field while viewing it in its spatial context.

Phase 2 of the the project is now well under way and expected to be complete within the month. In this phase we are configuring web-based data management tools that will allow project directors to see the information that the field workers are collecting as well as to define and assign project areas and related assets to individual members of the field team. This administrative application will allow managers to quickly develop map “packets” that the field workers will sync to their iPads based on their login credentials. Each “packet” contains a map of the area the worker will be operating in, as well as all of the assets they will be collecting information on. Storing project data locally allows field crews to access and edit data with or without WiFi connectivity.  Once the information has been collected, the “packets” are synced to the administrative application so that management can see, review, and share that information.

This tool will help Pike complete field assessment work with a new level of efficiency and accuracy and it is providing a valuable means to integrate and standardize asset data in support of both internal and customer needs.  We are pleased to be a partner in helping Pike realize these major operational improvements and new competitive advantages.