AR/GNSS/RTK map enrichment system
Two native Android apps for smart utilities field work — AR scouting on a regular phone, and precision mapping with external Bluetooth GNSS + RTK at ±1 cm accuracy. Fully offline.
The problem
When field teams map critical infrastructure with paper forms and failing apps — efficiency dies.
- 2× longer data collection
- Error-prone manual measurement
- Apps crashing and losing data
- No offline in remote areas
The starting point
Manual process
- Data errors
- No verification
In-house app
- App crashes
- Data lost silently
Either way, team productivity stuck.
The solution
App 1 — AR scouting
- 100% offline
- No specialist hardware
App 2 — Precision mapping
- External Bluetooth GNSS + RTK correction
- ±1 cm accuracy
- Fully offline
Key decisions
1. Native Android only
ARCore, Bluetooth GNSS, battery optimization — all require platform-level access cross-platform frameworks can't provide. Exactly what killed the previous app.
2. Offline-first architecture
Every write happens locally first. Async, resumable sync. The old app sent full sessions as single packets — they timed out. Ours works on 2G.
3. Fraud prevention by design
Sequential steps, GPS timestamps, locked photo metadata. Structurally impossible to skip work — protects honest workers, catches bad actors.
Results
- 2× faster data collection
- ±1 cm precision
- 100% offline operation
Technical achievements
- Dev cost ~3× lower than in-house
- Data loss and fraud: eliminated
- GNSS + RTK hardware integration: successful
- Multi-app chaos → single stable native solution
- Deployed on deadline — within the seasonal window
Key lessons
- Offline-first is not optional for field work
- AR + GNSS integration requires native development
- Technology choices create business outcomes