In our previous article, Moving to a Paperless Construction Site with Mobile Applications, we discussed how using mobile applications brings data integrity and real-time visibility to construction projects. Mobile apps running on smartphones and tablets display the latest information to field users and project managers, eliminating the delay between material status updates and the flow of information into the system.
The reality of most construction projects is that they operate in areas with limited network availability. Even when wireless networks are available, there is often the dreaded dead zones which cause the Internet connection to be intermittent. On the jobsite, it is critical that workers have reliable access to the most up-to-date information. Without Internet coverage, standard mobile and web applications cannot function properly. To solve this problem, Intelliwave has developed a seamless online/offline solution to meet the demands of the construction site.
The Initial Setup
When the SiteSense® Mobile App executes for the first time, it checks user permissions then loads data into a secure local database. After the initial setup, the application can be used with or without an internet connection.
Online/Offline App
SiteSense® mobile applications are developed with seamless online/offline modes. Workers can look up material status, locate materials and enter data in the field when internet connectivity is slow, intermittent or non-existent. When a connection is re-established, SiteSense® automatically updates any information that has changed.
Background Sync
In order to facilitate real-time access, SiteSense® mobile apps perform a smooth synchronization in the background to reconcile the updates with the SiteSense®Cloud application. This ensures workers always have the most up-to-date information.
Online Mode
When connected to the Internet, the mobile app interacts directly with cloud services for optimized performance. The mobile app also has extended functionality that can be used in online mode.
Offline Mode
When the device is disconnected, the app seamlessly switches to the local database so users can continue to work without interruption. As soon as the Internet connection is back, any new data re-syncs to the server automatically in the background without any user interaction.
Conflict Resolution
Data can be in conflict if it has been changed by more than one user between synchronizations. Letting users edit content from different devices and applications may cause conflicts which need to be resolved. SiteSense® applications have been optimized to intelligently update conflicting data retaining the most important and current data in the system.
The SiteSense® cloud architecture is designed specifically to prevent any data loss while maintaining the latest project information.
The SiteSense® Benefit
SiteSense® online/offline mobile applications remove the impediments of connectivity dependence from the jobsites and allow workers to perform their daily operation without being interrupted. Searching for materials, attaching documents or locating parts on a map are no longer limited by the devices Internet connection.
SiteSense® brings real-time mobility to material management systems. By seamlessly switching between online and offline modes and constantly synchronising data in the background, SiteSense® mobile apps add flexibility and improve productivity on the construction site.
Contact Intelliwave today to learn more about our construction applications.