Web, iOS and Andriod Applications

Adept Developer has been the software development partner for BirdNest Services since 2002. BirdNest provides a cloud-based mobile data collection platform for a multitude of industries but primarily in the US Water and Waste Water industries.

Technologies Used

  • ColdFusion
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • jQuery
  • jQuery UI
  • iOS / xCode
  • Android / Java

BirdNest Mobile

BirdNest Field Operators primarily use Android phones, tablets, iPhones and iPads to access BirdNest. BirdNest is a native application available on the Google PlayStore and Apple iTunes. Both applications communicate with the BirdNest Servers using a custom built REST API.

Operators log in once each day and as they service their plants, they use BirdNest to enter data. An operator’s profile of facilities that he has access to is downloaded to his device each morning. Throughout the day he is prompted to enter data for each facility.

During data entry a number of checks are made to ensure clean data such as: data type, input range and trigger points. Trigger points are values assigned by a manager to notify him if a data point is out of the normal range and may need additional attention. Managers can be notified via e-mail or text message.

Due to the nature of some facilities, once a user is logged in, it operates in offline mode only sending data up to the server when has a strong internet connection. Data is stored securely on the device using SQL Lite.

In addition to data entry, BirdNest also tracks Operator location using GPS so that managers can get a visual view of where their Operators are each day.

BirdTools

BirdTools is the name of the web-based version of BirdNest and is primarily used by clerks, managers and supervisors. Managers can set up and customize their organization and facilities through BirdTools.

Each facility has a portal that a user can quickly access Logsheets, Reports and Maps. Logsheets are the backbone of BirdNest and provide a tabular summary for a facility. This data feeds into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly reports.

BirdNest integrates with specialized PDF and Excel reports used by state agencies such as TCEQ. We also built a completely customizable Report Generator that allows users to create their own unique reports, run the reports on-demand and schedule them to be run at any interval.

Integrations

Mapbox and LeafletJS Integration

Mapbox / Leaflet.js

Users can also see maps of their organization or operator activity. We utilize Leaflet.js and Mapbox to provide beautiful maps. Some features include map layers that can be toggled on and off, different color icons depending on status and polylines depicting the route the operator took that day.

We also use MapBox’s Geocoding and Reverse Geocoding APIs to resolve latitude longitude points to addresses and back.

PostMark API Integration

PostMark

We integrated with PostMark’s API using ColdFusion to send reliable and secure e-mails from BirdTools and BirdNest Mobile. Using their REST API we are able to confidently deliver e-mail notifications to users whenever key events occur such as trigger point violations and report results.

Atlassian Jira Integration

Atlassian Jira

We use Atlassian’s project management system, Jira, to track feature requests, bugs and sprints. Through the use of their REST API and ColdFusion, any unhandled errors are directly input into Jira for a developer to research and fix.