CHoDaMS Mobile
Offline-first field census collection with GPS tagging and sync queues
Problem
Field workers in remote or informal settlements lose internet connectivity, causing standard web surveys to crash or drop census submissions.
Approach
Offline-first mobile application with local SQLite caching, camera photo capture, GPS coordinate logging, and sync queues.
Outcome
Eliminated fieldwork data loss by ensuring seamless offline data collection and reliable background syncing when reconnected.
Offline Field Collection
Records household surveys locally without requiring cellular connectivity.
GPS & Media Attachment
Tags survey records with hardware GPS coordinates and captured structure photos.
Synchronization Engine
Detects network availability and queues pending records for batch API sync.
Sync State Dashboard
Provides field surveyors real-time visibility into synced and unsynced records.
Capture survey data offline
Log GPS and photos
Store locally on device
Detect stable network connection
Sync to central database
Full technical write-up
Companion mobile app for CHoDaMS designed to reliably collect field census information, including photos and geographic coordinates, in low-connectivity environments.
Field workers operating in remote or informal settlements frequently lose internet connectivity. Standard web-based collection tools fail or lose data under these conditions, breaking the housing evaluation workflow and causing redundant fieldwork.
The application implements an offline-first architecture with local SQLite persistence, GPS coordinate logging, camera photo capture, and an unsynced/synced transmission state engine for batch syncing when connectivity is restored.
