New Data Collection Software Offers Cutting Edge Solutions for City and State Governments

April 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Colorado software developer Mobile Epiphany has released a new program for asset inspection and field data collection that it says will prove to be an invaluable new tool for municipalities.  The software, named Touch Inspect™, allows its users to employ GPS technology built into their handheld and tablet devices to locate and map assets by type, properties, or by proximity to the user.  It then allows a user to verify the identity of assets via a barcode scanner, RFID, or photograph and call up past inspection histories to view images and notes from previous inspectors before beginning a new inspection.  

Designed for Mobile Windows PCs (such as today’s new touch screen slates and convertible netbooks etc.), and Windows Mobile handheld devices, Touch Inspect automatically transmits data collected in the field to a database server, which is either hosted by Mobile Epiphany , or which a customer can host on their own if they are so inclined.  If the user’s connection is ever lost, they can continue working.  Data will be saved on the inspector’s device and transmitted as soon as the connection is restored, without any further input from the worker.

“One of the many useful and unique features of Touch Inspect’s technology is its multimedia capability”, said Mobile Epiphany CEO Glenn Kletzky.  “For example, an inspector could call up the complete inspection history of a bridge that contains photos of a crack or other damage taken in past inspections before beginning their own inspection.  Then, they could take a new picture of the crack and circle it with the drawing tool to highlight that the crack has grown, adding highly detailed visual information to their new inspection”, said Kletzky.

As the name implies, the user interface is touch based for faster navigation and trainability. Additionally, video game designers were employed to ensure a more comprehensive and intuitive user interface for a wide variety of users.  According to Kletzky, the interface was designed with color coding and large, easy-to-read buttons that can even be used while wearing work gloves.  “The finger-touch interface and intuitive navigation increases worker efficiency as well as user adoption.  It’s actually fun to use”, added Kletzky.

While Touch Inspect was designed to be a highly-configurable program that can be adapted to a variety of industries, Mobile Epiphany doesn’t develop the industry-specific solutions itself.  Instead, it relies on a network of partners and subject matter experts who develop specific solutions for each industry.  “Our partners have already created some very innovative solutions for municipalities, utilities, telcos, the military, conservation groups and even anesthesiologists (and the number is growing)”, said Kletzky.  One such solution called “Storm Water” was designed by Mobile Epiphany’s partner Georack, Inc. (http://georack.com/) to help municipal storm water inspectors perform their inspections rapidly and in concert with the current laws and best management practices.  All the solutions being developed will be available on the Mobile Epiphany website as well as through the Partners’ company websites.

For more information, visit:  http://www.mobileepiphany.com/

# # #

Developers of Touch Inspect™, an enterprise class, geospatially intelligent, media-enhanced, asset-centric field data system, for data collection and recall.