1. Observe
Desktop & Mobile

2. Open, user friendly app, that allows users to collect detailed map
point data, OSM or otherwise, in offline areas and bring that data
back into OSM and organizations’ private databases.

3. Who Am I?

5. • Our focus: Disaster resilience and disaster management
• Our method: Collect open data, create open source tools, work
with open communities like yourselves. Connect everything back
to governments and development agencies

6. • Past projects: Ramani Huria, KLL, OpenDRI Sri Lanka, and
many others!
• Past software: GeoNode, InaSAFE, ThinkHazard!

7. Why Observe?

8. • Offline functionality
• Path to peer-to-peer
• iD data presets in the field
• Mixed OSM and organization data
• Structured surveys and focused editing
• Map oriented
What Observe Provides

9. Offline Functionality
Observe provides users with the ability to add data to any map based
point, OSM or otherwise in an offline environment. Data collected is
simply stored to the mobile phone.
This allows users to work in the field for as long as they want with no
risk of lost data.

10. 2-Way Syncing
Our method of syncing involves both pulling new data from the
desktop app and pushing data to it automatically, at the same time.
Having this also helps mitigate data loss.

11. “Observations”
• Observe allows any piece of data to be attached to any map point,
OSM or otherwise.
• Observations are not limited to their size (an observation could be a
full survey or just a simple note).
• There is no limit to the number of observations a point could have,
allowing for things like time series data.

12. The Details

13. WARNING: BETA

14. We built both a desktop and mobile application to meet
the needs of users working in offline environments.

15. Focus on simplicity and the user experience.

16. The Desktop App

18. Features (surveys)
• Specify and download maps + OSM data for an area of
interest
• Upload custom surveys (XLSForm specifications)
• Edit available OSM fields (YAML format)
• Sync data to mobile phones in the field and gather data
from mobile phones

19. Features (data)
• Filter data
• Export data back to OSM and/or organization in all
your favorite formats
• Separate OSM data and private data from within the
same survey

20. The Future
Because this product is built as an electron app, this
gives us an easy path to be able to sync with the cloud in
the near future.
So, integration between remote cloud management, field
survey managers and users in the field.

21. Mobile App

22. Features
• Filter available points by geography / attribute
• Add observations to any point, OSM or otherwise
• View observations - both your own and others
• Store offline data until wifi is available
• Sync new surveys and areas of interest with desktop app
• See how complete a survey observation is

23. Selecting Nearby Points

24. Focused Editing

25. How they’re built
• React Native - use lots of tools from JS
ecosystem (OSM P2P and others)
• P2P
• Mapbox GL - better map user experience than
previous data collection apps
• JS Node
• Electron
• P2P
Mobile App Desktop App

26. Pain Points
• React Native - introduces lots of abstractions between JS and
Android that causes issues.
• Performance – not good enough yet.

27. Next Steps

28. • Make it real - see how it’s used
• Make it faster
• Make the electron app work in the cloud
• Enable P2P functionality
• Fully enable offline functionality
• Lines / polygons
• Can we make this a general purpose OSM “power” editing app?
Our Roadmap