Case Study: Mobilizing Field Inspectors with HTML5, iPhone, and WCF JSON Web Services

Introduction: A long time client of Rightpoint, Groundwork Inspections, recently came to us with a request to enable inspections to be completed quickly and easily from mobile devices. 

Background: Groundwork Inspections has an established workforce of inspectors and appraisers across the country.  Currently a desktop .NET application facilitates orders to be received by mortgage providers and routed to local inspectors.  After capturing characteristics and on-site photos an inspection is submitted, reviewed, approved, and returned back to originating customer in PDF format. 

Turnaround time is a key metric for Groundwork and inspectors across the country compete collected fees. Groundwork’s innovative approach features a “grab-it-board” to allow competing inspectors equal access to accept and process orders in the same region.  The inspectors who “grabs” the order first wins. 

Design: A mobile friendly design was first mocked up to scale down the app to key features, enable smoother transitions, and present a "mobile friendly" UI.

Solution: A .NET/HTML5/CSS3/Jquery mobile  application was developed to allow access to a wide spectrum of mobile devices using a standard web browser.  Using HTML allowed an application to be developed rapidly.

WCF is simple and r