NAK Ensures Crop Quality with Future-Proof Mobile Apps

The NAK performs inspections for seed and seed of agricultural crops. Info Support developed two mobile applications so that NAK inspectors on location can quickly and reliably process their data. On site, they carry out their activities such as inspections and sampling. Previously, this was registered via a tablet, but when this needed replacing, they preferred a smartphone for registrations in the field and a laptop for other administrative work. However, a number of applications needed in the field did not run on the phone.

As a solution, the NAK decided to replace these with new applications that were suitable for the cell phone. In doing so, it focused on cross-platform technology, so that there was no need to develop and maintain separate apps for different mobile operating systems. With an eye to the future, the NAK wanted to choose a technology that could also be used for new apps, which must also be able to run on other operating systems.

For the technical realization of the mobile applications, the NAK engaged Info Support. In addition to the fact that the new mobile applications had to be developed cross-platform, there were a number of other important requirements. For example, both apps had to be able to communicate with the NAK’s backend systems through an API.
And the apps also had to be realized quickly, but reliably, due to the phasing out of the tablet. Based on these requirements and a thorough analysis of the current applications, Info Support made a project proposal. This included an elaboration of the new architecture, technology choices and the way of working for this project. A high performance team then set to work on the realization in an agile manner.

The apps were developed using Xamarin technology, a cross-platform environment based on the Microsoft .NET framework. “At the customer’s request, we did this for the iPhone, because this device is used by field staff of the NAK,” said Yorick Bouma, project lead at Info Support. “The advantage is that the business logic and communication with the API of the NAK are only written in one place. This logic is now used for the iPhone, but can be quickly and easily ported to a second or third operating system in the future.

This way, the NAK is not dependent on a particular system and there is more flexibility to switch without excessive costs. Also, maintenance and further development becomes a lot easier.”

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Info Support developed the mobile apps so that they communicate with NAK’s backend systems via an API. Bouma: “This makes it easier for the customer in the future to make adjustments to the back-end systems or even replace them altogether.” In addition, working offline was a hard requirement, the inspectors are often in locations with no or poor connection and must still be able to do their work.The app retrieves all relevant data and then keeps track of all changes. This allows judges to continue working even when there is no connection. When the connection is restored, synchronization takes place with the NAK’s backend system.”

Patricia Ramdin, technical lead at the NAK looks back on the collaboration with Info Support with a good feeling: “The development of these apps was a special project, started at the time of the first coronal lockdown. Working together in one project room was not possible, yet the collaboration turned out very well and that with a team consisting of key users and developers from the NAK and developers from Info Support, who even now have never met in person. The NAK developers who built the backend system and the API always had to stay just ahead of Info Support’s app developers. This was always done in short iterations, allowing the key users to see and test the delivered blocks quickly. Their feedback could then immediately be incorporated into subsequent iterations.”