DoD and Excet Inc – CANINE Behavioural Data Logging App
Background
App Maisters was approached by a US contractor (Excet Inc) to develop a Microsoft Surface application that allows US Army officers, that are assigned Canine dogs, to record their behavior in specific settings and situations during a mission. Their current process was manual and was very cumbersome. They were looking for ways to cut down the time and manual paperwork that they had to spend on recording and reporting these observations to their stakeholders.
Objective
The primary objective was to provide a way to collect behavior from these dogs and provide an easy way to quickly access and summarize this large amount of data for them to make informed decisions. In addition, the app was supposed to also maintain a database of Canine test results for auditing purposes and to record the video of all evaluations for later reporting.
Solution
The solution was designed using Microsoft Surface. Once a new project is entered into the app, the touch interface of the application allows the evaluation officer to enter Canine responses and non-responses quickly in the given Matrix with priority of examined, good and bad responses. As soon as the evaluation of the first Canine is completed, a fresh matrix template was available for the evaluation officer to start a new evaluation with the next canine and it keeps repeating until all Canines evaluations have been completed and recorded by the officer. Evaluation officer was also able to generate and view the reports of every canine/handler with all odors, targets and non-targets. Moreover, he was also able to download the reports and send it via email. In addition, the data and recording was also available in a centralized repository to further do some data analysis and provide historical reporting.
Main Feature of The App
- Touch Interface: Allows quick and accurate entry of Canine behavior into a matrix.
- Automated Reporting: Generates comprehensive reports for each Canine/handler, detailing all relevant observations.
- Centralized Data Repository: Stores all evaluations, reports, and video recordings for easy access and analysis.
- Offline Capabilities: Supported by SQLite to function without an internet connection.
- Historical Data Access: Maintains a robust database of past evaluations for auditing and reporting purposes.
Tools & Tech
Front End: Universal Window Platform (UWP)
Compliance and Integrations:
- Supported on both SQL Server and MS Access
- Universal windows platform
- SQLite for Offline
Result
The U.S. Army, through Excet Inc., expressed complete satisfaction with the application. The project successfully digitized a previously manual and paper-intensive process, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of Canine behavioral assessments. The app provided reliable documentation and evaluation, with historical data readily available for auditing and reporting, ultimately supporting better-informed decision-making.
