Offline-first field apps: what we learned syncing 2,000 inspectors

Utility inspectors spend most of their day where the signal is worst: substations, tunnels, rural lines. An app that requires connectivity is an app that does not get used.

Treat the device as the source of truth

Every edit is written to a local SQLite database with SpatiaLite first. Sync is a background concern, never something the user waits on. We model changes as operations rather than snapshots, which makes conflicts rare and resolvable.

Be honest about GNSS accuracy

We surface horizontal accuracy directly on the capture screen and block saves above a configurable threshold. Supporting external RTK receivers over Bluetooth took accuracy from meters to centimeters for the teams that needed it.