Featured Developer: Ove Steinsland

Background

iDoc is a reporting tool for the electrical safety inspector, developed by Software Control AS in Norway. iDoc increase our customers efficiency with 30-50% and enables the inspector to finish the report on site.

We went into the Norwegian market in 2018, and iDoc has gained huge popularity in the market. Today we have a marketshare of approx. 25%. We have a strong growth and the customer base is increasing by 60-80% each year.

We are now focusing on the international market, and our strategy is to enter the global market within 2021. 

– Ove Steinsland, CEO and co-founder.

idoc_image001.jpg

Q&A with the developers

How did you get involved in developing with thermal imaging?

OVE: Thermal imaging is a very important part of the electrical safety inspection. Integration between FLIR camera and iDoc was the most wanted feature from our customers. When FLIR released the Mobile SDK, there was only on way forward. Create what our customers wanted most of all.

What features of the FLIR Mobile SDK were most compelling for your application?

OVE: The most compelling feature of the Flir Mobile SDK is the fact that it exists, and therefore enable us make a seamless integration between FLIR. We wanted to create a tool where the customer can import and edit the thermal image in our tool on site, removing the need to go back to the office and finishing the thermal analyzis and reporting . We have also included Meterlink connectivity into iDoc. Our customers are also using measurements devices to measure electrical currents and voltage in combination with thermal imaging.

Do you have any coding philosophies or techniques that are particularly helpful working with the FLIR Mobile SDK?

OVE: We strive to create value for our customers. To increase our customers efficiency, it is very important to listen to the customer, and also have a strong focus on UX-experience. The FLIR Mobile SDK, is easy to use and very flexible. This enable us to create the best product for our customer. We also engaged several customers in the development phase and received valuable feedback during pilot testing.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve found working with the FLIR Mobile SDK and how did you get around it?

OVE: The learning curve was a big step since FLIR Mobile SDK offers a huge amount of features. We used both the included documentation and examples to get around. Simply hard work.

idoc_image003.jpg

What key learning(s) would you share with new FLIR mobile app developers?

OVE: Listen to the customers and include them in the development phase. Let them decide which features you want include in the app. Thermal imaging and mobile devices are cool technologies, but making value for customers is the most important goal. Prioritise customer value, and let cool technology be an enabler.

How has developing with the FLIR Mobile SDK opened up new opportunities for you?

OVE: FLIR camera is the most popular choice of thermal camera among our customer. The integration between FLIR and iDoc is the most wanted feature from our customers. By implementing this feature, we strengthen our customer value and also strengthen our competition in the market, by offer the most valuable tool for the electrical safety inspector.

Further, we belive that the integration with FLIR cameras and Meterlink devices, opens up huge opportunities in the international market.