Trackopolis

Background

Our client, a project management specialist and entrepreneur, had an idea for an application that would allow realtors to more easily manage their operations. The idea consisted of a mobile application that would let realtors view MLS listings, select properties, and automatically plan a detailed route to all of the selected home sites. This valuable tool would eliminate some of the planning and tracking hassles faced by realtors.

Business Challenge

At the time, there was nothing on the market similar to our client’s idea. The entire project would become a challenge, since nothing like it had ever been done before.

Nonetheless, Smart Pelican wasn’t afraid of wading into murky water.

Solution

Using our tried-and-true development process, we created Trackopolis, a mobile application for Garmin iQue 3200 and 3600 handheld computers. Trackopolis contained everything on the client’s wishlist. Users could search for properties according to more than 20 criteria and sort their results by address, price, MLS number, etc. Realtors could access full text property descriptions and color photos of homes, select the listings they wanted to see, and have Trackopolis plan a route to all of them. Audible turn-by-turn directions meant drivers could keep both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road.

In the pre-iOS/Android days, Trackopolis’ development proved especially difficult due to the limited capabilities of the Palm OS. Since the Palm OS was only capable of running one process at a time, we developed plenty of custom algorithms and workarounds to ensure the application ran smoothly.

We also created the following essential components of Trackopolis:

• Installer for mobile app
• Windows desktop synch tool for retrieving data from server and synching to devices
• Server-side API for sending/retrieving data to/from desktop synch tool
• Server-side database
• Server-side database synch tool for sending/receiving data from MLS servers using RETS protocol

We went the extra mile and created a presentation video to demonstrate Trackopolis’ abilities and functions.

Value

Unfortunately, the Palm OS was discontinued shortly after development of Trackopolis was completed, so its market potential was never fully realized, and the app was never created for the current generation of operating systems. Though Trackopolis didn’t even have the chance to prove its value, Smart Pelican came through with a more developed knowledgebase, honed skillset, and perfected process, making the entire experience worthwhile.

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