Street Lighting Maintenance App Case Study

Challenges

Our client is a leading UK-based utility services provider, specializing in energy infrastructure and streetlight management. They had developed a mobile application using Xamarin to streamline streetlight monitoring, maintenance and fault reporting. The end goal of app development was to optimize their field operations, but there were issues regarding performance, scalability and cross-platform consistency.

Key challenges

Developing a mobile app solution that allows the client to manage thousands of streetlight units functioning across different regions of the UK was definitely a challenging task. The client initially had the app developed using Xamarin from another vendor, but was experiencing several problems. They turned to TatvaSoft for help with the critical issues.

Modernize the existing Xamarin app to improve its performance, maintainability and provide cross-platform support.
Make the solution offline-first with data synchronization capabilities, as some field locations were in poor network coverage areas.
Required a centralized mobile solution for field crews to log, monitor and complete their jobs.
Add location-based services to provide scouting and unit-tracking services.

Frontend

.NET MAUI (Cross-platform mobile framework)
Backend

.NET APIs • SQL Server
Database

SQLite (local) • Azure SQL (cloud sync)
Mapping

Esri ArcGIS Runtime SDK with Google Maps-like experience
Cloud

Azure App Services • Azure Blob Storage
Architecture

MVVM with offline-first data synchronization

Solutions provided

After understanding the client’s problems, our experienced developers proposed migrating the mobile application from Xamarin to .NET MAUI for simplified streetlight management. Our solution helps engineers finish their jobs quickly in the field, and it works even without an internet connection. The key features of our deliverables include:

Login and Dashboard Only authorized users can access this app and its data. After an easy and secure login, the field engineers can view a dashboard providing all the important menus, features and job categories in a single place.
Responsive Maintenance Jobs When a streetlight needs repairing or replacing, a job is created and assigned to the engineers. The maintenance crew needs to follow a sequence of tasks to mark the job as finished in the app.
Routine Maintenance Jobs This includes pre-planned regular checks and maintenance of the streetlights. The workflow is quite similar to responsive jobs but allows for multiple job completions in one go.
Outbox Management Allows users to manage two separate outboxes, one for responsive jobs and another for routine jobs. These outboxes are used to save completed jobs during offline use. The details are then sent to the server once the app gets an internet connection.
Scouting (Map View) A live map displays all the streetlights. Field crews can zoom the map, click on a specific streetlight, move its location and report issues. Similar to Google Maps, GPS is used to track their movements. Search and filter options are provided to find units by their type, category, area, or road.
Options and Settings Engineers can refresh their data, check app version details and configure connection time.
Error Logs Keep a record of app errors, track and report them for troubleshooting.
Job Statistics Provides data on the ongoing and completed tasks on the device, for example, the number of urgent, routine, responsive, scouting and total jobs.

Results

TatvaSoft delivered a maintenance app to the client that streamlines the streetlight monitoring, fault reporting and job management processes. We migrated the app to .NET MAUI and made it an offline-first solution, allowing the field engineers to save data locally, which will be synced with the server as soon as the app gets an internet connection.

Our .NET MAUI app solution simplified the entire project management process for maintenance operations. They can use the app for easy scheduling and assigning tasks to field crews, and also to track the progress and completion of the tasks. The client developed an intelligent street lighting system, but TatvaSoft delivered an application that helps them manage their systems effectively.

Business Impact

Improved efficiency and productivity The app offers a guided workflow for maintenance jobs, helping engineers complete their jobs quickly.
Reduced Downtime The issue resolution process is accelerated with real-time scouting and fault reporting functionalities.
Future-ready Migration to .NET MAUI ensures better maintainability and long-term support.
Offline Capability Outbox and local storage help field engineers to continue, complete and save their work progress even without an internet connection.
Data-driven decision making The error logs and job statistics provide operational insights to make ‌informed decisions.

Technical Benefits

Truly Modern Solution Migrating from Xamarin to .NET MAUI has helped empower the platform with a future-proof framework, enhancing its performance and versatility.
Outbox Pattern Ensures there is no data loss during job submission.
Offline-first Design Provides data synchronization capabilities that allow users to work in low-connectivity areas.
Map-based Unit Management Provides interactive, GIS-powered streetlight tracking.
Scalability Azure-based backend with modular job workflows.