I could use some help from a programmer

[DeanInSF]

I have a client who wants create an app to pull readings from a fitness band into a hand-held device.  The process will occur for a few hundred users every day.  That data will have to be passed along from each hand-held device to a central server for purposes of aggregation and reporting.  He hasn't made a final decision, but there's a pretty good chance that all of the users will be supplied with FitBit devices.

I'm a programmer and database developer, so I understand the design issues.  However, I have not worked with mobile apps, and I'm not sure I have time to get up to speed quickly.  Right now, I need some help visualizing the parts and processes, and I'd also like to know if what I need already exists, exists in part, or needs to be written from scratch.  That would allow me to give the client an intelligent estimate of the cost and time involved.

Right now, this is a "stage one" client looking for something fairly simple.  He's paying for this effort out of his own pocket, because the data will then allow him to secure financing for stage two.  I don't think there's a lot of money to be made on this first effort -- in fact, my bid will probably not exceed $1500 -- but I do see a healthy revenue stream 6-12 months down the road.  Without going into too much detail, the app is related to education.  If you're interested in discussing this, let's exchange skype addresses.  Thanks.

[Doug]

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@DeanInSF wrote:

I have a client who wants create an app to pull readings from a fitness band into a hand-held device.  The process will occur for a few hundred users every day.  That data will have to be passed along from each hand-held device to a central server for purposes of aggregation and reporting.  He hasn't made a final decision, but there's a pretty good chance that all of the users will be supplied with FitBit devices.

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Are the fitness bands the property of the users or owned and supplied by the client?

I can't speak for other fitness bands because I own and love my Fitbit One, but here are a few points to consider.  These are not to discourage you from selecting the Fitbit.  On the contrary, I love the Fitbit but I'm just trying to help you or the client understand what is / isn't possible.

• While they are BLE devices, Fitbits use a proprietary protocol.  This means you cannot use your own Bluetooth calls to the device to collect the data yourself.  You must let the device sync with Fitbit software (in your case it sounds like on a mobile devie), then get the stats from the Fitbit server instead of directly from a device.
• Users will need a mobile device which is compatible with the Fitbit software
• Each fitbit needs to sync and be registered to a unique email address

It is that last point that made me mention who will own the Fitbits.  If the users do, they will likely want to use their own login then authorize your software to access their stats via APIs.  If the client supplies everything, then they could create their own accounts like UserXYZ and supply each user with the login and password to use.  The client would then remain closer to the drivers seat, if that matters to them.

My suggestion is to first look at something I've seen in the app gallery -- more specifically the Fitabase application.  I have no experience with it, but sounds like it might be something to consider for at least your stage 1.

[JeremiahFitbit]

Doug's answer is spot on.

I'll add that I highly recommend Fitabase for this use case. It's specifically designed for long term research studies with many participants. In addition to the intraday data aggregation features, it also has device monitoring to help verify that participants are actually participating.