The nuclear division of Rolls Royce harnesses data analytics, engineering, and support services to deliver competitive solutions for nuclear power plants.
The Issue
At the Nuclear Information Technology Strategic Leadership (NITSL) conference in 2023, Rolls Royce wowed their audience with the unveiling of their SDS website, which generated much excitement among customers. Anticipation was high for a more complete mobile version to be presented at NITSL 2023.
Initially introduced as a website, Sensor Data Sharing (SDS) allowed access to sensor data at the Power Plant through desktop devices. While it showed promise, some essential features were still absent.
Initially, SDS was expected to be replaced by a mobile application called mSDS, which would provide users with enhanced system monitoring in real time as well as additional features. The goal was to increase the product’s market value by leveraging cutting-edge manufacturing technology while ensuring that it remained accessible on mobile and tablet devices. For tips on using Python for mobile apps, check out this article on our blog.
To stay relevant in the ever-changing digital landscape, Rolls Royce understood the need to modernize their outdated technical structure and software development processes. Our Delivery Team Approach was tailored to their unique needs and enabled them to remain competitive.
At Works, our Staffing Team expediently assessed the roles and required skill sets that would ensure optimal coding practices, software quality, and an enhanced user experience. Our rigorous process ensured that only the most talented 1% of the market was selected for the job.
After a two-week Discovery Phase at their headquarters, Rolls Royce collaborated with a Project Manager and Tech Lead to define the project’s technical stack, scope, and backlog. This paved the way for the recruitment of additional personnel for development, including React Front-End engineers, Quality Assurance engineers, and User Experience engineers.
mSDS is innovative software that provides a range of exciting and exclusive features for real-time access to sensor data and diagnostics. Its key features include the capacity to establish local alerts and receive mobile notifications when certain values fall within specified limits, as well as access to confidential information from power plants, and the ability to select and collate various data points. Admin users also have the ability to customize the settings for user groups and data points, as well as the ability to issue global alarms that notify all users at once.
The development of mSDS version 1.0 prioritized the importance of time-to-market and the ability to provide immediate commercial value. As a result, the team opted to create a progressive web application (PWA) that enabled the web and mobile versions to share the same codebase while still receiving the benefits of a native app. After completing the minimum viable product (MVP), Works provided effective on-site knowledge transfer.
In this project, we opted to use React and Xamarin Forms as the technologies of choice. Xamarin Forms is critical for iOS notifications and for providing a unified app experience across different platforms, including the web and both Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Native versions will be included when mSDS progresses to version 2.0 in the future.
Upcoming Developments
Moving forward, Works remains committed to creating a portfolio of applications that adhere to the most advanced software standards, while Rolls Royce has an extensive roadmap of mSDS features to be included in forthcoming releases.
