Case study
Custom Navigation App
Scalable location mapping platform that unifies spatial datasets with real-time web + mobile search & navigation.
Client
Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI)
Country
Ethiopia
Industry
Public sector & geospatial
Main service
Custom Software Development
Duration
6 months
Delivery
Delivered with eTech S.C.
In production
delivered in 6 months
The challenge
People struggled to find places reliably because geographic and address data was spread across many sources. The challenge was partly technical, bringing complex spatial data together, and partly about the product: making it easy for people without technical knowledge.
Scattered data: geographic and address data sat in several sources, which made bringing it together hard.
Complex spatial data: combining different geographic datasets called for a high level of precision.
Ease of use: the system had to be simple enough for people with little technical knowledge.
Room to grow: the platform had to take on new regions without slowing down.
Speed: search and navigation had to be fast and accurate for people to trust them.
Coverage: official sources alone weren't enough; the platform needed a way to capture local detail from the community.
Our approach
We built a platform that brings the datasets together into one source of truth, offers fast address search and navigation on the web and on mobile, and lets the community fill gaps through an “Add Place” feature.
1. Data audit and roadmap
We started with a discovery phase that audited the available geographic data and the institute's area of focus. Mapping the data flow early gave us a roadmap that put data quality and performance first, so more regions could follow later.
2. One geographic data model
The team built an architecture that combines the different datasets into one source of truth, shared by the web and the mobile app.
3. Clear design and prototyping
Because many users aren't technical, we prototyped early and kept the interface plain. Address search and real-time navigation stay simple, even though the spatial data behind them is complex.
4. Community contributions
To enrich the map, we added a community module: people can add places such as shops, offices and public landmarks, filling gaps the official data leaves.
5. Built for regional rollout
More regions, place types and data layers can be added on the same core, so performance and data stay consistent as coverage grows.
Results
Places are easier to find: people reach points of interest that used to be hard to locate.
Higher satisfaction: a clear interface and reliable navigation made users more satisfied.
Richer data: “Add Place” uses local knowledge to fill gaps in the data.
Ready for new regions: the platform can expand to new areas on the same architecture.
One source of information: data from different sources now lives in one consistent system.
What it enabled
With a base built to grow, the institute can extend coverage region by region. Later, the same data could help analyse movement patterns and urban growth, or support smarter routing.