Why teams move to apps#
Apps fix paper's two weak spots: collection becomes tapping buttons instead of writing, and transfer can be automated instead of retyped. The tradeoff is complexity and the risk of technical failure, which is why even app-based teams keep paper backups.
There are two broad approaches to getting data off the device:
- Networked apps sync over wifi or a server. They are convenient but FRC venues often have unreliable or prohibited wifi, and the field network is reserved for robots.
- Offline / QR-based apps avoid networking entirely by encoding each match's data as a QR code that a central device scans. This sidesteps venue connectivity problems completely.
QRScout#
QRScout is a popular open-source, QR-code-based scouting system created by FRC Team 2713 (Red Hawk Robotics, Melrose, MA). It runs in a web browser, including offline, at https://frc2713.github.io/QRScout/. The workflow:
- A scout fills out a match form in the app (configured for the current game).
- QRScout encodes everything they entered into a QR code, with fields separated by tabs by default.
- A central laptop with a webcam or a phone scans the QR code, and the tab-separated values drop straight into a spreadsheet like Google Sheets or Excel.
Because the form is defined by a config.json file, teams customize QRScout for each season's metrics, and many teams maintain their own forks for their specific needs. The big win is fast, error-free transfer with no network: scanning a QR is faster and more accurate than retyping a paper sheet, and it works in any venue.
Another widely used open option is ScoutingPASS (by PWNAGE Robotics, FRC 2451), which follows a similar QR-based, configurable approach.
Choosing an approach#
- Rookie / small team: paper, or QRScout with phones you already own. Low cost, low risk.
- Mid-size team: QRScout or ScoutingPASS on a fleet of cheap tablets, scanned to one laptop. Big speed gain, still offline-safe.
- Large, software-strong team: a custom app and database (e.g., the kind documented in the Citrus Circuits / Team 1678 scouting whitepapers), often with automated aggregation and TBA integration. High power, high maintenance.
Practical guidance#
- Pre-load the match schedule so scouts pick a match/team from a list rather than typing numbers (a major error source).
- Charge everything the night before and bring battery packs and chargers.
- Always carry paper backups. If a tablet dies mid-match, a scout grabs a sheet and keeps going.
- Test your full pipeline before the event, including scanning QR codes into your live spreadsheet, so you find problems at home, not at 8am on match day.
the part worth keeping
Key takeaways
- Apps speed up collection and transfer but add failure modes, so keep paper backups.
- QRScout (FRC 2713) encodes each match form as a scannable QR code, enabling fast, accurate, fully offline data transfer.
- Match your system to your team's size and software capacity; pre-load the schedule and test the whole pipeline before the event.
Scouting & StrategyBuilding a Scouting Systemlesson 2 of 3
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where this came from
Sources and corrections
This lesson is AI-assisted: drafted from primary sources, then reviewed and edited by hand. Errors still get through. When one is reported we fix it and write down what changed, in public, in the corrections log.
sources and further reading
- github.comQRScout — GitHub (FRC 2713)
- frc2713.github.ioQRScout — live app
- github.comScoutingPASS — GitHub (PWNAGE Robotics)
- citruscircuits.orgCitrus Circuits Scouting Whitepapers (Team 1678)
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answer sheet
Lesson quiz
All 3 right completes the lesson. Miss one and only that question comes back, anything you already answered correctly stays banked.
0 of 3 answered
01In QRScout, how is the data a scout enters moved off their device to the central system?
02What is a key advantage of a QR-based scouting system like QRScout at a competition?
03How are the form fields and question set in QRScout customized for a given season's game?
Answer every question to submit.
All 32 lessons in Scouting & Strategyopenclose
01 / prerequisites
02 / scouting-fundamentals
03 / building-a-scouting-system
04 / data-analysis-tba-statbotics
05 / strategy-picklists-and-match-play
06 / worked-examples-and-mini-projects
- Not read yet:Project 1: Configure a QRScout Form for REEFSCAPE
- Not read yet:Project 2: Compute OPR by Hand, Then in a Spreadsheet
- Not read yet:Project 3: Pull Live Data with the TBA and Statbotics APIs
- Not read yet:Project 4: Build an EPA-Component Robot Ranking Sheet
- Not read yet:Project 5: Assemble a One-Page Pre-Match Prep Sheet
07 / common-mistakes-and-troubleshooting
08 / advanced-techniques-and-case-studies