Jockey's Eye View: RouteShoot - Video Technology for the Equine Industry

For English technology company RouteShoot, remote GPS data capture presents a new business opportunity featuring horses and equine management.

Ever wondered what it's like to:

• Be on board one of the horses charging down the home stretch in the local derby?
• Whilst competing, capture GPS tagged video, speed, elevation and the track map whether it be for post race analysis or just for the hell of it?
• Store all of that recorded data in the cloud and then have the ability to share it with anyone, anywhere in the world?

In the EU, at least 6.4 million people practice equine sports – two percent of the population of member countries. The region counts over 4.4 million horses, or about 12 horses per thousand habitants.

Iberian sport horses figure among the most talented, popular breeds and today train and compete in elite events all over the world.

The horse industry plays a part in national, state and local economies in Europe, North America and South America. The equine sector is diverse, involving business, sport, gaming, recreation and generating specialised skills and general employment across the board. Competition and leisure activities involving horses are important business concerns!

What is RouteShoot?
RouteShoot is the latest innovation in video, route tracking and collaborative working. A platform that enables GPS tagged video and images to be recorded, uploaded, stored and shared online. 

The RouteShoot platform is comprised of three key components, a free Smartphone application, a video hosting option and a web-based data delivery system. Brought together as a package, these elements combine to provide users with a simple, flexible and complete solution.  

Think HD camera footage, streaming features and data collection capturing; speed, elevation, precision and accuracy.

How is it mounted?

Attached to a wearable harness such as the ' MiVeu Mounted Harness' we believe RouteShoot could hold huge potential for the equine industry.

Can it be used with drones?
Providing the drone has a smartphone compatible mount or RouteShoot supports the third party hardware already installed on the drone then in short, yes! The use of commercial drones has exploded across a number of industries in recent years. Some have already been adapted to deliver food, monitor endangered species and provide spectacular panoramic shots for film and journalistic purposes. 

However, in the equine world drones flying above are more commonly linked to spooking the horses out which could spell danger, and possible lifetime injuries. To combat these dangers you would need to layout the ground rules and stick by them, meaning stay away from crowds and do not flyover the horses at anytime.

The combination of video and route tracking within RouteShoot provides the user with a powerful tool which records not only what they saw but exactly where they were. There is no need to buy or hire expensive equipment; your existing smartphone turns into a data capture solution available in everyone's pocket.

There is nothing complicated about RouteShoot for the user, we do all of the work, putting together the video, GPS and attribute graphs, all you need to do is record and upload. Once you have uploaded, the video and GPS trace are stored on secure servers in the cloud so you do not have to keep the videos on your phone.

RouteShoot is available now to download on the Apple, Windows and Google Play Stores, and you can read more about it on the RouteShoot website. 

Introducing RouteShoot 'Fast Forward'

This month we've rolled out a brand new feature on the playback screen!

A popular request from the RouteShoot community was to be able to fast-forward through captured footage.

Many times while viewing a RouteShoot video you want to be able to adjust the playback speed.

Whilst viewing the video in the RouteShoot platform simply hover along the bottom of the playback screen and a tool bar will appear as shown below.

By clicking the fast forward icon you can control the speed of a video from a choice of 6 speed settings.

An extremely useful feature especially when you want to view a video very quickly but still understand what is happening.

Recording Audio with RouteShoot

Did you know RouteShoot allows you to capture audio commentary? RouteShoot audio enables your teams to record audio from their iPhone, iPad, Android or Windows device to attach to video captured in the field. This will be a great addition for users looking to record field notes by speaking into their phone, for later transcription.

For performing inspections, or simply being able to quickly log observations without having to input on your phone or tablet, audio capture could be a huge time saver and an addition that adds even more to the RouteShoot feature set.

We know there are dozens of ways our users are already using this functionality. If you have an interesting use case for logging audio recordings while in the field, let us know!

Smartphone RAM Mounts

When we first started to build RouteShoot, we had to do a lot of testing.

In the beginning, testing revolved around holding a smartphone device and capturing video while sitting in a passenger seat, or precariously setting a phone on the dashboard. Not only does this require the time of two people to collect video, but can also result in unstable, shaky video data. Since one person driving and filming is not only dangerous, but can also result in a run-in with the law, we started testing out different mount devices to see what worked best.

We set out looking for mounts that could be used to capture our videos. During our research, we discovered the bigger players in this market.

One of the largest manufacturers for commercial hardware is Ram Mounts, which sells a wide array of mounts for all sorts of applications and devices. Their system lets you buy specific base components for each application while utilising the same upper mounting device component for your mobile device.

Do you have a phone mount that you like to use? Or maybe you have more experience with RAM mounts than we do? We would enjoy hearing your experiences in the comments below.

Introducing RouteShoot for Windows Phone - Version 1.1.0.5

Until this month, the RouteShoot smartphone app was only available to download on iOS and Android devices. 

Today, we’re excited to bring you RouteShoot for Windows Phone.

When RouteShoot for Android was launched in May of 2013, the RouteShoot community was over 7 thousand strong and growing fast. The RouteShoot community now reaches every corner of the globe with more than 17 thousand users.

In that past year, however, RouteShoot isn't all that’s grown. We've also seen the rise of a new mobile platform as tens of millions of people around the world have taken to Windows Phones. Our mission is to give everyone the ability to capture and share the moments around them, so our team has been working hard to bring RouteShoot to Windows Phone users everywhere.

We wanted to make RouteShoot available to people with Windows Phones as quickly as possible, so we focused on creating an awesome experience with RouteShoot's 'core' features. We’re not finished, and our team will continue developing the Windows Phone app to keep releasing features and bringing you the best app possible.

Learn more about RouteShoot for Windows phone and download it today from the Windows Phone Store!

World Bank Update - Visit to Philippines

Last week a couple of our team went out to visit the guys in the Philippines who are using RouteShoot to record road construction and reconstruction projects that are being supported by funding from the World Bank. Please see our blog post from 29th April 2014 for more details.

Gary, Ben and our World Bank hosts

Since our last update about this project, the scope of works being monitored using the RouteShoot app has expanded to include not only the Tourism Roads, but also "Farm to Market" routes.

This is the first time MD Gary Wilson has been to the Philippines and it was pretty clear why RouteShoot was chosen in preference to some of the high-tech video systems we see here, whizzing along motorways in the UK. 

There was no way some of these roads could possibly be driven safely in a big vehicle and there would be significant risks of damaging expensive equipment.

Sometimes the only way to trace out these routes was on foot... and occasionally a machete was an essential part of the surveyor's kit!


We were also interested to note some of the more innovative site protection techniques employed. In the absence of road cones, local construction teams would use whatever was at hand to protect new running surfaces.

Thanks to all, over in the Philippines, for looking after us on our stay.

Just a final note to say that it isn't all glamorous here at RouteShoot. While Gary was in Manila, fellow directors Andy and Adam were out visiting prospective customers in Wales. Spot the difference...

Slightly different weather on the M4 in Wales

Q&A Session with RouteShoot FD Adam May

Financial Director Adam May took to the hot seat this week and was able to answer a few pressing questions for us surrounding RouteShoot. With over 30 years’ experience and degrees in both economics and highways maintenance, RouteShoot FD Adam has become one of the country’s leading experts in developing whole-life asset management solutions for highways networks and really does feel this innovative product is fit for purpose. 

How would you define the space RouteShoot works in?

RouteShoot is currently working to gain business in the highways and utilities infrastructure industries (maintenance and management). Basically Geo-referenced video can help companies that look after assets that are 1 – outside and 2 – spread over a wide area; so roads, pipelines, waterways etc. can all benefit from something like RouteShoot.

Why did you start a company, or build a product, in this space? What need or gap do you aim to address?.

Well, we were aware that companies were already using video in the highways sector, but this usually involved either buying expensive equipment or hiring in subcontractors. When smartphone technology moved on to the point where HD video and GPS could both be collected from a mobile phone, we knew we could make this sort of technology available to a much wider audience at a greatly reduced cost.

Why will your product/service work? What makes your approach to this issue different from what others are doing?

Our product works because it has been developed by in-house professionals that are familiar with both the technology and its application. By buying this type of application from us, asset management companies can be confident that we understand their business needs and are not just trying to sell them the latest fancy bit of kit with no idea of any end purpose. There are similar products available I guess, but these are usually either “proof of concept” tools or sports-focused apps. I believe we are the only company truly focused on our customers’ particular needs and demands.

Could you tell us about other startups or product builds that you have been a part of.

In 2006, the team that founded RouteShoot Limited set up a civil engineering consultancy company called Wilson Pym May. That company has been responsible for developing a range of asset management software including drainage databases, highways inspection systems and a portable video capture solution called GeoVideo. RouteShoot is, in fact, a logical progression of GeoVideo. Wilson Pym May remains in business today and is still working on major projects within the highways industry.

Please tell us more about your product stage and what we should expect to see from your company in the next 12 months.

The basic RouteShoot product is up, running and stable on both iPhone and Android. In the next 12 months we are looking to roll out an app for Windows devices and are working on a couple of tweaks to enable live streaming. Other than that we are concentrating on meeting a few customer-led development ideas, as we are always keen to work with our customers first to improve our products rather than coming up with new ideas which ultimately no one might want.