If you’re like most everyone else in this country, your smartphone is almost always within reach. It doesn’t matter if we’re at work, at home, or on vacation — we seem to be an inseparable duo. For many of us, it’s become the preferred method of person-to-person communication — either via emails, text messages, or social media posts. But as you know, we also use our smartphones to do much more than communicate. We use them to play games, take photos, shoot videos, listen to music, and watch movies. Our phones have even become the tool of choice when searching for random facts and answers to any question we might have on our minds — just Google it, right?
We also use the power of our smartphones to run special apps. In fact, we apparently do this a lot. The mobile app market has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. According to an earlier report by Portio Research Ltd., total cumulative app downloads sat at 37 billion in 2011. An additional 46 billion apps were downloaded in 2012. According to Gartner, Inc., by 2017, mobile apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times. I’d say this makes apps one of the most popular computing tools for users around the world.
At EC&M, we’ve now tracked the development, introduction, and use of apps in the electrical sector for nearly four years. Our coverage has slowly shifted from broad-use applications to electrically specific applications. We’ve run a few articles that show how electrical engineers, electrical contractors, electrical technicians, and electricians are using these apps to assist with their daily work activities. For example, we know electrical designers use apps to verify adherence to various code requirements and perform design calculations. We know field workers use apps to help them properly bend and size conduit, check voltage drop, perform load calculations, and size wire/cable.
As part of our continuing efforts on this front, our cover story this month, “A New APProach to Logistics,” offers an inside look at how the No. 4 electrical contractor on EC&M’s Top 50 list is leveraging the power of mobile technology to overcome miscommunication and disorganization on job sites. Using homegrown apps, the contractor is delivering real-time, on-the-ground material, and equipment data to its field personnel. The use of handheld devices and apps form a tool to improve productivity and reduce cost. It’s a fascinating peek into the future of project management that highlights the benefits of leveraging mobile technology in today’s workplace.
But that’s not all we’re doing on the app front. Because there are so many commercial apps out there to choose from, we thought you might appreciate it if we helped narrow the field down to apps that help electrical designers and installers complete their projects more efficiently. Our initial research turned up dozens of electrical apps for use on Android and/or Apple devices. But to see them, you must visit the EC&M website at www.ecmweb.com. Our first group of eight apps covers the topics of the NEC and other electrical code requirements, electrical design formulas, voltage drop, conduit bending, and even a solar tracker to help design PV systems. Future groupings will cover the topics of NFPA 70E, electrical design, box and conduit fill, and LEDs. Our goal is to serve them up on a regular basis throughout the year.
