Global

Building a Cross-PlatformSO₂ Monitoring App for Public Alerts and Offline Access

Environment · Australian Market · Mobile App Development · 2 Members · 2 months

The client was already monitoring SO₂ around the clock, but the surrounding community needed a simpler way to understand changing conditions without interpreting raw readings. We turned that data into a cross-platform mobile experience with clear statuses, a 24-hour westerly wind forecast, proactive alerts, and offline access. Development was completed for iOS and Android through one shared codebase, creating the foundation for a unified public information channel while App Store submission remains in progress.

Client Context

The client is a global mining and resources company operating large scale mining, mineral processing, and smelting facilities. Its operations are supported by an ải-quality monitoring network that tracks sulphur dioxide (SO₂) levels around the surrounding community.

The client needed a new public-facing mobile application that could present environmental monitoring data, forecasts, and urgent alerts in an accessible format for local residents.

Services

Mobile App Development

Market

Australia

Team

2 members

Duration

2 months

Business Challenges

The client needed a public mobile channel that could present current SO₂ readings in a clear format, show the likelihood of westerly winds that could influence local conditions, and deliver immediate warnings when the backend identified an elevated status.

Limited Access to Current Air Quality Data

SO₂ data was available within the company’s monitoring system, but local residents needed a convenient way to view current station readings, backend-defined statuses, and the 24-hour westerly wind forecast on their phones.

Need for Timely SO₂ Alerts

Residents needed a way to stay informed without continuously monitoring station readings in the application. This made backend-triggered push notifications an important requirement for surfacing elevated conditions when the application was closed or running in the background.

Complex Interpretation of Monitoring Data

Residents needed to identify which monitoring stations required attention without interpreting SO₂ concentration figures on their own. The application therefore needed to pair each station reading with a clear status and colour-coded timeline.

Unreliable Access During Connectivity Disruptions

Mobile connectivity might not always be available when residents needed information. If the application displayed no data while offline, the public service would become less useful.

Our Approach

Newwave Solutions treated the application as a public information channel for the surrounding community. The app backend remained responsible for supplying station readings, classifying each station as “Satisfactory” or “Increased Likelihood,” and triggering alerts, while the application did not calculate SO₂ thresholds locally. The user experience was designed to present this information through station-level readings and statuses, a colour-coded 24-hour westerly wind forecast, current-hour emission reduction information, and push notifications. Reliability was considered across both routine use and changing environmental conditions. The team separated scheduled data updates from urgent alerts and retained the latest available information during connectivity disruptions. This approach balanced public accessibility, data consistency and responsible environmental communication.

Technical Decisions

The technical design combined cross-platform delivery, server-controlled data interpretation, timely alerting and resilient access under changing network conditions.

Flutter Shared Codebase

Flutter was selected to deliver both iOS and Android applications from one codebase. This supported consistent behavior across platforms while reducing development and maintenance effort for a compact two person team.

Backend Controlled Status Classification

SO₂ readings and status classifications remained under the client’s existing backend instead of being calculated on individual devices. This maintained one authoritative source and reduced the risk of inconsistent thresholds or interpretations across application versions.

Scheduled Refresh and Event Driven Alerts

Routine data was refreshed every five minutes, while urgent alerts were delivered separately through Firebase Cloud Messaging. This separated scheduled data updates from urgent notifications, so an alert did not have to wait for the next five-minute refresh cycle.

Local Data Caching and Reconnection Handling

The application stored the latest available readings for display when connectivity was lost. Once the connection returned, it requested fresh data immediately, preventing blank screens and restoring current information without requiring user action.

Collaboration Method

Newwave Solutions worked with the client through a project-based delivery model, aligning responsibilities across requirement analysis, development, testing, deployment and App Store submission. A compact two-person team maintained direct communication with the client to clarify data behavior, confirm user facing requirements and coordinate the information required at each delivery stage.

Risk Handling

During App Store review, the first rejection under Guideline 2.1 requested a physical-device screen recording and fuller explanations of the application’s functions and external services.

A second rejection under Guideline 4.3(a) flagged its similarity to an earlier AQMI application. The previous listing could not be removed because its developer account had expired. Apple suggested separating the storefronts, but this was not suitable for an application serving one region in Australia. Newwave Solutions prepared the requested evidence, kept the client informed, and assessed alternative submission options.

As of September 2026, the review remained unresolved, with follow-up taking more than ten days.

Delivered Results

Simplified Presentation of Environmental Monitoring Data

Station readings, simplified statuses, and visual forecasts were brought into one mobile experience. This enables the client to communicate complex monitoring information in a form that residents can understand without interpreting raw environmental data independently.

Immediate Push Delivery for Backend Alerts

Urgent alerts can be delivered directly to users even when the application is closed, without waiting for the standard five-minute refresh cycle. This shifts public communication from manual checking to proactive notification and shortens the path between a backend alert and user awareness.

More Resilient Mobile Information Access

A shared application was prepared for both iOS and Android, while local caching preserves the latest available readings during connectivity loss. Automatic refresh after reconnection restores current information without user action, reducing blank states and supporting a more dependable public service.

Business Impact

The application was developed to extend the client’s environmental monitoring information into an accessible mobile channel for the surrounding community. By combining station-level SO₂ readings, backend-defined statuses, a 24-hour westerly wind forecast, and push alerts, it is designed to help residents understand current conditions without interpreting raw figures or repeatedly checking for updates.

Links to the clint's website, 24/7 community hotline, and technical support email also provide clear routes to further information, community feedback, and application support. In this way, the product supports the client’s broader commitment to safety, responsibility, and open community engagement. Its public impact will be evaluated after release.