Monitoring & Inspections

Track hive inspections, answer custom questions, and use voice assistance

Overview

The Monitoring feature helps beekeepers conduct systematic hive inspections and track colony health over time. It includes customizable inspection questions, a voice assistant (Maya), and integration with hive management data.

What is Monitoring?

Monitoring in Softbee refers to the systematic process of:

• Conducting hive inspections
• Answering standardized or custom questions about colony conditions
• Recording observations and measurements
• Using voice assistance for hands-free data entry
• Generating reports based on inspection history

Monitoring Overview Page

The monitoring hub provides three main pathways:

Colmena

Access hive management and detailed hive information

Preguntas

Create and manage custom inspection questions

Maya

Voice assistant for hands-free inspections (coming soon)

Implementation: lib/feature/monitoring/presentation/pages/monitoring_overview_page.dart

Navigation

From the monitoring overview, users can:

• Navigate to beehive management for the selected apiary
• Access the questions management interface
• Launch the Maya voice assistant (future feature)

Routes:

• Colmena → /apiaries/:id/beehives
• Preguntas → /apiaries/:id/questions
• Maya → (placeholder)

Inspection Questions

The questions system allows beekeepers to create standardized checklists for consistent inspections.

Question Entity

Each question contains structured metadata:

class Pregunta {
  final String id;
  final String apiarioId;           // Scoped to specific apiary
  final String texto;                // Question text
  final String tipoRespuesta;        // Response type
  final String? categoria;           // Optional category
  final bool obligatoria;            // Required flag
  final List<String>? opciones;      // Options for choice questions
  final int? min;                    // Min value for numeric
  final int? max;                    // Max value for numeric
  final int orden;                   // Display order
  final bool activa;                 // Active/inactive
}

Source: lib/feature/monitoring/domain/entities/question_model.dart

Question Types

Questions can have different response formats:

1. Texto (Text): Free-form text answers
2. Número (Number): Numeric values with optional min/max
3. Selección (Choice): Multiple choice from predefined options
4. Sí/No (Yes/No): Boolean questions
5. Fecha (Date): Date/time stamps

Creating Questions

Beekeepers can create custom questions tailored to their management style.

1. Navigate to Questions

   From the monitoring overview, click “Preguntas” to open the questions management page.

2. Add New Question

   Click the “Add Question” button to open the question creation form.

3. Configure Question

   Provide:

   • Texto: The question text (e.g., “¿Se observó la reina?”)
   • Tipo de Respuesta: Select the response type
   • Categoría: Optional grouping (e.g., “Salud”, “Producción”)
   • Obligatoria: Mark if answer is required
   • Opciones: For choice questions, provide answer options
   • Orden: Set the display order in the inspection checklist
4. Save Question

   The question is saved and added to your apiary’s inspection checklist.

Implementation: lib/feature/monitoring/presentation/pages/questions_management_page.dart

Example Questions

Common inspection questions might include:

Health Category:

• ¿Se observó la reina? (Yes/No)
• Nivel de población de abejas (Alta/Media/Baja)
• ¿Hay presencia de varroa? (Yes/No)
• ¿Se detectaron enfermedades? (Text)

Production Category:

• Número de cuadros con miel (Number, 0-10)
• ¿Se agregó alza de producción? (Yes/No)
• Estimado de producción en kg (Number)

Management Category:

• ¿Se realizó tratamiento? (Yes/No)
• Tipo de tratamiento aplicado (Text)
• ¿Se alimentó la colonia? (Yes/No)

Question Categories

Organize questions into logical groups:

• Salud (Health): Disease, pests, queen status
• Producción (Production): Honey, wax, pollen collection
• Población (Population): Bee numbers, brood pattern
• Manejo (Management): Treatments, feeding, equipment

Conducting Inspections

While inspecting hives, beekeepers can:

1. View the checklist of questions for the apiary
2. Answer each question systematically
3. Record observations and measurements
4. Save the inspection record with timestamp

Consistent use of the same questions over time allows for trend analysis and data-driven decision making.

Maya Voice Assistant

Maya is a planned voice assistant feature for hands-free inspections.

Planned Capabilities

• Voice-activated recording: Speak answers during inspection
• Hands-free operation: No need to handle phone with gloved hands
• Natural language processing: Understand spoken answers
• Auto-transcription: Convert speech to structured data

The Maya feature is currently in development. The monitoring overview includes a placeholder for future integration.

Implementation: lib/feature/monitoring/presentation/pages/monitoring_overview_page.dart:440-461

Data Management

Question Repository

Questions are managed through a dedicated repository:

Repository: lib/feature/monitoring/data/repositories/question_repository_impl.dart

Data Source: lib/feature/monitoring/data/datasources/question_remote_datasource.dart

State Management

Monitoring state uses Riverpod providers:

final questionsControllerProvider = StateNotifierProvider<QuestionsController, QuestionsState>(...)

Source: lib/feature/monitoring/presentation/providers/questions_controller.dart

UI Components

The monitoring feature includes custom widgets for inspection workflows.

Widgets: lib/feature/monitoring/presentation/widgets/monitoring_widgets.dart

Common components:

• Question display cards
• Answer input fields
• Validation indicators
• Progress tracking

Responsive Design

The monitoring overview adapts to different screen sizes:

• Desktop (900px and above): 3-column grid layout
• Tablet/Mobile (900px and below): Vertical stacked cards

Implementation: lib/feature/monitoring/presentation/pages/monitoring_overview_page.dart:219-252

Integration with Beehives

Monitoring integrates closely with beehive management:

• Inspection questions can reference specific hive attributes
• Answers can automatically update hive records
• Historical inspection data is linked to individual hives
• Reports combine hive metrics with inspection answers

See Beehive Management for hive-specific details.

Best Practices

Create a standard set of questions that you answer at every inspection. This consistency makes it easier to spot trends and anomalies.

• Use categories to organize questions logically
• Mark critical questions as obligatory (required)
• Set appropriate display order for inspection flow
• Keep question text clear and concise
• Use choice questions for standardized answers
• Use numeric questions for measurable values
• Deactivate (don’t delete) seasonal questions you don’t need year-round

Inspection Workflow

A typical inspection session:

1. Navigate to Monitoring

   Select the apiary you want to inspect from the dashboard.

2. Choose Inspection Method

   • Use “Colmena” for individual hive updates
   • Use “Preguntas” for checklist-based inspection
   • Use “Maya” for voice-guided inspection (coming soon)
3. Answer Questions

   Work through the question checklist systematically, hive by hive.

4. Save Inspection

   Save the completed inspection with timestamp and any photos or notes.

5. Review Summary

   Check the summary for any red flags or items needing immediate attention.

Color Coding

The monitoring UI uses color coding for quick visual reference:

• Yellow/Amber: Default monitoring color theme
• Green: Healthy status, positive indicators
• Blue: Informational, Maya assistant
• Orange: Attention needed
• Red: Critical issues or warnings

Future Enhancements

Planned improvements to monitoring:

• Photo attachments: Add images to inspection records
• Weather integration: Automatically log weather conditions
• Trend charts: Visualize inspection data over time
• Alerts: Notifications for concerning patterns
• Shared templates: Import question sets from other beekeepers
• Maya voice assistant: Full hands-free inspection support

Related Features

• Beehives - Manage individual hives
• Apiaries - Organize locations
• Reports (coming soon) - Generate inspection reports