DEPT. OF ECE · COIMBATOREYour World Is Full of Stories. Start Mapping Them.
GeoRoots turns a phone into a field survey tool. Log hand pumps, roads, drains, streetlights, shelters and hazards with your phone's GPS. Each point is saved with its accuracy, place and time, and shows up on a live map for your group.
Every place has a story. Every point adds a perspective.
One Map. Two Separate Communities.
Amrita users and public users log to separate data stores. Each group sees only its own points, and administrators see both. Switch the view below to try it. The markers here are sample points for illustration, not real submissions.
Access matrix
| Content | Amrita user | Public user | Administrator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amrita points (students & faculty) | ✓ Visible | ✕ Not sent | ✓ Visible |
| Public points (general users) | ✕ Not sent | ✓ Visible | ✓ Visible |
| Export of data | After admin approval | After admin approval | ✓ Approves requests |
This is enforced on the server, not just hidden on screen. Amrita and public points are kept in two separate database tables, and the app asks the server only for the points of the signed-in user's own group.
What GeoRoots Does
Everything below is built into the current app.
From Field to Map in Four Steps
Register
One page in the app: verify your phone with an SMS code, complete the Aadhaar check and live photo, and sign the consent form. An administrator approves it and you are told by e-mail and SMS.
Stand at the spot
The app follows your phone's GPS and shows the fix quality live, so you know when the position is good.
Log the point
Pick one of 33 categories, add a note and photos, and save. If there's no signal, the point waits in the offline queue.
See it on the map
Your point appears on the map and in the Survey Ledger, visible only to your own group.
Real Screens from GeoRoots
Screenshots from the current build, shown with sample survey points around Coimbatore.
Precision Matters. Transparency Builds Trust.
GeoRoots uses only your phone's own GPS. It doesn't invent or smooth positions: every coordinate shown or stored comes from a real fix, and the phone's reported accuracy is saved with the point so anyone reading the data knows how much to trust it.
What every point carries
altitude 412.0 m
accuracy ± reported by the phone (m)
fix · sats · HDOP fix type, satellites, dilution
category · notes · photos
reporter · timestamp ISO 8601
Example layout. Values come from the device at the moment of logging.
Why GPS accuracy varies
- Phone GPS chip and antenna quality
- Open sky versus buildings, tree cover and valleys
- Weather and how many satellites are in view
- Time since the GPS started: a fix gets better after a short wait
Getting the best fix
- Turn on high-accuracy location for GeoRoots
- Stand in the open and wait for the fix indicator to settle
- Check the accuracy shown in the GPS stamp before you save
Survey-grade, centimetre-level positioning would need extra GNSS hardware and isn't part of the current build.
GeoRoots at a Glance
Reference data and coverage that ship with the app.
One Platform. Many Ways to Map.
GeoRoots was designed for these kinds of work.
About GeoRoots
GeoRoots replaces paper charts and scattered photos with a shared, geo-referenced record of community infrastructure. It was built by students of the Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, for field surveys, campus mapping and disaster preparedness.