Case study · Vicugna

Field software that keeps working without connectivity.

An offline-first React Native application built for agricultural and conservation work in places where a dependable network connection cannot be assumed.

Role: Software Engineer
Platform: React Native
System: Offline-first + API
Status: Shipped application

The problem

Field teams need to collect and revise information while working far from dependable connectivity. A network-first application would turn ordinary signal loss into lost work, blocked sessions, or duplicated data.

Vicugna needed to remain useful offline, preserve local work across interruptions, and synchronize safely when connectivity returned.

Constraints

Intermittent or nonexistent rural connectivity.
Data must survive restarts and interrupted work.
Multiple revisions may exist before synchronization.
Field users need recovery, not technical troubleshooting.

What I owned

Requirements into application behavior
React Native and TypeScript workflow
Local database, API, and PostgreSQL
Synchronization and conflict handling
Jest, Detox, and real-device testing
Debugging and release preparation

Selected decisions

Write locally first

Persist field work on the device before the network becomes part of the workflow.

Protect revisions

Make stale writes visible instead of silently replacing newer information.

Test failure paths

Cover interrupted sessions, reconnection, repeated actions, and recovery behavior.

Result

A shipped application designed to keep field work moving when connectivity becomes unreliable.