BookingSync
Homepage
BookingSync grew out of one line of code into a community of 160 investors. In 2014, they raised the first round of investment, more than $1M USD in a fundraising blitz of only 15 days.
Studies have shown that less than 6% of Africa's farmland is irrigated, highlighting the urgent need for innovative solutions like solar-powered water pumps to enhance agricultural productivity and resilience. In many regions, farmers face significant challenges in managing their water resources efficiently to sustain their crops and livestock. Erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts exacerbate these issues, making access to reliable water sources critical.
Solar-powered water pumps offer a sustainable solution, but determining daily water consumption needs and the technical requirements for these pumps is a complex task, often beyond the expertise of the average farmer. Traditional methods involve navigating intricate Excel spreadsheets, leading to frequent errors, delays, and the need for expert intervention. This inefficient process needs to improve farmers' ability to make timely and accurate decisions, affecting their productivity and livelihoods.
Ragnarson, specializing in climate tech and startups, partnered with Margraf Publishers and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) to develop a custom software application. This case study outlines how Ragnarson addressed these challenges by focusing on the client's software and business goals. The result was a user-friendly, impactful solution that empowers African farmers to optimise their water usage effectively, thus improving their productivity and livelihoods.
BookingSync is a cloud-based vacation rental system that serves as a friend to owners, managers, and agencies during each step of the vacation rental management process. The team developed simple and easy-to-use software that provides two-way synchronization with major booking platforms like Airbnb and booking.com and handles double booking problem.
.svg)
.svg)
When BookingSync launched the product, the infrastructure was appropriate, but as the scope of operations grew and the platform gained new features, it began to be insufficient. It became obvious that they needed more scalability. This required a smooth and fail-safe transition towards AWS from legacy servers to build a scalable system and cloud monitoring solution.
Infrastructure is now managed and deployed automatically with Terraform and Chef.
It meets all of the requirements: from deployment, security, maintenance to troubleshooting, monitoring, routing, and network configuration.
We performed seamless migration so their team experienced no interruptions in the workflow process.
We set up monitoring and notifications with a proper escalation hierarchy.
Our consultants investigated workflows and assessed infrastructure and software development processes.
We provide ongoing maintenance and monitoring. Whenever something goes wrong, we are ready to take action immediately.
The whole infrastructure is constantly evolving towards the most optimal solutions available on the market.
We provided detailed developer documentation covering the architecture of the AWS infrastructure.
We utilised Ruby on Rails for server-side development, ensuring simplicity with core functionalities focused on authentication and data persistence.
It was built using React for a dynamic and responsive user interface.
Implemented Tanstack Query for advanced caching and offline support, ensuring the application could function without a stable internet connection.
Used React Router for straightforward routing and DaisyUI for system design, ensuring a user-friendly interface.
The development process involved iterative cycles with continuous feedback from the client, ensuring the final product met the users' specific needs.
Original complex Excel formulas were simplified and integrated into the application with the help of the client’s experts.
The new web application replaced complex Excel files, reducing errors and eliminating the need for expert intervention. Farmers can now easily determine their water requirements and the technical specifications for solar-powered water pumps.
The offline mode ensures that farmers in regions with poor internet connectivity can still use the application effectively.
The app’s design is simple, straightforward, and accessible, catering to users with limited technical expertise. Responsive design ensures usability across different devices, including mobile phones.
Users can download detailed PDF reports of their input data and results, providing a valuable resource for record-keeping and decision-making.
Ragnarson successfully developed a web application for Margraf Publishers that addressed significant challenges faced by African farmers. Leveraging expertise in climate tech, startup development, and impactful software solutions, the team delivered a user-friendly, efficient, and accessible tool.
This project streamlined determining water and pump requirements, empowering farmers with reliable, easy-to-use technology. By providing a solution that simplifies complex calculations and reduces errors, the application significantly contributes to sustainable agriculture practices in Africa.
Through close collaboration and a focus on the client's software and business goals, the project ensured the success and growth of Margraf Publishers in the climate tech sector. This strategic partnership met immediate needs and laid the groundwork for future innovations in sustainable farming solutions.
I liked their proactive attitude at identifying the issues beyond the initial requirements and offering solutions for them. The team draws from their past experience to offer critical insight into technical challenges. That helped them foresee most of the issues and solve them upfront, instead of dealing with the consequences, which saves lots of time and money in the long run.
