Get the day's run
Approved orders arrive as a run organised by headgate, so the rider sees the route rather than a list of requests to sort out themselves.
Ditch rider software
Ditch rider software that works where there is no signal.
The rider is the one user who is never at a desk and almost never in coverage. Loamio's field app is offline-first: the day's run on a phone, two taps to log a delivery at the structure, and automatic sync the moment the device is back in range. No paper run sheet to get wet, and no phone call to the office three hours later.
Offline first
Not offline-tolerant. Offline-first.
Most software treats no-signal as an error state. On a ditch it is the normal state. Loamio's field app holds the run locally, accepts every entry the rider makes at the headgate without a connection, and reconciles when service returns — so the office typically sees field updates within minutes of the rider getting back in range, rather than at the end of the day if someone remembers.
The run
What the rider actually does with it.
Log what happened
Delivered, skipped, or partial — recorded at the structure with a note if it needs one. What the office reads is what the rider saw, not a reconstruction.
Check the map
Headgates, turnouts, and laterals on a cached basemap. Load it on Wi-Fi in the morning and it keeps working out on the ditch.
See where water is running
The hydraulic schematic, read-only, shows which turnouts are active right now — useful during a shutoff or when a shortage is being managed.
Built for the conditions
One-handed, outdoors, sometimes with gloves.
- Large tap targets. Standalone controls in the field views are sized to be hit reliably one-handed, which is the difference between logging a delivery and putting it off.
- Two taps to log a delivery. The common action is the short one. A run that takes a minute per structure does not get done.
- Nothing lost on a dead battery or a dropped call. Entries are held on the device until they are confirmed synced.
- No per-user charge. A second and third rider cost nothing extra — pricing is flat at $99–$299/mo regardless of headcount.
What the office gets
The field stops being a black box.
Every logged delivery lands against the patron's order and flows straight onto the share-based ledger, so season-to-date usage is current rather than reconstructed at assessment time. Skips and partials are recorded as what they were, which is what makes a delivery dispute answerable months later. The office is no longer a step behind the ditch.
Questions
Ditch rider software, answered.
What is ditch rider software?
It gives the rider the day's run on a phone instead of a paper run sheet, and lets them record what actually happened at each structure — delivered, skipped, partial, plus notes — so the office sees the field without a phone call. The hard requirement is that it works with no cell signal, because most headgates have none.
Does the app work offline?
Yes, and offline-first rather than merely offline-tolerant. Riders mark deliveries, skips, and notes at the headgate with no signal, and changes sync automatically once the device is back in range — so the office sees updates within minutes of the rider getting service. Map tiles cache the same way after the map has loaded on Wi-Fi.
Do riders cost extra per user?
No. Pricing is flat — $99/mo Lateral, $299/mo District — with no per-user and no per-shareholder charges. A second or third rider does not change the bill, and the offline field app is included in Lateral rather than held back for a higher tier.
Can a rider use the district map in the field?
Yes. Headgates, turnouts, and laterals are drawn on the district map, and tiles stay cached on the phone after the map has been opened on Wi-Fi. Riders can also open the read-only hydraulic schematic to see which turnouts have water running through them.
What stops a rider changing something they should not?
Access is role-based. A rider records deliveries and notes against their assigned run; the schematic is read-only for everyone, and administrative functions like billing and share edits are not available to a rider account at all.
Related: Irrigation district software · Water order management · Ditch & canal mapping · Hydraulic schematic · Loamio vs. WaterMaster
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