What We Do

Full Stack Solutions

With extensive experience in both front-end and back-end development, Meridian Computing specializes in building full-stack solutions. On the back end, we can use LAMP stacks or the Windows .NET framework, SQL databases, and server-side PHP frameworks like Laravel and Yii. For the front end, we have used everything from vanilla HTML/CSS/JavaScript to complete libraries and frameworks like React, Angular, jQuery, and Ember. Coupled with our expertise in mobile application development, we are capable of creating complete software ecosystems.

The Safety Meeting App is one example of a complete solution developed by Meridian Computing. Read More... This project started when Nationwide Local Contractors (NWLC) came to us with an idea. They had been providing safety training to contractors for years in the form of classes and printed manuals, and they saw an opportunity to move everything online. But they didn’t know how to get started.

We began by working with NWLC to define the initial set of requirements. There would be two mobile apps: one for iPhones and one for Android devices. There would be a customer portal — a web page with a dashboard that could be used in office settings. And there had to be an administrative portal for NWLC employees to manage the operations.

In addition, we needed a fully integrated back-end solution to support it all. For this project, a LAMP stack worked well, with Linux OS, Apache as the web server, MySQL as the database, and PHP as the programming language. As part of the client-server architecture, we defined and implemented a versatile custom API.

The result is Safety Meeting App, a training and compliance tool for contractors. Company owners and supervisors in any trade can schedule safety meetings or toolbox talks with their crews. They can choose from over 1,000 safety topics (in both English and Spanish), review the safety content with their teams, and record notes about the discussion. Along the way, they can easily record all the meeting details for future reference and OSHA compliance. They can take attendance and even capture a photo of the meeting attendees for documentation purposes.

Today, over 17,000 users have created more than 500,000 meetings with Safety Meeting App. Since its initial launch, we have added many new capabilities, including incident and accident documentation, safety checklists, PDF and CSV reports, electronic signatures, and more. We’ve also continually updated it to support new iOS and Android phones and tablets.

The requirements have evolved and the target audience has shifted toward large companies, which requires new features such as multiple levels of administrators and users. Yet the basic architecture has remained unchanged, demonstrating the benefits of our robust and flexible design.

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Mobile Apps

Building a mobile app is more than just producing pretty screens. For businesses, mobile apps are gateways into services, where security, efficiency, cloud storage, and integration are critical. And yes, having a compelling UI is important too. Meridian Computing produces apps that put business services in the hands of phone and tablet users. We develop for Android and iOS, and we embrace cross-platform technologies wherever possible so you get the most from your development dollars.

Consider our work for Tridonic, whose mobile apps helped launch a new smart lighting product line. Read More...

Tridonic is a global provider of smart lighting solutions. Their latest offering, net4more, combines networks of lights, sensors, switches, and other "Internet of Things" (IoT) devices into a connected system that monitors energy consumption and alerts administrators when something goes wrong. There is more to this than flipping a switch and turning on a light!

Meridian Computing served as lead developers on the two net4more mobile apps.

4commissioning

4commissioning is an Android app for configuring net4more installations. We solved several challenging engineering problems while developing the 4commissioning app:

User experience: Rendering hundreds of devices in a floorplan while keeping the app responsive
Data management: Storing data locally and synchronizing with a sporadically reachable server
Modularity: Developing reusable components for integration into different apps and services

By solving these problems, we provided lighting planners with a flexible and powerful tool for configuring their net4more installations.

4remote

People toggle a switch and expect the lights to go on, and they expect it to happen instantaneously. A smart lighting system must meet this standard for ease of use or end users will view the system as a failure. 4remote achieves this goal with single-button controls for turning lights on and off and invoking lighting scenes. It communicates state changes with small payloads over WebSockets, so updates can be initiated by client or server and changes can be displayed immediately. 4remote is designed for use on a phone, but it can be integrated into other form factors such as wall-based touch panels. This means end users experience a consistent look and feel at every touch point of the system.

A primary goal in our 4remote project was to support two mobile platforms while minimizing redundant code. To that end, we employed j2ObjC to cross-compile Java code into Objective-C wherever possible. This allowed us to write large portions of the code base in Java and use it in both the Android and iOS implementations. Our client saved time and money as a result, and we simplified the task of supporting two native implementations going forward.

The 4commissioning app is available on Google Play, while the 4remote app is available on Google Play and the App Store.

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Web Analytics & Tagging

At Meridian Computing, we understand that Web analytics, testing, and advertising are essential ingredients for a successful e-commerce website—and we have a variety of tools at our disposal. Serving a wide range of clients, we use Adobe Analytics (Omniture), Webtrends, and Google Analytics, and we support A/B testing using Adobe Target and Optimizely. We also work with third-party vendors to implement all types of marketing tags, from advertising to conversion, in pixel form or as JavaScript. In all cases, the HTML and Javascript can be embedded into the website itself or injected with a tag manager such as Ensighten, Tealium, Adobe's Dynamic Tag Management (DTM), or Google Tag Manager (GTM).

As one example, we have worked closely with online retailer Maurices to meet their analytics and tagging needs. Read More...

Maurices is an American women's clothing retail chain with approximately 1,000 stores and significant online sales through the maurices.com website. The site has a standard e-commerce backend, but the marketing team chose to use the Ensighten Tag Manager to inject the needed code. This allows a data-driven company like Maurices to be more agile in their measurement and third-party updates as compared with a more traditional IT flow.

During initial site implementation, we defined a Data Layer (DL) for communication between the page code and the Ensighten Tag Manager. Included in the DL are static data (page name, product SKU, etc.) as well as events (e.g. Add To Cart, Start Checkout). This abstraction layer insulates the tagging code from any changes to the site HTML.

Adobe Analytics is used for reporting and analysis of user interactions on the site. We created an Adobe Solution Design Reference (SDR) and wrote custom JavaScript code that maps the Data Layer to Omniture events and variables. This is also integrated with Adobe Target, which allows for A/B testing of new user experiences.

Ensighten is also used to inject all web tags and tracking pixels for impressions, clicks, events, and order conversions. As new third-party vendors are contracted for advertising, recommendations, outfitting, and other features, we prototype the new code in Ensighten and can quickly deploy it once validation is complete.

This approach, combined with our deep expertise, has given Maurices a dynamic, responsive system for new website features, analytics, A/B testing, and third-party tagging. Over the years, we have successfully adopted elements of this solution for many retail clients.

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Medical Applications

Software for the medical industry presents special challenges, and our experience in this domain sets Meridian Computing apart from run-of-the-mill software shops. We develop software for controlling surgical equipment, implementing custom controls based on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and .NET, and deployed with a touchscreen display — all part of tackling the usability issues that arise in an operating room. We also produce diagnostic applications with detailed visualizations and drill-downs into exam data. Client-side implementations are based on WPF or a JavaScript-based charting and graphing library such as D3. In every case, we collaborate with the client to define a software stack appropriate for their solution.

Carl Zeiss Meditec is a client for whom we developed not one but two applications for controlling medical devices. Read More...

Carl Zeiss Meditec (CZM) is a medical equipment provider offering hardware and software solutions for ophthalmology, neurology, radiotherapy, and surgical disciplines. We teamed up with CZM to produce the Humphrey Field Analyzer 3 (HFA3), the industry-leading perimetry device for diagnosing glaucoma and other visual field ailments, and a not-yet-released fundus imaging application.

Both of these solutions contain optical and mechanical components for conducting ophthalmology tests. Under the hood, software stores and retrieves patient records, drives the hardware, and generates reports. We implemented the front end of these systems: The user interface and the API between the application layers and the underlying business logic.

CZM software runs on a .NET-based software stack. Our implementations employ WPF for the UI layers and C# for the "code behind" and the models, view models, and other pieces. Data binding serves as a two-way street for propagating changes: User interactions drive changes in the hardware, while state changes from the hardware induce updates in the UI. We developed custom controls for conducting tests and displaying results, including animations and graphs to aid with visualizing results.

On some projects, Meridian Computing implements entire end-to-end solutions. For the CZM projects, we were part of a larger team, serving as staff augmentation for existing engineering groups at the client company. For the HFA3, our partner UEGroup designed the user interface, and we implemented it — a prime example of the teamwork you get with Meridian Computing and our trusted partners.

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Our Partners

UEGroup helps companies research, design, and develop amazing customer experiences. UEGroup's services include usability testing, ethnography, and expert review as well as UX/UI design, industrial design, and graphic design. Working together, the UEGroup team of experts can provide actionable insights on ideas and implementations — and translate this feedback into compelling products.

ACR is a digital marketing consultancy fueled by analytics, offering a range of services including Tag Management, Web Analytics, and Optimization. The ACR Analytics team includes analysts, consultants, solution architects and developers. They serve as trusted advisors to clients, providing guidance and industry acumen to help clients achieve real impact and growth.

For over 25 years, Articulate Solutions has been delivering award-winning creative services, communications, and cutting edge brands for clients in South County, Silicon Valley, and across the globe. They provide a full range of creative services that deliver lasting results, from brand development and marketing collateral to advertising campaigns and social media management.