I've been building apps on and off for years, and the biggest thing I've had to learn to let go of is pixel-perfect UI.
The designer in me would obsess over design details. This time I've prioritised function, as it's a tool I'm actually going to use myself in real date palm fieldwork.
Currently, I'm working on an offline-first Progressive Web App (PWA) for date palm ash characterisation in Iraq. I'm looking at how Phoenix dactylifera can possibly feed into more sustainable glaze recipes. As a UK-based researcher with Iraqi heritage, I'm designing this for reality:
→ Works 100% offline; uploads data when you have a stable connection
→ Bilingual Arabic/English with proper RTL support, grounded in open science principles, particularly around accessibility and equity.
→ Optimised for mid-range devices in different climate to the UK
→ Built-in photo compression, so the app behaves like a focussed research tool, rather than something which is designed to keep people scrolling.
This sits alongside multiple efforts to revitalise the date palms population in Iraq, where the data has the potential to inform long-term planning rather than just sitting in spreadsheets. How can we make a 'tree' that is part of national identity count? The cultural references are vast, but not all of the materials available in the world are understood or documented.
This connects to the broader question I explore in my work: whose knowledge builds technical systems? When research infrastructure is designed elsewhere, it rarely fits the context. So I'm building it myself, with ethical research practices built in from the start: informed consent workflows, data sovereignty for local communities, and transparent documentation of how data will be used.
What's done:
- Core framework (Svelte + TypeScript)
- UX mapped for speed and clarity in field conditions, informed by how users experience field data collection in Iraq
- Frictionless decision patterns (no one wants to be fighting with forms in the field)
What's next?
- Cloud storage integration (using existing infrastructure)
- Field testing in Iraq (originally planned for March 2026)
- XRF/XRD compositional analysis of collected ash samples
- Integrating my existing ML system for glaze sustainability prediction (applying ISO 42001 frameworks because I'm designing governance, not just following it).
- Making it freely available for other researchers in Iraq and the wider region, particularly around date palms and sustainable materials.
Under the hood, the app uses browser storage (IndexedDB), so data is safe even when the connection drops. Researchers don't need to worry about losing the observational data they collated in the middle of a session.
Open to research collaborations in Iraq. Particularly if you're working on date palms, sustainable materials, agricultural data systems, or ethical tech governance that centres local knowledge.
The landing page isn't fancy, but it's built to solve real problems. Data collection which respects the context, researchers reality, and the communities whose land and trees we're working with.
Working independently as a UK-registered business gives me the flexibility to build for users, not bureaucracy.
If you're working on research tools, sustainable materials, or building tech for Iraq, I'd love to hear from you!
🇮🇶❤️🌴
