Introduction
“Access to data collected on wearables is not an easy task and can become a huge burden for a project.”
More and more universities, research institutes, medical organisations and businesses are considering utilizing wearables in their projects to collect and analyze health and activity data. For some already known, for others a big surprise, access to data collected on wearables is not an easy task and can become a huge burden for a project.
The reason is that consumer wearables such as Garmin, Polar, Fitbit, Apple, etc. are targeted for consumer use which means that a single person is wearing the device and only that person is able to view the data of the wearable in its companion app. This restriction makes it difficult or even impossible for projects to collect and analyze data from multiple users and wearables for their use cases.
However, wearable manufacturers have understood and recognized the demand of accessing their wearable data in project contexts such as research studies, patient monitoring, clinical trials and athlete coaching. The solution manufacturers are offering are interfaces — “APIs” and “SDKs”.
One critical early decision to be made in a project is whether the manufacturer interface (API or SDK) should be self-integrated or a ready-made plug-n-play solution should be purchased. This dilemma, known as the “MAKE or BUY” decision needs to be decided during project planning and prior project budgeting as it will significantly impact time and cost.
In this article, we’ll explore the considerations involved in the MAKE or BUY decision at the example of integrating Garmin wearables in a data collection and analysis research project.
Understanding the Garmin Interfaces
“Interface integration requires profound technical knowledge and development skills.”
Garmin wearable data can be accessed via Garmin interfaces. Garmin provides data access via two types of interfaces — (1) API and (2) SDK.
An API (Application Programming Interface) and an SDK (Software Development Kit) are related concepts in software development, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. It defines the methods and data formats that applications can use to request and exchange information.
An SDK is a set of tools, libraries, documentation, and code samples that assist developers in building applications for a specific software platform, hardware platform, or framework.
In summary, while an API is focused on defining interfaces and protocols for communication between software components, an SDK provides a comprehensive set of tools and resources to help developers build applications for a specific platform or system, often leveraging the underlying APIs.
In the Garmin ecosystem, the Garmin API provides basic health and activity data access and requires each Garmin device to be associated with a Garmin user account via the Garmin Connect mobile app. Data is sent from the device to the Garmin Connect App which forwards it to the Garmin server where it is exposed via the Garmin API where it can be consumed by the project app or database.
Examples of Garmin API data: Steps at 15mins intervals, Distance at 15mins intervals, Activities, Heartrate and Stress at 60s intervals, Sleep, Respiration and PulseOx at 3 mins intervals, RMSSD during sleep.
The Garmin SDK provides extended health and activity data access including logging data at configurable intervals. The SDK communicates directly with the Garmin device and thus does not require any associated Garmin user accounts. Instead, it requires the Garmin SDK to be integrated into a project specific mobile app to retrieve data from the Garmin device and forward it to the project backend and database.
Examples of Garmin SDK data: Steps at 60s intervals, Distance at 15mins intervals, Activities, Heartrate and Stress at 1s intervals, Sleep, Respiration and PulseOx at 1s intervals, 24/7 BBI, Zero Crossing at 1s intervals, Accelerometer at 25Hz and Gyroscope at 32Hz.
Both interfaces, API and SDK, require profound technical knowledge and development skills to integrate.
Ready-made plug-n-play solution
“Is there any app for that?”
This slogan became popular many years ago, highlighting the vast and diverse range of applications (apps) available to address a wide array of needs through third-party applications. The good news is, yes, there is an app to use Garmin wearables without the need to integrate interfaces!
The “Fitrockr Health Solutions” platform is such a ready-made app that provides a plug-n-play solution to collect and analyze data from Garmin wearables without the need of any technical or development knowledge.
The Fitrockr platform technically embeds both, the Garmin API and SDK and provides a mobile and web based application that can be used on a monthly subscription basis. Multiple Garmin wearables can be flexibly connected to the platform by simply entering a project-code or scanning a QR code.
All Garmin wearable data can be accessed and analyzed in real-time via the Fitrockr platform either on screen via diagrams or as Excel, CSV, JSON downloads. The platform itself runs as a secure ISO-certified, HIPAA-certified and GDPR-compliant cloud solution in any country of choice or as an on-premise installation at any project hosting center.
Additional features support the data collection process such as:
- Compliance tracking to ensure adherence to project and study protocols
- Collect participant survey and questionnaires feedback
- Notify, remind, instruct and communicate to users with app push notifications
- Assign goals and tasks to participants and track achievements
- Fully automate data synchronization with standardized Fitrockr API
Factors Influencing the Make or Buy Decision
So, what’s the best decision? Make or Buy?
Well, it depends.
There are pros and cons for both alternatives. The following factors provide insights to help derive the best decision for your specific project.
(1) Expertise and Resources
MAKE (integrate Garmin interfaces yourself):
⚠️ Do you have the necessary expertise in-house to develop and maintain a seamless integration with the Garmin API or SDK? If not, you will need to either invest in training or hire new talent. When it comes to hiring new talent, you should factor in how easy or difficult it is for your organisation or market to attract and also retain such talent.
BUY (use Fitrockr platform):
✅ The Fitrockr platform comes as a no-code plug-n-play solution. This means that no expertise knowledge is needed to use Garmin wearables and access data.
(2) Time-to-Market
MAKE (integrate Garmin interfaces yourself):
⚠️ Developing an integration will take considerable time, delaying your project‘s time-to-market. Depending on your project or product deadline, this can be a critical success factor.
BUY (use Fitrockr platform):
✅ Using a pre-built product is a much quicker solution. For instance, the Fitrockr platform is made available instantly without any waiting times.
(3) Scalability and Maintenance:
MAKE (integrate Garmin interfaces yourself):
⚠️ This criteria is often neglected as it represents the biggest part of the iceberg underneath the surface. Any software implementation requires ongoing maintenance, updates, monitoring and scalability investments. A few examples are:
- Garmin API and SDKs are regularly updated and enhanced which require ongoing changes to your project interfaces.
- User data and health data requires regular backups and established recovery routines.
- Infrastructure needs to be robust, scalable and able to cope with large data traffic.
- Solution needs to be kept secure and GDPR compliant. In case of patient data, additional compliance requirements need to be implemented and maintained.
- Infrastructure and error monitoring needs to be in place.
BUY (use Fitrockr platform):
✅ Using a professional application like the Fitrockr platform covers everything. Secure hosting, all data protection and security certifications, data backups and monitoring to ensure 24/7 availability and data consistency.
(4) Functionality Considerations
MAKE (integrate Garmin interfaces yourself):
✅ One of the biggest benefits of developing your own custom solution is that you can implement the functionality exactly as you need it in your project. No compromises need to be made.
BUY (use Fitrockr platform):
⚠️ Using a standard product such as Fitrockr may not provide exactly the functionality you have envisaged for your project and may require to compromise and establish workarounds. This downside may be resolved by using Fitrockr’s custom development services that provide bespoke features to make the Fitrockr platform fit to your specific project needs.
(5) Cost Considerations
MAKE (integrate Garmin interfaces yourself):
⚠️ Developing a custom integration and solution requires a significant investment in terms of time, money, and resources. You’ll need to hire and retain skilled developers, invest in infrastructure, and allocate time for testing and debugging. Continuous maintenance and support efforts need to be factored in as well. Also, while the Garmin API is license free, Garmin SDK usage comes with a yearly license fee.
BUY (use Fitrockr platform):
✅ Paying for the Fitrockr all-in-one ready-to-go solution comes at a fraction of the MAKE cost. For instance, monthly Fitrockr subscription starts at €150 / $165 covering everything from hosting, data backups, support, full feature access, unrestricted data access via ready-made insight reports and data exports to Excel, CSV or JSON.
Conclusion
“Always remember, at the end of the day, you want to run a data collection and analysis project and not lose yourself in a software implementation project.”
The decision to MAKE or BUY when integrating wearables into your research, patient monitoring or clinical trial project depends on various factors, including your budget, development expertise, time constraints, and long-term goals. While building an in-house solution offers flexible customization, subscribing to a plug-n-play solution like Fitrockr provides a very cost-effective, time-efficient, and scalable option.
Looking at the pros and cons listed in this article, the main reason to choose the MAKE option is if project-specific functionality is needed that cannot be covered by a standard solution. All other criteria count towards a BUY solution.
Always remember for your decision, at the end of the day, you want to run a data collection and analysis project and not lose yourself in a software implementation project.
If you are unsure which option is best for you, feel free to reach out to the Fitrockr team at hello@fitrockr.com. We are happy to consult you on the best approach for your specific project.
About us
Fitrockr is a global innovative technology company specializing in health solutions based on wearables. The Fitrockr Health Solutions platform offers modules for Research & Analytics, Fitness Challenges, Coaching and Healthcare.
