FTC TeamForgeFTC TeamForge

Scouting

Integrate with the FTC Events API to search teams, view match data, and organize scouting notes.

Scouting Overview Required screenshot: scouting-overview.png

Overview

The Scouting module connects to the official FIRST Tech Challenge Events API to provide real-time information about teams, events, matches, and awards.

Setting Up FTC Events API Access

To use scouting features, you need API credentials:

  1. Visit FTC Events API
  2. Click "Register for API access"
  3. Fill out the registration form with your team information
  4. You'll receive your API username and key via email
  5. Add credentials to your environment variables:
    • FTC_API_USERNAME
    • FTC_API_KEY

API Setup Instructions Required screenshot: scouting-api-setup.png

Your Team's Events

The scouting homepage displays your team's upcoming events for the current season:

  • Event name and code
  • Event date
  • Location
  • Division (if applicable)

Click on any event to see details and team roster.

Your Events Required screenshot: scouting-your-events.png

Searching Teams

Find information about any FTC team:

  1. Go to the "Teams" tab
  2. Enter team number or name in the search bar
  3. Search supports:
    • Exact team numbers (e.g., "26336")
    • Partial team names (e.g., "Incredibots")
    • Fuzzy matching for misspellings

Team Search Required screenshot: scouting-team-search.png

Team Information

View detailed team information:

  • Team number
  • Team name
  • School/organization
  • Location (city, state, country)
  • Rookie year

Team Events

See all events the team is registered for:

  • Current season events
  • Past 2 seasons available
  • Event dates and locations
  • Competition divisions

Team Events Required screenshot: scouting-team-events.png

Match History

View a team's match results:

  • Qualification matches
  • Playoff matches
  • Match scores
  • Alliance partners
  • Ranking points

Team Matches Required screenshot: scouting-team-matches.png

Awards History

Track awards won by a team:

  • Award names
  • Events where awards were won
  • Season year
  • Full award history across multiple seasons

Team Awards Required screenshot: scouting-team-awards.png

Searching Events

Find FTC events:

  1. Use the event search functionality
  2. Enter event name or code
  3. View event details:
    • Full event name
    • Event code
    • Date and location
    • Teams attending

Event Search Required screenshot: scouting-event-search.png

Event Team Roster

See all teams registered for an event:

  • Team numbers and names
  • Team locations
  • Quick links to team profiles

Event Roster Required screenshot: scouting-event-roster.png

Scouting Notebooks

Create detailed scouting notes linked to specific teams:

  1. Search for a team
  2. View their profile
  3. Click to create a scouting notebook
  4. Document:
    • Robot capabilities
    • Strategy observations
    • Alliance compatibility notes
    • Competition performance

Scouting Notes Required screenshot: scouting-notes.png

Entity-Linked Notes

Scouting notebooks are entity-linked to specific team numbers. This means:

  • Notes stay attached to that team
  • Easy to find during competitions
  • Access from either Notebook or Scouting module

Season Selection

Switch between seasons to view historical data:

  • Current season (default)
  • Past 2 seasons available
  • Data updates automatically

Season Selection Required screenshot: scouting-season.png

Data Caching

TeamForge caches FTC team data for fast search:

  • Automatic background updates
  • Fuzzy search with trigram matching
  • Instant results without API delays
  • Handles thousands of teams efficiently

Rate Limiting

The FTC Events API has rate limits:

  • TeamForge respects these limits
  • 20 requests per minute for scouting searches
  • Cached data reduces API calls

Use Cases

Pre-Competition Scouting

Before a competition:

  1. Search for teams attending
  2. Review their recent match performance
  3. Check their award history
  4. Create scouting notes on potential alliance partners

Alliance Selection

During competitions:

  1. Quickly look up team capabilities
  2. Review your scouting notes
  3. Compare match performance data
  4. Make informed alliance selection decisions

Strategy Planning

Use scouting data to:

  • Identify strong teams in your division
  • Understand regional meta-strategies
  • Plan game strategy based on competition field
  • Track rival team progress

Tips

  • Scout Early - Review teams before you arrive at competition
  • Document Observations - Use notebooks to record what you see
  • Track Trends - Look at match history to identify consistency
  • Award History - Awards indicate team quality and expertise areas
  • Update Notes - Revise scouting reports as you gather more info
  • Share With Team - All team members can access scouting data
  • Offline Access - View previously loaded data without internet