The flow of data to ROOK depends on the type of data source being used: API-based or mobile-based. Here's a breakdown of how each type of source handles data flow and whether the user needs to actively open the app:
API-Based Data Sources:
For platforms like Fitbit, Garmin, Polar, Oura, Whoop, Dexcom and Withings, ROOK uses a combination of polling and webhooks to retrieve data.
Polling involves ROOK periodically querying the data source's API to check for updates.
Webhooks, when available, provide real-time updates from the data source to ROOK.
Users do not need to have the app open for data to be collected via these methods. ROOK can retrieve data as long as the user has authorized access and the data source is connected. However, if a user does not open the source app for an extended period, it may lose connection or authorized access depending on the user’s settings, which could affect data collection.
ROOK retrieves up to 7 days of pre-existing data from these sources upon authorization, which further indicates that data collection does not depend on the app being open.
Mobile-Based Data Sources:
For platforms like Apple Health and Health Connect, data extraction relies on ROOK SDKs or the ROOK Extraction App.
SDKs extract Steps and Calories data every hour, respecting platform-specific limitations such as app states (foreground or background) and device settings.
The ROOK Extraction App is a ready-to-use solution for collecting mobile-based data without requiring a custom app.
Data availability depends on platform-specific constraints such as request limits and device states.
For these mobile-based sources, data can be extracted in the background, so users do not have to keep the app open all the time. The SDKs and Extraction App attempt to extract data as frequently as possible, usually within every hour.
However, data synchronization depends on the user's consistent application usage and synchronization with their data source; if synchronization is incomplete, pre-existing data cannot be retrieved.
Upon authorization, ROOK can retrieve up to 29 days of pre-existing data from mobile-based sources, depending on platform restrictions.
Step Events:
ROOK’s "Step Events" feature provides hourly step metrics for mobile-based data sources.
The SDKs extract and update step data as frequently as possible in the background, generally every hour.
Data is extracted from Apple Health on iOS devices and from Health Connect on Android devices.
Step data accumulates from 00:00 to the current time of day and is transmitted through an optimized JSON.
This feature allows for frequent step updates without requiring the app to be constantly open.
Pre-existing Data:
ROOK’s pre-existing data feature retrieves historical health data from users when they initially connect. This data is extracted automatically.
For API-based sources, ROOK retrieves up to 7 days of pre-existing data.
For mobile-based sources, ROOK retrieves up to 29 days of pre-existing data.
This feature works independently of whether the user has the app open, as long as the feature is enabled in the client portal. This highlights that data collection is not tied to continuous app usage.
Data Delivery:
Data is delivered to clients via webhooks for real-time updates
Data Webhooks provide real-time delivery of new events or summaries.
The Notification Webhook delivers updates about integration-specific actions, such as data source connections or disconnections.
In summary, while the user may need to open the app initially to authorize data collection and to synchronize data, continuous app usage is not necessary for data to flow to ROOK. Data from API-based sources can be collected without the app being open, and while mobile-based sources use SDKs that run in the background, they also extract data on an hourly basis without needing the app to be in the foreground. ROOK’s design focuses on background processing and automated data retrieval to minimize the need for active user intervention after the initial connection is established.