Pocket Spectrometer

RFSAT Limited

About this app

PocketSpectro turns an Android phone into a field console for Ocean Optics / Ocean Insight USB spectrometers. Plug the spectrometer into the phone with an OTG cable and the app opens, reads the unit's own calibration and starts showing live spectra. No laptop, no Wi-Fi bridge, no account.

It is built for hand-held and vehicle use: measure, log and map spectra wherever you are.

LIVE SPECTRA
- Raw counts, absorbance, % transmission or % reflectance
- Integration time, scan averaging and boxcar smoothing
- Dark capture and reference capture
- Wavelengths from the unit's calibration, with its own nonlinearity correction
- Run, stop or take a single spectrum; pixel binning on supported units

LOGGING
- Timed recording of spectrum or at a set interval, with optional max count
- One CSV file per session, or one text file per spectrum
- Every spectrum tagged with GPS time and position
- Session files include device calibration and settings
- KML track opens in Google Earth
- Open, share or delete recorded sessions from the app

FIRE DETECTION (near-infrared units only)
When a near-infrared spectrometer covering 766–770 nm is connected, such as the STS-NIR or Ocean ST-NIR, a Fire tab appears. It looks for potassium (K I) emission doublet at 766.5 and 769.9 nm that burning vegetation gives off.
- Each line is measured above its local continuum
- Detector confidence from 0 to 100%
- Optional confirmation over several consecutive spectra
- Sound and vibration alarm
- Preset that reproduces the original Raspberry Pi detector

On visible and UV units the Fire tab is hidden and no fire analysis runs.

MAP
- Every confirmed detection with a GPS fix is stored and shown on a map
- Street, satellite and terrain base maps
- Survey tracks from logged sessions
- Shows spectrum recorded, confidence, line data and instrument settings

SUPPORTED SPECTROMETERS
- Supported: STS family (STS-VIS, STS-NIR, STS-UV)
- Experimental: Spark, Ocean HDX, USB2000+ / Flame-S, USB4000 / Flame-T, USB650, USB2000, HR2000+, HR4000, Maya2000 Pro, Torus, Jaz, Ocean ST, SR2/SR4/SR6 and HR2/HR4/HR6
- NIRQuest256/512 are experimental and need external power

Experimental drivers follow Ocean's published SeaBreeze protocols, but have not been confirmed on every model yet. The Home screen shows the status of the connected unit.

TRY IT WITHOUT HARDWARE
A built-in simulator (Setup → Use simulator) produces realistic spectra, with an optional flame and an absorbing sample, so you can explore every screen before connecting a spectrometer.

REQUIREMENTS
- Android 8.0 or later with USB host (OTG) support
- Data-capable OTG cable (micro-USB to USB-C for micro-USB units)
- Location permission is used only to tag spectra and fire detections
- Internet is used only to download map tiles

PRIVACY
PocketSpectro has no account, no analytics and no advertising. Spectra, logs, positions and detections stay on your phone unless you choose to share a file.

IMPORTANT
Fire detection is a measurement aid for research and field survey. It is not a certified fire alarm or safety device and must not be relied on to protect life or property.

PocketSpectro is developed by RFSAT Ltd. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ocean Optics or Ocean Insight. Product names are used only to identify compatible hardware.

What’s new

Compliant with Google Play recommendations, the app now displays edge-to-edge on all Android versions and is ready for Android 15 and later, while text fields stay above the on-screen keyboard.