I’m taking Computer Science with Mrs. Taricco. We started by using HTML and CSS to make websites (like this one). Having plenty of prior experience in Java, I started the year doing challenge problems before moving onto an advanced Computer Science project. In the web project linked here, Jennifer Shaughnessy and I have created an online parody of the game Mafia themed around Mass Academy.
Stretch was my favorite project challenge problem. The challenge was to use a set of pieces placed in a specific order to move across a grid. The prompt and my code are shown below.
Did you know that drivers in New York lose over 100,000 hours per year while finding a parking spot? Every driver knows how painful it can be to find adequate parking, so Omar El Nesr, Patrick Wang, and I sought out a solution with our Apps for Good project.
To create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) we focused on the campus of WPI, where we and our classmates have had issues parking. So, we focused on WPI visitors as our target audience. In the future, we hope to extend our app to drivers in Massachusetts, or even the greater United States.
Because there were no databases specifically for parking lots, we curated a database on Google Firebase (link). All the users need to do is provide a destination or current location, and the app will provide a sorted list of nearby spots. The information provided about the lot includes the number of total parking spots and a link to the exact location on Google Maps.
We also worked closely with WPI faculty for future features such as capacity estimation and WPI event integration. We intend to add crowdsourcing of parking lots to broaden the app’s reach and a database collection for street parking.
We hope this app will be beneficial to WPI visitors and other drivers alike.