Carbon Footprint

Java widget that shows personal CO2 emission for a given car and distance driven.

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Inspiration

Carbon emissions are a massive threat to the Earth, and we wanted to increase individual accountability.

What it does

Computes the amount of CO2 emitted from a specified car for a certain distance. It can get CO2 emissions for every car made since 1984 as recognized by the Department of Energy.

How we built it

We parsed through the Department of Energy's data on carbon emissions and stored this data in a data structure we made that allowed for quick insert and retrieval. Then, we implemented a user interface, so that a user could easily figure out what their personal carbon emissions were.

Challenges we ran into

  • Retrieving data about all cars, given user information
  • Implementing a user interface

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Created a working project from scratch in 24 hours!
  • Learned a new technology (Standard Widget Toolkit)
  • Did not stop at a working prototype, but pushed further to improve time complexity

What we learned

  • Git/github are important!
  • Incremental changes and constantly testing avoids major bugs
  • Face to face networking is invaluable in the Software Development field

What's next for Carbon Footprint

  • Incorporate calculations for more sources of C02 emission (appliances, other forms of Transportation, electronics, etc)
  • Make this widget into a mobile application

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