CarCache

Inspiration

We wanted to see what could be done with the growing trend of cars that can be connected via bluetooth. Upon realizing that by 2016 over 70% of cars will be connected to mobile devices, we decided to utilize the Android Bluetooth API.

One of the inconveniences of driving is the familiar dance of circling a block to find a parking spot. To streamline this process, we created an app to generate parking data and display this data to the user. Specifically, we wanted to allow the user to view recently vacated parking spots in their local area.

What it does

Our application utilizes the Bluetooth connection between the user’s mobile device and their car to generate parking data. When the user connects via Bluetooth to their car, we generate data to show that a nearby parking spot has been vacated. Users can request for this data at the area they are viewing on the map. This service is performed in the background so that users can easily benefit from the app just by turning on their cars.

Users searching for a parking spot can view a map with markers indicating recently vacated parking spots. The marker’s opacity changes in parallel to how old the marker is. Users can also find where they have parked their car if users have forgotten. Furthermore, the user can click a specific marker to find out how recently the spot was vacated. The user can then click a button to directly launch Google Maps to find directions to the parking spot.

How I built it

We built our application using Android Studio, the Google Maps API, and Android Bluetooth API. We also utilized a LAMP server hosted on Amazon Web Services.

In addition, we utilized Flattyshadow.com, Paintbrush, and Android Asset Studio for icon creation. Pencil, Sketch, OmniGraffle were used for mockup creation.

Challenges I ran into

We were going to host the server on a local host, but there were connectivity issue. As a result we had to host it on a web server.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We worked very well as a team. We were determined and glad we stuck together throughout this entire Hackathon. We are also proud of our applications simplistic UI and consistent functionality.