Inspiration: r/place
r/place is a subreddit that allowed users to color in pixels a 2000x2000 board which inspired us, the FitSketch team, to create a real-life version of the subreddit.
What is FitSketch
FitSketch is a web application that allows users to fill in hexagonal cells by walking/running through them. The goal is to fill in many cells to form a sketch or a figure of some sort.
There are currently two public boards that anyone in the world can join and draw on, creating competitiveness to fill in hexagons and make your sketch seen. Eventually, private boards can be created by users and exclusive to certain people, creating a more leisurely scene that is also easier to coordinate with a large group of people to draw something of immense scale.
The goal of FitSketch is for people to go outside more often, and get exercise. FitSketch has a physical goal - a completed drawing - that people need to strive to achieve. We, as the FitSketch team, envision a world where there are thousands of FitSketch users running around both solo and in groups to create art on a canvas that is the world. We want people to create art the size of entire countries to show off to the world.
How We Built it
On the front end, we used HTML and JavaScipt to display a map with hexagons using Leaflet, openstreetmap, and the h3 module. All of the inputs on the front end are fed through JavaScript which sends them to the python back end where information is inserted into sqlite3 databases. The back end sends information back to JavaScript which in turn sends it to HTML, displaying it to the user.
Challenges we ran into
Time - We were only able to start this Friday, the 26th, to create the application.
The Server - It took a long time to set up the webserver to allow for the application to be public.
The technical difficulty inherent to the idea - This idea is inherently quite a difficult project, and given our limited time, it was a very daunting task.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
The FitSketch team is very proud that we were able to get the website up and running despite the time and technical restraints. We are very happy with our idea and enjoyed using it even just to create our presentation. Pertaining to our website, we are very proud of the vast databases and JavaScript code required to display so many hexagons and determine which are colored.
What We Learned
We learned a lot about HTML, including how to find a user's location, display a map, and overlay images over this. Most importantly, we learned to persevere with our problems since we spent a lot of time troubleshooting our website and doubted it's working for a long time. However, now that the website is up and running, we are so happy that we persevered with our problems and completed it.
Looking Towards the Future: What's Next For FitSketch?
Servers - Adding more boards and the ability to make private boards.
Censorship - Censorship of inappropriate drawings using AI.
Groups and Teamwork - People can join groups and post on forums to better collaborate and find people to help them.
Optimization - Optimizing the hexagons so they can be seen from far away, allowing for larger-scale drawings.
Charity Donations - Donating some of the profits to charities for the physically disabled.
Funding - Gaining funding to continue working on the project and form it into a real application.
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