NaviGator

An example of the search query
Home page of our web application

Inspiration

We found our team shares a common interest in traveling and exploring. However, we are often frustrated by the process of searching for local attractions near our travel destination, so we are inspired to build NaviGator to address this issue.

What it does

Users can enter the location they are planning on visiting on the NaviGator website, and it would show the user a list of tourist or historical attractions within a radius of the location.

We have two types of users Tourist - People who wants to plan a trip and are searching for places to visit along with tour packages. Tour guide - People/Agencies that provide tour packages and aid tourists visiting a location. Tourist Guides can upload packages corresponding to a particular tourist location(s). Packages may contain accommodation details, itinerary, fooding options etc. When a tourist search for places, our website shows the nearby tourist attractions and the associated tourist packages. The tourist can book the package and thus find help in planning their trip.

How we built it

We utilized the python flask development framework as the back end to connect with OpenTripMap and retrieve a list of attractions within a radius of the location entered. We then filtered each attraction on the list based on its location and type. After a list of desired candidates is required, a request will be sent to get more information such as a detailed description, image, and ratings. We then use Angular to display the information at the front end.

Challenges we ran into

Our team had to figure out ways to connect with OpenTripMap and retrieve information from its API. The data on OpenTripMap is not completely tidy, so our team had to think on our feet and clean up some of the data.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We gathered useful information and cleaned it up nicely for it to be informative and visually pleasing for the users despite the messy data.

What we learned

We were able to learn more about how to use Python flask to interact with public data API. We also learned more about the Angular.js development framework and how to integrate the frontend elements with the backend database.

What's next for NaviGator

We could implement a login system to register and retrieve personalized user information. We also have the idea of adding a quiz to find traveling locations suitable for each user based on their pass traveling experience. This application will support local businesses and help them generate revenue. The tourist guides who cannot afford a website can signup to display their tourist packages. It improves the tourist's experience by not having to worry about the itinerary.