ShadeWays

Application to calculate the shade on a given walking route.

Installation Instructions

To install ShadeWays and run a local version, the easiest way is to use git clone https://github.com/FishmanDefender/ShadeWays.git to clone the repository, then run the flask server alongside the index.html page. Enter two locations, a start point and an end point.

Hack Arizona 2020

Inspiration

We all wanted to build something that other people would use and, being in Tucson which gets unbearably warm in the summers, there was a very positive response to our idea of an app that could calculate the amount of shade whenever you would have to go brave the heat.

Future Expansion?

As we worked on this project, we started to recognize many other possible applications. One in particular, which would require only minor changes, would be an application that could calculate the amount of expected sunlight a homeowner or business would expect to hit their property based on the surroundings, which could inform building design/improvements or optimal placement of solar panels. It would also be possible to modify our current application to make drivers aware of periods of time or specific roads on which they would be exceptionally susceptible to glare from the morning or evening sun.

Technology

we made use of the Google Maps API along with the OpenStreetMap JSON API. Most of us have never build a web application before and none of us have ever used python as a back-end framework, so this was an ambitious project that exposed us to many new tools.

The Team

Most of us have ever used Git or GitHub in a collaborative setting before and those of us who had had only done so once or twice. This was also the first time any of us have competed at a hack, so this has been incredibly exciting for us all.