Assignment 3: Buidling two mashups (software / hardware)
Software Mashup
Concept:
In my case back in Korea, there were many cases where our family would argue about which route to take when heading on family car trips. Because there are so many obstacles that create traffic such as weather, accidents, # of cars on road, etc. and it changes everytime, people actually have a hard time determining which route to take. I decided that I wanted to mashup up information regarding the distance from start to destination (naver map) and the live information regarding current traffic situation and # of accidents and # of cars. I wanted to use the live cameras that use electromagnetic waves to detect the number of cars passing by and to make a simple visual interface for people to understand.
How it works:
People go to the livetraffic.com site and write in their departure and arrival location. The map then calculates many diverse routes that are somewhat similar in distance travelled. What it also does is it uses current traffic information through speeding cameras and detects how many cars are actually on the road. it uses color coding (red – yellow – green) in order to show how crowded the roads are. On the left is a mini key that shows the current road condition for each route (20 colored circles). People can then click on their preferred route and can click on the cameras to see a live video playing the current traffic situation in the area.
Hardware Mashup
Concept:
Although we have weather apps and weather channels and weather news on the internet, there are actually very many times when I forget to bring out my sunglasses or my umbrella because I don’t know the current weather. I believe the channels, apps, and sites aren’t very naturally interfaced for human purposes. I wanted to create a hardware device that everyone all around the world sees so that they can be naturally informed of the current weather. I created a wireless internet handle that receives weather information and portrays the current weather situation in a visual way.
How it works:
The handle has LEDS and a heat sensor in order to naturally display current weather. People wake up and are forced to use door handles. Once they touch or see the door handle, they will realize the current weather and can prepare the appropriate clothing, umbrella, accessory, etc.
