The implementation of the idea of subscribing not to a person, as on Twitter / Instagram, but to a place
The narrative of the implementation of the trivial idea of obtaining fresh images (in fact, not only fresh and not only images) made in a certain geographical location. It can be the places where you lived, where someone close lives, it’s just interesting to follow the rocket launches at Baikonur or Cape Canaveral, anything, in fact, there is no limit to fantasy (and curiosity).
So, some time ago, I got bored of my native places and decided to see “how it is” through existing webcams. Then came the inevitable disappointment from their apparent absence in places dear to me. After a short time, I thought, why not exploit this idea, since I am sure that there should be a lot of those who want to “peek”. I even suggested that something similar should already exist and after a short search I really found two projects that were close in meaning, but none of them suited me. After this moment, a long 3 years passed. And now, after 3 years, I found time for my own implementation. I must say that during this time I naturally managed to share my thoughts with my friends “over the cup”. And communication with them assured me that if such a system existed, then it would certainly be used, as I myself. Over the course of these three years, I was torn by the ambivalent feeling that someone was about to realize the idea and that I would just start using this implementation and it was great, but on the other hand, I would be a little upset, since I myself would like to make my own implementation. And now the moment has come.
Since I am an adherent of the undroed camp, the choice fell on android and android-studio. However, the version for ios is also in development, but according to my estimates, the result will not appear any earlier than by the fall. This is my first project, both for android and android-studio. So I had to spend extra time digging in the corresponding docks.
At the moment, the so-called proof of concept. The front-end, as I said, is implemented only for android, the back-end is implemented using Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud Messaging, Google Cloud SQL.
I will dwell in more detail on the idea itself. So, I introduced an average user who would like to look, for example, in the city of Barcelona, where he recently, and maybe long ago, rested. To do this, he goes to the market (in more detail about the market below), downloads the application, launches, filters the photos by place and time, and sees that the hotel was demolished, well, or anything else, but the fundamental point is that he gets what he needs All this, since installing the application, has undertaken. Obviously, in order for the system to work, these very photos from around the world must be present in it. And for this purpose there is one small, but very important requirement. Namely, in order to log into the system, he must take a photograph in the place where he himself is "here and now" (at least from the office or car window, it does not matter). The photo he took at the same time (on the backend side) will notify everyone who is subscribed to this area. To avoid, as I called them, dangling notifications (when two people from two cities subscribe to the city of the second and are forced to take photos again and again, because they do not stop receiving notifications), the choice is made when subscribing to the region, how often to receive notifications from this region . Available options - no more than once a minute, per hour, per day, per week.
Among other things, I decided to relax the important requirement to take a photo every time a person launches the application (either upon receipt of an alert, or on their own initiative). For this, five so-called passes, when you can simply answer "next time" and get access to the map and all the markers on it. If a person decided to take a photograph at the start, then three new passes are added to him. Of course, they accumulate and, ideally, when a notification is received, a person will never turn his head in the office in thought, wherever he would go to the window, but simply skip this time a proposal for a photograph and see what came of such interesting things.
The project did about two months, and given that this is my first experience, it is not so long. Honestly, if I just sat down to do the same, I would do it 4 times faster, this is understandable. About the market. Since I feel a significant lack of users, I decided that the project was in no way ready for the market, so I decided to invite people through the link and update the program automatically at the start, if an update is available. Yes, and, as I said earlier, this is still a proof of concept, so I relate to the client under android. Perhaps, taking into account all the wishes, the application will simply be rewritten “from scratch” to be worthy of the market (at least in my eyes).
You can download the application on GooglePlay
A few explanations:
1. All problems "led" to trello, a really useful service. Literally "on the go" added bugs / ideas and, starting to work, opened his board and worked on everything that was added. At the moment, many ideas have accumulated that in the near future will be relatively easy to add. But everything is decided by priorities, which at the moment I consider working on a version for ios and fixing bugs. Also, to get feedback, I sketched a forum where you can leave your comments, suggestions, questions (for convenience - in English and Russian). Forum .
2. The program interface is all in English, for anybody on Habré this is not a problem. Although the translation is also on the To do list.
3. instagram added a search for photos by location (and maybe not just instagram). But until I find out that there is a serious player in the market offering a subscription “in place,” I will continue to work on the project. By the way, this is a hobby, I can cut endlessly, even if the implementation of the idea appears, but I do not like it.
4. I know and love the google streetview car service, but in theory, my project should look into places “inaccessible” to google streetview car, which, as a matter of fact, is much more often than streetview being updated.
UPD
Added screenshots:
UPD2
I apologize if the presentation of the material seemed unpresentable. I am not a writer and I will gladly accept comments on the design. Although it would be more interesting to listen to thoughts about the idea, of course.
UPD3
Posted on GooglePlay
So, some time ago, I got bored of my native places and decided to see “how it is” through existing webcams. Then came the inevitable disappointment from their apparent absence in places dear to me. After a short time, I thought, why not exploit this idea, since I am sure that there should be a lot of those who want to “peek”. I even suggested that something similar should already exist and after a short search I really found two projects that were close in meaning, but none of them suited me. After this moment, a long 3 years passed. And now, after 3 years, I found time for my own implementation. I must say that during this time I naturally managed to share my thoughts with my friends “over the cup”. And communication with them assured me that if such a system existed, then it would certainly be used, as I myself. Over the course of these three years, I was torn by the ambivalent feeling that someone was about to realize the idea and that I would just start using this implementation and it was great, but on the other hand, I would be a little upset, since I myself would like to make my own implementation. And now the moment has come.
Since I am an adherent of the undroed camp, the choice fell on android and android-studio. However, the version for ios is also in development, but according to my estimates, the result will not appear any earlier than by the fall. This is my first project, both for android and android-studio. So I had to spend extra time digging in the corresponding docks.
At the moment, the so-called proof of concept. The front-end, as I said, is implemented only for android, the back-end is implemented using Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud Messaging, Google Cloud SQL.
I will dwell in more detail on the idea itself. So, I introduced an average user who would like to look, for example, in the city of Barcelona, where he recently, and maybe long ago, rested. To do this, he goes to the market (in more detail about the market below), downloads the application, launches, filters the photos by place and time, and sees that the hotel was demolished, well, or anything else, but the fundamental point is that he gets what he needs All this, since installing the application, has undertaken. Obviously, in order for the system to work, these very photos from around the world must be present in it. And for this purpose there is one small, but very important requirement. Namely, in order to log into the system, he must take a photograph in the place where he himself is "here and now" (at least from the office or car window, it does not matter). The photo he took at the same time (on the backend side) will notify everyone who is subscribed to this area. To avoid, as I called them, dangling notifications (when two people from two cities subscribe to the city of the second and are forced to take photos again and again, because they do not stop receiving notifications), the choice is made when subscribing to the region, how often to receive notifications from this region . Available options - no more than once a minute, per hour, per day, per week.
Among other things, I decided to relax the important requirement to take a photo every time a person launches the application (either upon receipt of an alert, or on their own initiative). For this, five so-called passes, when you can simply answer "next time" and get access to the map and all the markers on it. If a person decided to take a photograph at the start, then three new passes are added to him. Of course, they accumulate and, ideally, when a notification is received, a person will never turn his head in the office in thought, wherever he would go to the window, but simply skip this time a proposal for a photograph and see what came of such interesting things.
The project did about two months, and given that this is my first experience, it is not so long. Honestly, if I just sat down to do the same, I would do it 4 times faster, this is understandable. About the market. Since I feel a significant lack of users, I decided that the project was in no way ready for the market, so I decided to invite people through the link and update the program automatically at the start, if an update is available. Yes, and, as I said earlier, this is still a proof of concept, so I relate to the client under android. Perhaps, taking into account all the wishes, the application will simply be rewritten “from scratch” to be worthy of the market (at least in my eyes).
You can download the application on GooglePlay
A few explanations:
1. All problems "led" to trello, a really useful service. Literally "on the go" added bugs / ideas and, starting to work, opened his board and worked on everything that was added. At the moment, many ideas have accumulated that in the near future will be relatively easy to add. But everything is decided by priorities, which at the moment I consider working on a version for ios and fixing bugs. Also, to get feedback, I sketched a forum where you can leave your comments, suggestions, questions (for convenience - in English and Russian). Forum .
2. The program interface is all in English, for anybody on Habré this is not a problem. Although the translation is also on the To do list.
3. instagram added a search for photos by location (and maybe not just instagram). But until I find out that there is a serious player in the market offering a subscription “in place,” I will continue to work on the project. By the way, this is a hobby, I can cut endlessly, even if the implementation of the idea appears, but I do not like it.
4. I know and love the google streetview car service, but in theory, my project should look into places “inaccessible” to google streetview car, which, as a matter of fact, is much more often than streetview being updated.
UPD
Added screenshots:
UPD2
I apologize if the presentation of the material seemed unpresentable. I am not a writer and I will gladly accept comments on the design. Although it would be more interesting to listen to thoughts about the idea, of course.
UPD3
Posted on GooglePlay