Curbstop

Inspiration

One of our group members, Lauren, is from LA and was talking about always having to leave 30 minutes earlier for her destinations because parking was so hard to find. We took this problem and used it as inspiration for our product, a website that makes it really fast and easy to find street parking near a given location.

What it does

Our website aims to find the best parking spots based on your personalized criteria. The user enters 1) the address of their desired location and 2) which category they would like to use to filter results. The user is able to sort by distance and price. For example, someone that prioritizes inexpensive parking can filter by price, while someone who prioritizes a short walk to their destination can filter by distance. Once you click enter, you are met with 5 specified parking locations, each one with details regarding distance, price, car theft likelihood, and likelihood of finding an available parking space (feature not currently functioning).

How we built it

We used the Inrix block API to gain distance, price, and likelihood of available space statistics, as well as the Inrix map API from the map block to display the locations. For car theft likelihood, an external API from the SF government was used. We hard-coded the front end using HTML in VSCode.

Challenges we ran into

It was our first hackathon for almost all of us, which meant that we had to learn a lot of information as we went. This included APIs, coding in HTML, connecting frontend and backend, and overall just making an application. We found it difficult to maintain a balance between keeping our product idea simple and manageable, while also making it unique and market-viable. Additionally, almost none of the APIs worked as anticipated, which required lots of errors and troubleshooting.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We created a product that is very viable in the real world, and we were able to give it features to stand out in the market. Our rating system was pretty unique and could have broader implications as well. Our topic choice was feasible yet quite challenging, which kept us engaged throughout the entire process.

What we learned

We learned how to use APIs, code in new languages, parse through detailed and complex data, design a webpage, and overall just learned how to bring an idea to fruition. The fast-paced environment was a great way for us to understand the importance of facing new challenges with resilience.

What's next for Curbstop

Adding more specifications (time limit, zoning laws, etc.) and improving the scoring system would be the first order of business. Once the application is polished and available on all platforms, then we could look to partner with larger navigation companies to create a more seamless user experience.