Mindway

1 year, 7 months, 23 days

...since patient 0 was declared of the then "new" COVID-19 virus in Canada. Since that day, we've had border to school closures and quarantines to curfews. Kept inside for nearly 2 years, it's no surprise then that over 70% of children 6-18 surveyed by Sick Kids Canada reported deteriorating mental health during the pandemic, and "one in five Canadians screened positive for symptoms of depression, anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder" (StatCan 2020). Overall, a trend surely echoed by the world as a whole. Finally, we're allowed back out again... But where to?

What it does

Mindway finds the optimal walking route taking your preferred walk time and desired, energizing checkpoints (i.e. parks, cafés, landmarks) that you'd like to pass by on your loop! It doesn't matter where you are or what you want to see: Powered by Google Cloud's Google Maps platform, Mindway will eliminate your excuses to stay inside (just like JavaScript elimnates your excuses to stay in CS) while providing both short and long term health benefits, as well as exciting adventures through your neighborhood! ("Walking outside helps" - you don't need a source to know that it's true - but hey, here's an article by the American Psychological Association if you really want to [know]: (https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature) )

How it works

MindWay is primarily built with a React Native front end, making calls to the Google Maps API to create map images, calculate distances and determine the ideal route that meets the user's criteria.

Challenges we ran into

Quite possibly, everything.

First of all: Expo! We couldn't find the package or finger print needed to complete Google Maps API calls, so we soon gave up on Expo in favour of the plainer (and less beginner-friendly..) React Native CLI
React Native shenanigans! Working from MacOS, Windows, and Linux systems, as well as varied experience with React (and a collective 0% prior knowledge about React Native specifically) made the plethora of individual bugs - an entomophobe's nightmare!
Timezones! With a team spread across the Atlantic ocean, matching our coding (and sleeping) schedules was tough
Hacking remotely! Not being able to help, encourage or wake each other up made the process very difficult ## Accomplishments that we're proud of With the majority of our team comprising of 1st-time hackers, being able to complete a project using brand new technology in such a challenging environment and time frame is something we are very proud of. The concept behind our hack is one that, we believe, can impact anyone who uses Mindway in a positive way, one step at a time.

What we learned

We learned so much that we couldn't possibly try and fit it all in here! For example:

How to make an app with React Native
How to debug an app with React Native
How to use the Google Maps API and implement into an Android app
How to work efficiently in a remote setting
How to survive a hackathon

What's next for Mindway

Adding in ability for users to review sections of roads for safety, i.e. how well lit is the street at night? Are there construction overhead?
Adding in accessibility features: i.e. finding routes that are completely wheelchair accessible.
Add speed modifier and adjust maximum distance accordingly: i.e. when jogging or cycling
Add option for a different endpoint to the route than the starting point
Incorporate optional stretching routine before and after
Save favourite walking routes for the future, as well as showing "only new routes"