RocMap

Homepage
Choosing start, destination, and current weather
Filled options
Step-by-step image route instruction

Inspiration

We realize that numerous visitors, including first-year students, encounter difficulties navigating routes around the campus. And even Google Maps often fails to pinpoint the precise intersections, or tunnels inside halls and buildings. Our team members had come up with the idea of developing a web application designed to help navigate better between halls on campus.

What it does

RocMap takes data of the starting and ending points from user's input and create the most optimal route map, with images and instruction included, to navigate users to their desired destinations. It also calculates the distance and time depending on the weather conditions, thereby suggesting the shortest and most efficient path to get there.

How we built it

We created data points replicating the map of the U of R's Eastman Quad and its tunnel map. We manually represent each intersection as a node and connect them with each other. For each connection between point A and point B, we store the distance between them and an image representing a general direction that guide user to go from A to B. These nodes and connections come together as a graph, which we then run Djikstra algorithm on to find the shortest path between two locations. We output a step by step image instruction, and display them on our web app. To handle the weather feature, we apply a calibrated weighted function for each connection, and this results in the algorithm choosing to use the tunnels to navigate if the weather outside is reported to be too bad (raining or snowing heavily).

Challenges we ran into

In term of algorithms, we were facing a problem of calculating the most efficient path when the factor like weather condition comes in. Also, we have to make sure that the website's UI/UX is intuitive and straightforward, avoiding any potential user confusion.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we have created an realistic web application navigating people to their wanted destination on campus.

What we learned

We are able to learn how to connect front-end, back-end, and database to design an web application improving users' experience.

What's next for RocMap

Considering the existing campus route map and the project's potential, there is an opportunity for further expansion by incorporating additional data points pertaining to campus intersections and facilities. This concept can also be extended to the creation of similar maps for various locations or universities.