We (TechMill Denton) are building a web application that aggregates useful information to Denton residents and newcomers visiting our community. This app will initially be live on an iPad in a moderate-traffic public space while we perform beta testing with users, and eventually housed permanently in a large, rigid enclosure right on the square.
Our community is extremely active and oftentimes there are many events happening concurrently, but there’s not a single resource which aggregates all of that data.
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Real-time DCTA information _ Train and bus stops _ Current location * Prices/plans
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Environmental data _ Weather _ Air quality
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Community events (Calendar) _ Community market _ Upcoming concerts and meet-ups _ Aggregate from social media _ City event calendar
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Facts _ Recycling _ Green energy availability _ Cost of living, density, crime statistics _ Historical factoids
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Local news * Denton record-chronicle
Another key purpose of this application is its data collection capabilities.
- User engagement by page (social services, events, local retail, etc).
- Event tracking (interacting with transit feed, weather, or ads).
- Data from surveys directly in the kiosk.
[Info]
[Mock-ups]
Below is a list of potential public facing APIs that can be used as a source of data into the digital kiosk.
- Reference: https://www.cityofdenton.com/en-us/calendars
- URL: https://www.cityofdenton.com/rest/content/currentsite/defaultculture/all?classnames=cms.event&format=json&where=
- Key: _ Method: Basic authentication _ User: ajax * Password: TrivialPassword
- Notes: Date range is written as such:
Date>='2019-9-1' AND Date<='2019-10-5'and URL encoded.
- Reference: https://www.dcta.net/resources/open-data
- URL: http://api.transitime.org/api/v1/key/dca04420/agency/dcta/command/gtfs-rt/tripUpdates?format=json
- Notes: Will require setup to map IDs from DCTA GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification).
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URL: https://fcc-weather-api.glitch.me/api/current?lat=Lat&lon=Lon
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Notes: Can be used right now for basic weather data, consider rate limiting and don't abuse it!
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Working code for weather radar image retrieval and formatting: https://github.com/jessehamner/WeatherWidget
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Weather forecast (requires free account): https://darksky.net/dev/docs/faq
- Reference: https://help.bloxcms.com/knowledge-base/applications/editorial/assets/tasks/article_504ccd62-2bfd-11e5-8804-131eebdc4425.html
- URL: https://dentonrc.com/search/?f=rss&sd=desc&c[]=news/*
- Notes: Used to fetch news / updates from the Denton Record Chronicle's website.