Ruby on rails

Volunteer Event Signup

Summary:

The Emerald City Programming Group, a sub of the the Atlanta Ruby User Group (AtlRUG), has taken on a solution to this problem as a June 2012 RHoK project, to be followed by a summer of enhancements. The initial solution is a Ruby on Rails server which meets the initial requirements. Over the summer we will polish the site and work on the extra credit components.

Why we are working on this problem:

We are a programming group which exists as a revolving teaching/learning group. During the fall/winter/spring we utilize and work through tutorials. This summer we are applying our skills to tackle this real world problem of modest scope. Our initial support will meet the needs of a particular US National Park in volunteer event signup. As we make the server support multiple organizations we hope additional National Parks will want to utilize the system, as well as many other and unrelated organizations.

What we accomplished during the event:

During the June 2012 RHoK we have completed and initial prototype. More soon...

Traction:

The support for the National Park is based on the seminal interest expressed by the park. We fully expect our site to be adopted by the park.

Next steps:

We plan to continue development of advanced features as described in the extra credit section of the problem statement.

Code Repository:

https://github.com/icandothat-signmeup/icandothat-signmeup

Category:

Application

Status:

Prototype

Programming languages:

Ruby on rails

Frameworks:

ruby on rails

End user environments:

Web

Server requirements:

The server should support an organization with minimal server requirements. While the functionality is useful, it is a point solution and not created to drive traffic. Basic Ruby on Rails hosting should be adequate to support an organization.

What RHoK event this project is being submitted for:

RHoK Global June 2012

Images and Video:

Issue Tracker:

https://www.pivotaltracker.com/projects/565693#

Pound Around the World

Website/App store links:

https://github.com/ddayan/poundAround

Summary:

Pound Around the World is an online game to teach kids the value of money.

We aim to deliver the message by showing kids how far one pound can go, through a series of questions.

Why we are working on this problem:

We believe that parents have a real challenge explaining kids the value of money in a fun and educational way.

For kids, the only reference to the cost of things is what they can buy in the store - a pack of gum, toys etc. We want to surprise them by showing how much one pound can buy around the world.

For example, in south america, one pound can save 7 trees in the rain forest!

Young people are inquisitive and keen to learn facts which they can tell their friends and family. By learning about value of other things in different countries we feel that young people would better appreciate the value of the money in their pocket.

There are 8,500,000 young people in the UK aged between 5 and 16.

Although there are an increasing amount of people using the internet via mobile (45%) we were keen for no young people to be excluded from enjoying and learning about the value of money hence why we are using a website as 77% of households in the UK have access to the internet.

What we accomplished during the event:

We had a great team and were able to execute on the following:

Defined the problem
Defined the solution (brainstorming session)
Created wireframes
Drafted content - questions, virtual goods, currency exchange
Created initial game framework

Refine content - make sure it's FUN
Work on flow - transition between levels, etc
Sounds - sound bank, need to add sounds and music
Design -
- Research on competitors products
- Create logo
- Define look and feel
- Concept and execute the travel theme
- Layout for four different template pages
- Illustrations for all the pages
- Assets supplied to the developer
Development -
- Backend - integrate questions and answers
- Frontend - incorporate designs
- Run a demo!

We were able to create a fully functioning demo with 5 levels!

Next steps:

The next immediate step is to release the game and work on distribution on existing game portals, educational game sites and communities for kids/parents.

For future development:

Create additional levels
Add social element and leader board
Allow function for purchase of full game for £1
In the full game you would also have the opportunity to play Burgernomics where people would hhave to guess the relative price of a burger around the world in a timed challenge in a 'Price is Right' style game.

Community help:

We would love your ideas and help to take a Pound Around the World forward.

Please feel free to make any suggestions below.

Code Repository:

https://github.com/ddayan/poundAround

Category:

Application

Status:

Prototype

Programming languages:

Ruby on rails

Frameworks:

ruby on rails

End user environments:

Web

What RHoK event this project is being submitted for:

London, United Kingdom

Images and Video:

Mailing list:

http://groups.google.com/group/pound-around-the-world?hl=en

Broken Lifts

Summary:

Broken lifts in public transportation are annoying and limit the mobility of people in wheelchairs. Our solution provides status information from different operators on one page and shows publicly how well they are really doing.

Why we are working on this problem:

Public transport operators in Europe must ensure that mobility impaired people can use their service. That's why more and more lifts are installed at train and subway stations. Broken lifts severly restrict the freedom of those people. Being stuck at a train platform not only makes a journey much longer, it is also disrespectful to the individual. Repairs take days to weeks which makes planning difficult. With statistics we want to show the public how broken lifts really are and how long repairs take. We want to show transportation operators that their information of broken lifts is important and should be open data.

What we accomplished during the event:

Some operators publish realtime data of broken lifts on their website. We scrape the data from the Berlin metro and light rail services and provide them via an API. We show the aggregated data of all broken and fixed lifts with its history as well as statistics. The "Broken Lifts Project" helps put pressure on decision makers and helps mobility impaired people plan their trips. They can also follow stations the use regularly.

Progress made since the event:

The event is not over yet!

Traction:

We're launching today. Wheelmap.org as a launch prtner brings our useful service to thousands of mobility impaired people immediately.

Next steps:

- Integrate the realtime status information into wheelmap.org (a map for wheelchair accessible places)- research the manufacurer of each lift to show how well they compare to each other.- tweet a broken elevator

Community help:

- use the service, report bugs!- report broken lifts!- let us know which public transportation operators have lift data and should be integrated next!

Code Repository:

https://github.com/sozialhelden

Category:

Application

Status:

Prototype

Programming languages:

Frameworks:

End user environments:

Web

Server requirements:

PostgreSQL

What RHoK event this project is being submitted for:

Berlin, Germany

Images and Video:

Seeking people with skills in:

Design for the other 90%

Make your site "kind": Gamifying and incentivizing your community members towards social action

Website/App store links:

http://www.aok.tv

Summary:

AOK is an online and iOS (Android version on temp hold) social game for good that incentivizes individuals that post, share, comment on and "like" Acts and Observations of Kindness with points that get donated to real world charities and relief efforts. We offer customized and white labeled versions for a fee so that brands may engage community members beyond information exchange into action. We also create campaigns to promote brands' cause marketing efforts. This freely offered bit of code above allows any site admin to drop a feed of AOK acts and observations anywhere on any site. Like a Twitter feed, only it's all about positive action!

Why we are working on this problem:

AOK believes that the world is evolving towards increased social responsibility, both at the individual and the corporate level. Consumers are demanding more from the companies with which they do business and individuals are seeking to get recognized for their positive contributions. Brands and organizations however are often at a loss for feasible strategies to "get in this game" with low risk to their existing traction. With AOK, brands may affordably showcase their contributions, leveraging the strength of their communities' scale and enthusiasm to make positive change.

What we accomplished during the event:

We've built a lively destination and tools that cross market several brands' and organizations' campaigns, thereby introducing proactive citizens to new organizations and brands that also aim to make positive social change. Since launch, we've converted this online and iOS-apps driven user energy into thousands of dollars in donations to real world nonprofits and relief efforts.

Progress made since the event:

Funding, development, launch, strategic partnerships signed.

Traction:

We've closed and/or are closing on several major organizations and brands that will either "live" at AOK, implement our white lable aka "supergroup" solution, campaign-specific widget feeds, and/or drop in the general AOK feed widget's code provided herein. Please contact me (323.627.7428 or ira@aok.tv) for details about which brands/businesses are already on board or about to be.

Next steps:

We're building seminal technology to graphically represent indivudals' long tail of impact in a way that's never been done before and that we predict will make AOK very "sticky".

Community help:

We're currently funded but seeking a new investor for our next round. Leads are appreicated.

We can also use more Ruby and iOS developers who are passionate about making a social impact with their work.

Code Repository:

https://gist.github.com/1355359

Category:

Methodology

Status:

Operational

Programming languages:

Ruby on rails

iOS