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The user interface
Inspiration
Sometimes we will wake up in the morning and realize that we want to go for a short jog but don't want to be out for too long. Therefore it would be helpful to know how long the route is so we can anticipate the time we would spend. Google Maps does have a feature where we can input various destinations and find their total distance, but this typically requires a precise address where a runner would not necessarily care for.
What it does
The user selects a general loop around which they want to run, and the Map will "snap" that path to the closest adjacent roads. At the click of a button, they will also be able to find the total distance of their route. If mistakes were made in generating the route, they can easily clear it and restart.
How I built it
We used Google Cloud, particularly Maps and integrated that into Javascript. We looked through documentation to find strategies in determining the device location and route planning strategies through sample code in the API. We built on top of them to generate desirable polylines and calculate distances as accurately as possible. Additionally, we used web development (HTML and CSS) to build a simple yet attractive interface for the software.
Challenges I ran into
A more practical use of this type of application is obviously a mobile application for easy access to . We spent countless hours trying to learn Java and work with Android Studio, but the complexity of all the libraries and features made it extremely difficult to work with. As a result, we transitioned over to a desktop web server, as we were slightly more comfortable working with Javascript. Within the web app, we spent a lot of time trying to implement polylines and snapping them to roads properly.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
We were able to make polylines work out, which was the most difficult and core part of our hack.
What I learned
Always look for documentation and search for answers online. Javascript has a lot of resources to learn and use, and is very flexible to use. We definitely improved my knowledge of web development through this hack.
What's next for Run Master
We are going to automate a method to have the user input a distance and the application with generate a suggested loop. It is much more difficult but will definitely be a very useful feature!
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