The Parking Fairy Using open data effectively in mobile apps. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Parking Fairy

Using open data effectively in mobile apps.

Background

• December 2015: Proposed ‘Parking Space Alert’ for Data

Movement Competition

• February 2016: Became one of 3 finalist apps in Data

Movement

• 9th May 2016: The Parking Fairy launched (iOS Only)
• 14th May 2016: Android version launched (after user requests -

including from local MP Chi Onwurah)

Architecture

iOS App Android App REST API NECA API

h t t p s w i t h c l i e n t v e r i f i c a t i

• n

h t t p s w i t h c l i e n t v e r i f i c a t i

• n

https with API key

Node.js REST API performs parsing, ‘data set matching’, sorting and caching.

Datasets & APIs

Uses both ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’ car park APIs from the NECA’s netraveldata.co.uk service.

https://www.netraveldata.co.uk/api/v2/carpark/static https://www.netraveldata.co.uk/api/v2/carpark/dynamic

(both have relatively friendly JSON responses)

Static API provides car park names, addresses & geolocations. Dynamic API provides live spaces data.

Live space data currently only available for indoor car parks in Newcastle & Gateshead Quays. Sunderland ‘coming soon’.

Static API polled once a day. Dynamic API polled on every request for live info

(assuming a cache miss).

Data Quality

Generally, very good*.

(*some legwork required).

Documentation Quality

Not so much*.

(*virtually non-existent).

No docs? No problem!

Get a good HTTP API client and spend some time toying with the APIs.

(I’d recommend Postman)

Car parks match between APIs on systemCodeNumber

Be considerate - add caching!

(node-cache is awesome for Node.js)

Play with the data. Make it useful. Have fun.

What next? Where next?

The Parking Fairy

@parkingfairyapp info@parkingfairyapp.com www.parkingfairyapp.com