Population Density Project
Link to full report:
2020 has been the year where health and safety has been most vital within our communities. After seeing the destruction COVID-19 has brought thus far, along with the clusters rapidly forming at Chapel Hill, we can agree that hygiene is of utmost importance. However, washing hands and area sanitation is not enough to take safety measures. Controlling population density is another aspect we need to focus on.
Purpose
With our application, we can manage and monitor the student population within each and every UNC building. This includes dining halls, libraries, gyms, or even restaurants and stores. This can be accomplished by having sensors that monitor students’ movement going in and out of the building. Each entrance is equipped with two sets of sensors, one outside and one inside the entrance frame, and depending on which is triggered first, it allows us to detect a student's movement in and out of that particular building. As a result, we’re able to track seating capacity and population density while promoting accessibility, mobility, and public health.
Users and Audience
The user group for this application would be UNC Students. As students, we frequently visit different buildings on campus for classes, events, and clubs. Our group interviewed students from our school and these were some of our findings:
Roles and Responsibility
As a group we went around campus to conduct the interview questions. Within our report, we contributed to the overall findings by splitting up the work between sections. My individual role was to create the survey and interview questions, and co-create the requirements and solutions
Process
The first requirement for our prototype and design was the formation of a hierarchy chart that allowed for us to visualize each step of the process. Ultimately, we had to form a plan and come up with ideas of what exactly we are trying to create. From the formation of the chart and flow diagram, we could see the overview of the system and how to format each interface and design accordingly.
After reviewing each step of our diagram and chart, we finally could develop a prototype that aligned with our requirements and solutions as well as our flow diagram.
Additionally, since sensors were required for the authentication login and scanning to occur within the buildings, one of our group members coded the program that could be used:
Outcomes
Figure A
Figure A is where the user would start once they open the Population Density Tracker mobile application. The first thing that they will see is a login page prompting them to enter their credentials, which will be the same as their school/university login information. Correct credentials will log the user into the system and from there, they will be displayed a map that surrounds them, but more importantly, their common visiting places/buildings, which will be detailed in Figure B. On the other hand, if the user fails to enter the correct credentials, they will be rerouted back to the same page with an error message displayed.
Figure B
From Figure A, if the user successfully logs into the system, they will be routed to a large interactive map that they can interact with, which can display their commonly visited places as shown in Figure B, much similar to how google maps work. They are then able to choose a location by typing in the address or simply look around the map that their location is pinged at.
Figure C
From Figure B, the user is able to look around their current location by activating the location services in their app, so the mobile application can track any buildings equipped with the sensors. In Figure C, we can see the user, displayed as a red dot, and the buildings or places that surround them. In this particular figure, we see a green, yellow, and red symbol with one, two, and three people, respectively, which are indications of the buildings’ capacity and population density from low to high.
Figure D
In Figure D, the user can select a particular building and the information on that building is displayed, in terms of its population density, average capacity, direction, and contact information. From here, they have a variety of options, which they can quit back out of the building and view other buildings/addresses or explore more about it, which is displayed in Figure E.
Figure E
In Figure D, the user can select a particular building and the information on that building is displayed, in terms of its population density, average capacity, direction, and contact information. From here, they have a variety of options, which they can quit back out of the building and view other buildings/addresses or explore more about it, which is displayed in Figure E.