Project Description

For years I have been relying on Access-A-Ride (AAR) as my daily transportation from home to school. I have had multiple problems tracking where my van is and if I am a “direct route.” Over time I have met many other people who rely on this AAR to be their main form of transportation and they experience the same issues of it either being late or not showing up at all. For my Culmination Project I plan to design and code a web based app that streamlines the process and allows the AAR user base to track their Access-A-Ride through their phones.

The app will have a log in screen that the user could enter their client ID number (is a number that users get assigned when you first get approved for Access-A-Ride). When the client ID number gets logged into the system the app will find the corresponding information of your trip.

AAR is a shared door-to-door service that the MTA operates for the elderly and disabled. I want to design an app that will make the AAR system run more efficiently for both customers and employees. The reason that no one has designed this app before is simply that the system is so bureaucratic that customers accept its negative aspects and try to deal with them without changing AAR.

I can look to previous tracking devices such as Find My iPhone and Uber to assist with the building of my app for public use by the AAR community. My innovation is important because there is currently no app that informs customers about their ride with accurate and updated information.

Methods

The AAR app will be developed with Javascript, HTML 5, CSS 3, and jQuery. These are all technologies I have learned over the years. I am not totally comfortable with all of these technologies, but I will be using online tutorials to overcome this obstacle. HTML5, jQuery and CSS 3 will be used for the design layout of basic structure of the app. Javascript will be the backbone of the app.

In addition, I will use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator plus Lucidchart to design the wireframe of the app. I will be focusing on the creative side and the basic structure of the app and will incorporate the Google Maps API system into the app.
Project Deliverables
My project deliverables will be the following:

1. Design a poster
2. Set up an E-portfolio on openlab
3. Code the basic structure of the web app
4. Design and produce a wireframe of each page on the app
5. Provide weekly documentation

Calendar

Required Resources

For my project I will only use computer programs that I already have access to complete this project. The programs expected to be used are Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, SublimeText, and LucidChart.
Budget

My budget will consist of the price of Adobe Creative Suite and an Google API GPS. Adobe Creative Suite is $79.98 per month and the Google API GPS is free for the first 25,000 views and 50 cents per additional 1000 map views. My services in kind will be valued at 100 dollars per hour, an acceptable rate for a mobile app developer. In addition, I will start a Kickstarter campaign for the future of this app.

Culmination Project Table of Context

• Project Description
• Methods
• Project Deliverables
• Calendar
• Require Resources
• Budget
• Culmination Project Table of Context
• Culmination Project Agreement

Culmination Outcomes
After I get my B Tech from New York City College of Technology, I will finish this project and hopefully get the MTA to implement this system to make it better. In addition, after this project I will also make apps for all different kinds of Paratransit programs in order to make a difference in the disabled and elderly communities.