mattbroffman
commented
8 years ago Looks awesome. There is some existing data out there just not in a format that you can easily grab...although I'm sure someone can figure out how. :) http://www.orangecountyfl.net/CultureParks/PublicArt.aspx
Short description of the idea (140 character tweet):
A mobile application that allows local residents to find public art around the city. Users can contribute through the app by capturing photos of unlisted artwork.
What is your project concept or idea? What challenge or opportunity will it solve?
Over the past few years local neighborhoods like Mills50 and Thornton Park have encouraged artists to paint on walls, electrical boxes, dumpsters, and storm drains. Additionally, Orlando has quite a few outdoor sculptures, such as the ones surrounding Lake Eola. The Orlando Street Art App (that's a working title) would be a crowd-sourced catalog of Orlando's outdoor artwork. Users could browse the collection of artwork, view nearby art on a map, or contribute to the catalog by taking photos of their own.
At a minimum the app should simply offer a list of street art installations to browse or search, and provide location info for those installations. The detail view of an installation would display the following info:
A more robust version of the app could offer social features, as a way of giving users an opportunity to participate in Orlando's art community. A registered user could "like" their favorite installations and follow other users. The user's profile would show the photos the user has taken, a list of their favorite installations, and a list of users they follow. Additionally we could offer some sort of verification process for artists who sign up, so that a link to their profile is displayed in the details of their artwork.
Who will benefit from your project? Describe the humans at the center of the problem - who are they?
Any local art enthusiast would benefit from this project, but my hope is that the artists are the people who benefit the most. Residents get a chance to engage with the artists who create the work that they see around the city, and artists get increased recognition, which can help them progress their work further.
If successful, an app like this could also have the effect of encouraging local neighborhoods to commission more artwork, creating opportunities for more artists to create new work.
How would they benefit? Can you tell their story?
User Story: Janet, a local resident Janet resides in Ivanhoe Village. Every day while walking her dog she passes a painted electrical box displaying an image of a girl on a bicycle. Using the Street Art App, Janet is able to find out the name of the artist responsible for the work. She now knows that her favorite art box was painted by Andrew Spear, and she uses the app to view more work by that artist. She bookmarks a few of her favorites by Mr. Spear so that later on in the week she can visit those installations in person.
User Story: Horace, a local artist Horace is a local artist who was previously commissioned by Mills 50 to paint a mural. So far this is the only public artwork he's been commissioned to do. Over time Horace's mural becomes one of the most bookmarked installations in the Street Art App. The positive recognition he receives from community members unlocks new opportunities for him. Months later Horace gets commissioned by College Park to paint a new mural, thanks in part to the notoriety gained from the app.
Do you have photos of them? Or quotes?
I don't have photos or quotes, but I've seen quite a few people take photos of their favorite pieces of art around town. Seeing this happen so often is what led me to coming up with this idea.
Issue area(s) relevant to your project idea:
What is the current state of your project idea?
Note: As my final project for my master's program I produced an Android app that could be considered a prototype version of what I've described. I'm not yet an expert developer so the app is rough around the edges, but it offers some of the basic features described previously.
Tell us more about the current state of your project idea.
My prototype can be installed from the google play store. I had to put it in the play store as part of my final, but I'll probably take it down while its being reworked.
My prototype uses Parse to handle data and user authentication, so although I've only created an Android app, Parse would allow us to build the app for multiple platforms. I'm still using Parse.com at the moment but am planning to migrate to the opensource Parse Server. As I mentioned earlier, I'm still learning the ropes as an Android dev, so my app in its current state is slow and buggy. I'm hoping to work with CFO to salvage the best parts of my work and rebuild it as a community project. That said, I'm open to starting fresh and planning out optimal solutions to the challenges such an app offers up.
Do you have any links to news articles, text, mockups, code, or data?
I've created a repository of my prototype for anyone who wants to have a look.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Ben Badio. I recently earned a Master's in Information Technology from the University of Nova Southeastern. Computers and technology have been a passion of my all my life, but I've been coding for about 4 years now. When I'm not coding I'm a DJ/Producer known locally as Waldo Faldo. I'm also an avid knitter :)
What is your background? Why is this challenge important to you?
I have some experience with a variety of languages (HTML, CSS, Javascript, Java, Python) but my main focus is Android development. I've spent the past few years juggling work and school while trying to develop my own projects in my spare time, but during that time I haven't taken enough opportunities to collaborate on projects with more knowledgeable devs. This challenge is important to me because I see it as an opportunity to sharpen my skills, build relationships with local devs, and use my own skills to benefit the people of Orlando.
Are you representing a group in submitting this project idea?
Nope, just me :)