Problem

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IUPUI provides a webpage that uses Google Maps to show the availability in the parking garages on campus. When I attended, it always bothered me that I'd have to fumble with this webpage to check parking availability when commuting, not to mention the safety implications of juggling a Maps webpage while driving.

Objectives

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🌐 Create an application that scrapes the garage information from IUPUI's Maps page

📋 Use Azure to deploy an API to provide the information on a requested garage

📱 Build an iOS Shortcut to provide a handsfree way to check garage availability

How it works

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See IUPUI's Maps page here.

The Parking Availability API provides an easy way to access the garage data from IUPUI's page. When a request is made, the Python app scrapes the information about the requested garage and packages it into a JSON response.

A front end could then be created to utilize the data. As a proof of concept, I built an iOS Shortcut that prompts the user to choose a garage, then calls the API to retrieve the garage's information, present it to the user, and ask if they would like directions to that garage.

This provides a much safer, handsfree way to check parking availability when commuting to campus.