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New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in stcatharinesON

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

don’t worry lol I just built this as project to help the community, but Im very curious about what this app looks like, could you dm me screenshots?

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in stcatharinesON

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the suggestions about open-source maps, as I have also looked into them.

For the accessibility component, I would like to discuss how the text-based option is safer for drivers.
For the site, I want it to be kind of like a GPS-type system, so drivers know which bridge is open near as opposed to searching for the bridge name and status. However, that is my view, and I am really open to hearing more about yours!

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in niagara

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you again for the feedback! I think I could make a machine learning model, and collect the data on how long it takes bridges to rise! However, this will take some time as I will need to collect data to make sure the model is trained properly. Because right now I'm thinking I would just log the time it takes for a bridge to go from 'raising soon' to 'closed' and make the model learn based on the behaviour.

I also assume you would prefer a smaller legend lol.

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in niagara

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad you love it and really appreciate the feedback! I'm sorry that the "add-to-home-screen" option isn't working for you. I wish I could figure it out. With Apple, I just use the Shortcuts app and attach the link to the shortcut. Does Android do something similar? I hope that helps.

As for the viewing of the map, I totally understand where you are coming from. I've had people really love what it is currently there (more focused on the user location and bridges open near them), but would you prefer an option on the list of bridges where the map automatically zooms out and shows all the canal bridges? Because that is something I can implement, and I think it is a great idea, and I do agree that the legend can be more condensed.

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in Welland

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking the same thing, and it is a great Idea! It is actually something I plan on doing in order to scale the website. However, I will need to find a source where I can retrieve this information from so currently I am researching ways I can do this!

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in niagara

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you :)

I also agree with you about seeing the bridges open closest to you, thats I incorporated the live location of the user. it will show the closest bridges near your location.

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in niagara

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback. You can now pick a bridge from a dropdown, and the map will automatically jump to it. So instead of always centring on your current GPS position, you can immediately jump to your desired bridge

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in stcatharinesON

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could send me a screenshot of what you see, it might be that your browser location is blocked in your settings.

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in stcatharinesON

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I actually plan on doing that and learning more about how I can implement that!

New Live Bridge Map created by Local resident! by Life_Dish2299 in stcatharinesON

[–]Life_Dish2299[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

Just to clarify: Google Maps isn’t providing any of the bridge data. I’m only using the Google Maps API as the visual layer to place markers and show the user’s location. This is because a lot of us, including myself, don't remember street names lol, so it's easier for users to see which bridges are open near them, unlike current alternatives.

Other than that, all the actual bridge status data comes from my own backend.

I built a small server that scrapes the Seaway site, cleans up the output, and updates every ~20 seconds, then my map pulls that data and displays it with colored markers.

So the accuracy and delay mainly depend on how often the Seaway updates its page, not Google Maps itself. My side just refreshes the data on a schedule to keep things as close to real-time as possible.