It is a resource guide for new residents for smooth sailing into Portland. This web/kiosk/android App helps new immigrants and foreign students feel welcome in the city. To reduce their time to get adjusted, this App connects them to their ethnic, cultural and educational resources in the city. The web/mobile web/android App lists the ethnic restaurants, pubs or food carts. Further, it lists ethnic grocery stores and book stores that carry books, newspapers and magazines in their native language. The App will also connect them to businesses such as interpreters, ESL tutors, immigration lawyers, notary public with language skills. The App will also provide a listing of local ethnic festivals or events.
It uses the business license database for getting address and GIS information about local businesses. It integrates it with the content authored using portlandwiki.
Initially, the App has content for three ethnicities:
- Indian
- Ukrainian
- Vietnamese
The contributor of this App is the Oregon chapter of the Alumni association of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). It has been designed and developed by local members and their friends.
Note: If you have problems in accessing the website, please wait as the domain name is still being propagated.
Targeted demographic (who is the app intended for?):
New immigrants, workers and foreign students in greater Portland
Who and what will be impacted by the app, and how?:
New immigrants and foreign students will feel welcome in the city. With the help of local ethnic businesses, their time to get adjusted will be reduced. Thus they will become productive faster.
The App will also be useful for their counselors.
What is the specific need that is addressed by the app?:
While they are trying to settle in, they need to find out about their ethnic resources in Portland. Often, they can not speak English well enough, and are more comfortable if they can speak to and do business with someone of their own ethnicity.
Anticipated usage of the app (by whom, under what circumstances, etc)?:
During their first 10 days in greater Portland, they will use the kiosk version or the web version. Once they have a smart phone, they will use the Android or mobile web version.
How is information presented, that's not presented elsewhere; how is it unique?:
The information about local ethnic resources is presented in a uniform way that is suitable for the needs of new immigrants, workers and foreign students
What are a few of the primary strengths of the design?:
* Support for multiple form factors: kiosk, web app, mobile App
* Extensible architecture with support for multiple ethnicities, needs and stages of adjustment/assimilation
* Architecture/Framework for authoring and accessing content
* Integrates with portlandwiki for authoring of content
* With the power of wiki, enables linking with Yelp!, CitySearch, Dex/SuperPages, OregonLive, Craigslist etc * Support for user provided content
* Integrates with google maps
Discussion
Thanks for the contribution! Two issues: 1) Please get the DNS issue resolved, and 2) Please make the app available to the Android Marketplace, or make the package file available on your website such that we can upload to our Droids for judging purposes. Thanks!
Please make the executable or package file (*.apk) available for judging. Thank you.