Kharkiv students presented a mobile app prototype, VeloCity, for cyclists who want to use bicycle safely. VeloCity’s main features include navigation and visualization of the city’s infrastructure. Users can check for directions and find parking spaces or repair shops for their bicycles. The app also contains a traffic rules tutorial. Most importantly, users can find and talk to fellow cyclists nearby.
The app was designed at the Students’ Boot Camp organized by Kharkiv IT Cluster. During the Boot Camp, students had a chance to receive practical IT experience under the guidance of Kharkiv leading companies’ mentors. The prototype won «The Best Eco Project» award. The winning team was guided by Intellias, which was also the main ecomobile partner of the Boot Camp.
“I’d like to see my city more sustainable, so I decided to join the project,” says Anastasia Nikolaeva, VeloCity PM. “I wish there were fewer cars on the streets, but on the other hand people need to commute somehow, which makes a bicycle an optimal eco choice. The most valuable insight from the project for me personally was that I understood the difference between Frontend and Backend development”.
The team of 17 students and IT graduates was working on the project, and Intellias mentors shared their technical expertise. For two months the team developed a prototype, its design, and a further action plan. The team plans to continue their work outside of the Boot Camp. Intellias mentors will also keep supporting students and cooperating on the project.
“Here, at Intellias, we have a long history of supporting cycling initiative,” says Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Java developer at Intellias and VeloCity mentor. “We build cycling parking spaces, organize team cycling travels, and now we launch an Ecomobile Summer initiative. It’s a big project, which aims to popularize cycling culture. The idea of creating an app for cyclists seemed exciting to me from the very beginning. I’m sure that the app will find its audience once we’ve finished developing user-friendly functions. I know that the team plans to keep working on the app, and I will be happy to mentor them further».
The Students’ Boot Camp from Kharkiv IT Cluster has been organized for two years in a row. The project’s coordinator Darya Tamanova says that it has become an important event for the city’s IT community. “The project’s concept rests on three pillars: sharing experience with the beginners, finding talents to work in the IT industry, developing city-oriented IT solutions. This year the project was significantly bigger than last year. The most important thing for us is to see Members continue working on their apps after the camp is over”.