##GoNamTaxi Hackathon Prototype 2015 Developed under the team moniker of 'Logic++' and presented as 'eCab' to the judging panel.

###The Challenge To develop a fast, friendly, fraud resistant, payment method for transportation in Namibia.

###The Result The initial design incorporated a visual passenger tracking system coupled to a manual cash payment counter. The implementation involved computer vision and a machine learning algorithm. The system would be deployed as a camera-equipped Android device mounted inside a taxi, served by the backend system through a cellular internet network. This approach was abandoned for various reasons, and the system underwent a redesign into a platform for scanning QR codes as tickets. The trajectory is documented in the repository history.

The prototype submitted at the hackathon's conclusion consists of two components:

• The Server, providing a ticket transaction API and a web based administration interface.
• Till for Taxi, an Android app to scan QR Code tickets and log transactions with GPS coordinates.

###Avenues for further development

• The QR identification system is currently insecure. It needs a robust ID generator.
• A means for passengers to purchase tickets electronicially, via a browser or app.
• A means for passengers to verify that a ticket is valid before attempting to use it.
• Expansion of the backend/backoffice into something useful for real world use.

###Admin Interface

####TillApp

#Installation

• Node
• Google Maps API Keys, for both Server and Browser.
• An android device with camera, API level >=15.

##Server Installation

Clone the repository and install NPM dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/abrie/go-nam-taxi.git
cd go-nam-taxi/tillserver
npm install

The server will not work without a file describing the API keys. These should be stored in the ./private directory, but are not checked into the repository for security reasons. You'll need to generate your own keys. Follow the instructions provided by Google:

• https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/get-api-key#key
• You'll need both a Browser Key and a Server Key.

##Running the Server

Install your Google API keys into a file named 'api keys.json' into the private/ directory:

{
  "google_maps_server_key":"paste-your-server-key-here",
  "google_maps_browser_key":"paste-your-browser-key-here"
}

You may then start the server:

cd tillserver
node server.js

This will start a server on localhost, and if all is good you'll be greeted with the following:

#GoNamTaxi Prototype Server

The server is then listening on port 8080 and port 9090. Port 8080 serves HTTP, and port 9090 is a websocket. You may connect to the server using the url: http://localhost:8080/client.

##Building the Client

Built with Android Studio 1.4, with minimum SDK IceCreamSandwich.

##Running the Client

The client attempts to connects to an http://ip:port specified in its configuration. The configuration is accessed through a preference pane in the settings menu. The server expects client requests on port 8080. Also note that a unique Taxi ID number can be set; which is used to correlate scans with a specific taxi. To scan a ticket, press the SCAN TICKET button. A camera window will open. Point the camera at a ticket; and a sound will play when the code has been captured. The results of a scan are show in the main listview; and the server will also log and forward the results to the admin client. The admin client will display the GPS coordinates of where the scan occurred.