I'm currently working as a planner and supervisor in temporary traffic management. Recently, I've been creating resources for my team to use on-site, but I've noticed that our current app system is confusing for many of them, especially since some have difficulties with the formulas. I want to develop a new app that includes custom calculators to estimate things like hourly traffic volume and queue lengths. I've already made a simple calculator using a free tool and hosted it on a Weebly site. However, since many of our workers lose internet reception while on the job, I need to ensure the app can work offline. I also want to include a GPS feature for measuring distances shorter than what a car odometer can track. I'm aware that diving into app development without coding experience might sound nuts, but I really want to make this app available for both Android and iOS, keeping costs low as I'm funding this myself. Can anyone guide me on where to start? What programming languages or free resources should I look into for building this app?
3 Answers
Starting out, coding can seem overwhelming, but I suggest looking into existing tools that might help you get started. For your calculator, consider using offline Google Sheets. This way, your calculations can still be accessible without internet. It’s a good way to experiment with calculations while you learn coding. For measuring distances, using Google Maps could work. You can mark points to get distance measurements, but keep in mind the accuracy of GPS might vary. Overall, focus on breaking down the problem into smaller pieces, and start by creating your initial solutions; from there, you can brainstorm more advanced features.
Just a heads-up, many free GPS services are only accurate to about +/- 100 meters. If precision is crucial for your app, you might want to explore alternatives like using the accelerometer or pedometer features in phones instead of relying solely on GPS. When you're ready to start developing, think about what type of app you need: a mobile app versus a web app. If you're looking to do things on a PC, starting with a terminal app can be a simple first step. Languages like Python are great to learn for this kind of project, and you can even convert your scripts into executable files. If you want to keep it browser-based, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can also do a lot without needing an internet connection!
It sounds like getting hands-on with a little HTML and JavaScript might be doable for you. You can build simple calculators with those!
There's a lot of chatter about learning to code, but if you're just trying to get a simple app, you might want to focus on no-code platforms. Tools like glideapps or bubble.io allow you to create apps without deep programming skills. They can help you bring your idea to life without the heavy lifting of learning to code right away! But if you want to become more technical, React Native or Flutter are great cross-platform frameworks that let you build for Android and iOS.
No-code platforms are definitely worth checking out! They can save you a lot of headaches.
For distances, there are golf apps that estimate hole lengths; maybe those could give you some inspiration!