SUTD-MIT INTERN ATIONAL DESIGN CENTRE (IDC) Inn ovation Ready Design Version: September 2015 SUTD-MIT INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CENTRE (IDC) Final Report: SUTD IDC UROP SUMMARY Title: SUTD Smart Bicycle Sharing System Date of 12-Feb-16 Report Submission : Name Email Student ID Lee Jun [email protected] 1000470 Xiang Tee May [email protected] 1000414 Ying Pornthip [email protected] 1000648 Sae- g Chong Tan [email protected] 1000491 Chang Tat Student(s): Kelly [email protected] 1000534 Kuo Lee Li [email protected] 1000663 Zhen Jackie [email protected] 1000525 Lim Guang Jie Angel [email protected] 1000692 Chia Chok [email protected] 1000711 Xin Lin FINAL REPORT: SUTD IDC UROP Chong [email protected] 1000585 Shi Kai Benjami [email protected] 1000545 n Hoong Lynette Cheah Faculty Soh Gim Song Mentor: Zhang Meihui Costas Courcoubetis SUTD IDC 20,000 Funding (S$): Start Date: 14-Oct-14 End Date: 12-Feb-16 2 FINAL REPORT: SUTD IDC UROP Contents Describe the research methodologies used for this project and comment on your research findings. Provide pictures for illustration where necessary/available. ....................................................................... 4 In your original IDC UROP proposal, a set of deliverables were proposed. Restate the proposed deliverables and describe how the deliverables were achieved or exceeded. Please provide explanation(s) for deliverables that could not be met. ................................................................................ 9 Provide an overall assessment and conclusion for the project. ................................................................. 18 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................. 19 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................. 22 Appendix C .................................................................................................................................................. 24 Appendix D .................................................................................................................................................. 47 3 FINAL REPORT: SUTD IDC UROP Describe the research methodologies used for this project and comment on your research findings. Provide pictures for illustration where necessary/available. Business Validation The proposed concept of having a smart bicycle sharing in Singapore was validated through a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo launched in November 2015. Of the targeted 2500 USD goal, we achieved a final goal of 2736 USD, with a total of 66 backers online, and 51 backers offline1. We gained publicity through various newspaper and journals such as The Straits Times2, Second Wind Magazine3, SG Now4, and e275. From the crowdfunding campaign and publications, we were contacted by a few parties who were interested in having a bicycle sharing system set up at their development. These include JTC, LendLease, and UOL Group. At the writing of this report, we are still in discussions in implementing the system at their location. LTA is also planning to release an open tender this year, and we have been in contact with them in future collaborative options. ISTD 1. Server Connection: We looked into possible ways to establish connection between server and devices i.e. mini-pc on bike and mobile application: • Sockets connection. Open socket on device side to connect to receiving socket on server through IP address to store data on the server. • HTTP POST/GET. Server running API service to serve API requests from the devices. Data is sent through URI requests to server. • MySQL client-server connection. Installing MySQL client on mini-pc to directly connect to MySQL hosted on personal computer. 2. Server Concurrency: We learned how to estimate concurrency by expecting how many users would use the server at the same time to help determine what kind of server is best suited for the project: 1 Proceeds went towards funds for entrepreneurship capstone 2 http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/tired-of-the-hikes-sutd-students-share-bikes-to-commute- between-expo-mrt-and?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#xtor=CS1-10 3 http://secondwindmagazine.com/crowdfunding-singapores-new-bike-sharing-system-zaibike/ 4 http://sg.asia-city.com/city-living/news/new-bike-sharing-service-may-make-your-commute- better?utm_source=hootsuite#sthash.ZrWoIHEn.dpuf 5 https://e27.co/startup-spotlight-zaibike-changing-singapores-cycling-culture-smart-tech- 20160121/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=e27&utm_content=Startup+i n+Spotlight%3A+ZaiBike+is+changing+Singapore%27s+cycling+culture+with+smart+tech 4 FINAL REPORT: SUTD IDC UROP We looked at the probability that n users would query the server at the same time by estimating amount of users at different time of the day i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner etc. We sent out surveys to SUTD students to analyse the amount of traffic we would expect. (Appendix A) Concurrency helps to identify server capacity and how powerful our server should be to handle concurrency 3. Server type: There are two possible ways to host a server, physically or using cloud space offered by cloud operator: • Physical server. Powerful high storage PC, rack server from Dell, ASUS etc. • Cloud server. Google App Engine, virtualising server on SUTD server. 4. Mobile application: We downloaded several bike share mobile applications (See Figure 1) such as 杭州公共自行车 (Hangzhou Public Bike app), Social Bicycles (SoBi), Velib and City. The following features are found in some of these bikes: • Map - SoBi, Hangzhou, Velib, City • Bike availability - SoBi, Hangzhou, Velib, City • Parking availability - SoBi, Hangzhou, Velib, City • Search - SoBi, Velib, City • Favourite - Hangzhou, Velib • Current location - Hangzhou, Velib • Refresh - Velib • Balance amount - SoBi • More - Hangzhou, Velib From this case study, we realised that the primary features for a mobile application were map, bike and parking availability, search, favourite; while the rest of the features were secondary. We also found out that map took almost 90% of the entire app screen and availability of parking space and unused bike were easily accessed and visible from the app. Also, maps were, by default, zoom in to a level such that one can see more than five parking spot/bike availability on their phone screen. 5 FINAL REPORT: SUTD IDC UROP Figure 1 From left is City, Hangzhou, Sobi, Velib bicycle sharing mobile application 5. Website: We researched into different ways we could make website which could be using PHP or HTML: • HTML mark-up language is used to display text, image and other styling of the site while PHP is more for connection with server. PHP is not able to do styling • There are many frameworks available for html e.g. Django, Jinja etc. to connect to database and front end responsive framework e.g. Bootstrap, Skeleton , w3.css etc. • JavaScript is used to programme html element dynamically. JQuery, a JavaScript Library is available which facilitate the use of JavaScript ESD The ESD team embarked on our research process with the objective of exploring the possibility of a bike sharing system in Singapore, using SUTD’s East Coast Campus (ECC) as a preliminary platform for our pilot testing. We began the research by conducting site analysis on the current ECC in November 2014. On site, we spoke to the main contractor to find out what are the available food choices both within and outside campus, and also the locations where bike racks will potentially be placed. Details have been marked out on the ECC site plan (see Appendix A). At time of visit, the exact number and locations of bike racks within campus have yet to be finalised, hence I shall collectively refer to the main rack below the grand staircase and the other racks beside each hostel kitchen as “hostel rack”. Based on the site visit, we identified three possible hubs on campus – Building 1 bike rack, hostel rack, or the Sports Hall rack. However, due to ECC’s relatively small area, these hubs are in close proximity to each other. Therefore, we decided to refer to all bike racks within campus as just “campus hub” External areas of interest in ECC’s vicinity such as Expo MRT, Simei MRT station, Tanah Merah MRT station and Changi Business Park were also identified as potential hubs. Due to the team’s limited expertise in starting a bike sharing system and our manpower limitations, we decided to keep our operations small by narrowing the pilot trial to include only one external hub. Out of the four nearby hubs as aforementioned, we chose the hub that we foresee would be the most 6 FINAL REPORT: SUTD IDC UROP popular – Expo MRT. Though there is no direct bus service there, it is the nearest MRT and also strategically located right next to commercial facilities like Changi City Point and FairPrice Xtra at UE BizHub East. With an abundance of food and beverages outlets at a walking distance of 10 minutes away, we expect many students to stop at Expo MRT. As for Simei and Tanah Merah MRT stations, there is at least 1 dedicated bus service that travels from the nearest bus stop from SUTD – Opposite Tropicana Condominium (B96049) – to each MRT station. Furthermore, the main contractor had observed