Atlanta Pulse App: Developed for MWC in 4 Weeks
We often use the word “sprint” around here, with agile development being a big part of our DNA. A week-long sprint typically includes a set of design or programming tasks — or perhaps implementation of a new feature. But in the case of the new Atlanta Pulse app for iOS, the entire app MVP was a sprint, engineered from start to finish in a matter of four weeks.
Atlanta Pulse was first conceived and designed by Razorfish and then engineered by ArcTouch for the Midtown Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. It will be demoed this week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), as the who’s who in the mobile industry gather in Barcelona, Spain — including ArcTouch co-founders Eric N. Shapiro and Adam Fingerman. The chamber plans to use the app to showcase the city and help lure entrepreneurs and new business to the Atlanta area.
“Pressed for time and having no capacity for a short-term deliverable, we turned to a trusted partner, ArcTouch, to engineer a complex app within a few weeks,” said Dan Israel, senior director of client engagement for Razorfish. “Not only does it look great, but it is also going to be showcased by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce at MWC. Without question, ArcTouch rocks!”
The Atlanta Pulse App: Features and Integrations
The only place the app can be seen this week is the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce booth at MWC (Hall 6 Stand 6MO8), but eventually visitors to Atlanta may be able to use it to find info on local dining options and events. And, conveniently, users can see available parking in the vicinity of those events. The app also offers real-time weather information. To deliver these features, we integrated the app with the following data sources:
- Foursquare restaurant and event data, including user reviews
- Parkmobile’s public parking database
- The Weather Underground API, which powers the Weather Channel
- Apple’s Map Kit
What’s Next?
After MWC, the app may eventually be made public for download. Like any MVP, the feedback about the app will determine whether we add additional features and support other platforms beyond iOS. We’ll certainly keep you posted. In the meantime, we’re catching our breath. That was a heck of a sprint.