Case Study: Decoupled apps for Sportsplex facilities

This 30 minute session does not depend on any specific technical knowledge, but rather introduces 3 decoupled ways to add functions to a Drupal site. Some hardware will be shown and explained.

Applications are for three Sportsplexes, operating 7/365, morning until after Midnight.

1. Kiosk scan stations for user authentication
2. Mobile app for registration, payment, photo ID
3. Digital signage to display participants

• Portable kiosk scan stations can be used at conferences, meetings, offices, buildings, or any access-controlled points. Within one second of scanning, the Drupal backend is consulted and a decision is announced: “Enter, Your Meeting is in Room 1024,” or “See the Service Desk,” or any other message that you want.
• We developed this for a Drupal site with more than 80,000 registered users. When users come to one of our facilities, they use the kiosk scanner stations to confirm their eligibility status for admission. Service staff nearby can arrange for new users to become eligible, and deal with users rejected by the scanner.  The Drupal website and backend database run at AWS.
• Admission can be based on any combination of start/end dates, payment status, specific event, training session, any data in the user’s account profile or other data in the Drupal database.
• Users will either scan their QR code on their mobile device (like at the airport gate check-in) or scan a unique keytag obtained on their first visit.
• The kiosk hardware cost is less than $200 (qty 1 but less in bulk). Network connection is by WiFi or Ethernet. Device (Raspberry Pi) supports USB, Bluetooth, HDMI and audio devices. Touchscreen interface.
• User scan and response (Valid/Invalid) within one second, includes audio feedback and display of user name and photo. If rejected, screen displays reason why the user is invalid. If Valid, the date/time of successful scan is recorded in the user account. In our app, the scan remains valid for 3 hours.
•  User presence status can optionally be displayed on large-screen monitors–e.g., in classroom–showing Valid/Invalid status and whether the user has scanned in.
• App communicates with backend using the Drupal API and can for example be coded in React.js or other. Additional endpoints added in custom module.