August 2014 Summaries

GeoFire, Firebase’s open-source geolocation library, has expanded from JavaScript to iOS and Android, providing compatible libraries across web and mobile platforms along with sample apps that display San Francisco public transit data in real time. The library maps string keys to geographic coordinates stored in Firebase and supports real-time geographic queries that notify applications when objects enter, exit, or move within a selected radius, enabling uses such as tracking nearby runners, taxis, or local venues. Designed as a lightweight Firebase extension rather than a replacement for application data storage, GeoFire lets developers keep user profiles and other data in Firebase while maintaining a separate location index for proximity searches. Developers can use GeoQuery events to track nearby keys and attach standard Firebase listeners to retrieve and update associated user information in real time, removing listeners when users leave the queried region.

Y Combinator’s YCHacks hackathon brought together 540 developers, who produced 123 projects over a weekend fueled by APIs and rapid experimentation. Firebase was used by 34 teams, including two of the top three prize winners, and generated nearly 4% of the event’s network traffic. Notable Firebase-powered projects included Awear, which connected Myo gesture controls and Bluetooth beacons to operate nearby devices; Vrniture, which used Oculus Rift virtual reality to preview furniture in a user’s room; Quantified High Fives, which tracked high fives through a Pebble smartwatch’s motion sensor; and Athelas, a low-cost iPhone-based blood-cell imaging tool that stored test results in Firebase. The event highlighted how developers used Firebase to quickly build real-time, connected applications across hardware, virtual reality, wearable technology, and health-related tools.