March 2020 Summaries

In a blog post by Wesley Chun, Google Cloud introduces a video series aimed at encouraging STEM students to gain practical experience with industry APIs, beginning with a focus on G Suite's RESTful APIs like Google Drive. The series provides detailed guidance on using these APIs, starting with a codelab that helps users create a Python script to list files in Google Drive, showcasing the simplicity and potential of coding with Google Cloud APIs. The blog highlights the minimal code required to achieve this functionality and offers additional resources, such as open-source code repositories and comprehensive walkthroughs. It also previews the exploration of other G Suite APIs, including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and sets the stage for future content on the Google Apps Script developer platform, inviting developers to expand their skills and creativity with Google Cloud tools.

Alfred Camera, a smart home app available for Android and iOS, allows users to convert their spare phones into security cameras, leveraging AI technology to provide affordable home security. The app's Moving Object Detection feature uses machine learning models trained with TensorFlow Lite, allowing it to perform efficiently on older devices. The development team faced significant challenges while refining their real-time video analysis pipeline, including dealing with asynchronous processing and platform-specific discrepancies. However, the adoption of Google's MediaPipe, an open-source framework, significantly streamlined their development process. MediaPipe provided a modular, cross-platform solution that allowed the team to easily swap algorithms, utilize GPU acceleration, and reduce debugging complexities. This integration enabled them to enhance their feature set rapidly, transforming basic security functions into more advanced AI-driven capabilities. The team anticipates further progress and innovation as they continue to explore MediaPipe's potential.

In response to the postponement of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) due to health and safety concerns, Google has announced the Google for Games Developer Summit, a digital-only event starting on March 23, 2020, to provide developers with the content originally planned for GDC. The summit will feature over 10 hours of sessions, including success stories from industry leaders, new Android development tools, and updates on products like Game Servers. Google is also coordinating with the GDC Relief Fund to support developers impacted by the postponement and encourages the use of YouTube tools for content sharing. The summit aims to support and advance the gaming community by offering valuable insights and resources.

Google Cloud has launched a YouTube video series called "Google Cloud for Student Developers," aimed at helping student developers, particularly those in STEM fields, gain practical skills using industry APIs, which are valuable for career readiness. The series focuses on Google Cloud's two main product groups: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and G Suite. While GCP is typically associated with developers, G Suite applications like Gmail, Google Drive, and Calendar also offer developer APIs that are less well-known. The series begins with a five-episode mini-series on coding with G Suite, introducing the G Suite developer landscape and covering RESTful APIs and Google Apps Script, a serverless environment for automating and extending G Suite app functionality. Future episodes will explore these tools in more depth and demonstrate how to build full-fledged apps, with upcoming content also set to focus on GCP developer tools.

In celebration of International Women's Day, Google Developer Studio highlighted 20 prominent women in technology who are making significant strides in the developer community. These women, who are involved with Google Developer Groups, Women Techmakers, and are Google Developers Experts, are committed to fostering inclusivity and accessibility for future generations of women in tech. Their diverse work spans various projects, from mobile architecture and cloud technologies to educational initiatives and community leadership. Each of these trailblazers offers unique insights, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning, community involvement, and self-belief in overcoming challenges in the tech industry. Through their efforts, they contribute to a more diverse and supportive environment, encouraging others to explore technology's potential impact on society.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2020 was postponed due to health and safety concerns, as announced by the organizers and acknowledged by the Google for Games Team. Despite the inability to connect in person, Google expressed its commitment to sharing the latest updates with the gaming community through a digital experience, with more details to be provided soon. The conference is typically a key event for Google to engage with game developers, partners, and industry friends, highlighting the importance of maintaining community connections and continuing to thrive in the gaming sector. For ongoing updates, Google directed interested parties to visit their dedicated GDC 2020 webpage.

Gigster's Staffing Operations Team leveraged Google Apps Script to transform their manual staffing process into a highly efficient, automated system. Initially reliant on Google Sheets for data tracking, the team faced challenges with manual data entry and the complexity of coordinating with multiple third-party applications. By integrating third-party APIs and creating a user interface within the Google Sheets environment, they automated most of the staffing tasks, significantly reducing the time required for staffing each role. This evolution allowed them to develop a tool capable of end-to-end automation, requiring minimal manual intervention. As the application grew, they transitioned from a Google Sheets-based system to a standalone web application with a responsive HTML frontend, improving usability and scalability for multiple users. This transformation not only increased efficiency but also empowered the non-engineering team to independently create custom software solutions using familiar tools, thereby enhancing their overall value to the company.