The Pitt Smart Living team created a mobile-friendly web site to help Pittsburgh-area grocers figure out which times are best for visiting a store and what items are in-stock/out-of-stock during these challenging times. Our goal is to make everybody’s lives a bit easier during the pandemic and help flatten the curve of people visiting grocery stores.
The web site is immediately accessible at https://got-toilet-paper.org
No download or registration is required. It works on any mobile smartphone equipped with a web browser. It also works on laptops or desktop computers, although the location-based features will not be as accurate.
How it works
The got-toilet-paper? website works in two modes:
- View existing data — shoppers can search for a particular store on a map centered in downtown Pittsburgh and then select the store of interest to see:
- information about how busy the store typically is and how busy it currently is (using data provided by Google), and
- information about essential items being in-stock/out-of-stock. We report when was the last time information was submitted and use data only from the last 3 days.
- Contribute new data — shoppers can submit information about how crowded a store is and whether certain items are in-stock or out-of-stock. We only allow reports for up to 3 hours in the past.
The list of stores currently in the system is available at https://got-toilet-paper.org/about/stores
Sample screenshots are shown below:
How to help
- Please use the got-toilet-paper? website the next time you go to a grocery store in the Pittsburgh area. Use it to view information and also contribute information for others to use!
- Please help promote the website through social media. Please tag us (@PittSmartLiving) on Twitter or Facebook.
- If you are a store manager, please contact us (got-toilet-paper AT list.pitt.edu) to add authoritative information about your store and become a partner (especially as we are looking to extend its functionality). The service is free.
- If you are a journalist, please help us raise awareness of the got-toilet-paper? website. Feel free to reach out (got-toilet-paper AT list.pitt.edu) if you need more information.
Who did this?
This app was put together in an agile way by the following members of the Pitt Smart Living team:
- Programmer: Kristi Bushman
- Faculty: Alex Labrinidis (main contact), Kostas Pelechrinis, Sera Linardi
- Postdoc: Robizon Khubulashvili
- PhD student: Mallory Avery
and is funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of Pittsburgh, through their support of the Pitt Smart Living project.