Ask HN: Idea for a mashup - now, to make it happen...

[stijnm]

Hi All,

I have an idea for a web app and am asking you, the knowledgeable HN reader, if it is possible to make it with existing tools. If yes, which ones.

Oh, and if you would like to point out this already exists - feel free to flame me and mock my ignorance.

Context: I was working in the garden with my girlfriend and we were discussing (putting it politely) planting a tree without blocking the morning sun. It was evening so we could not verify our claims. This issue remained unsolved until the next morning when we could verify the sun's position. (I won.)

Idea: Create a mashup of google maps and sun/moon position data.

Usage: When a user goes to street view (or similar) at any point (long/lat position) in google maps on earth and gives a date, they would be able to see the arc the sun/moon makes through the sky.

I have some development experience but do not have a broad knowledge of best-of-breed tools out there.

Thanks for any suggestions or refinement on the idea!

PS: Feel free to steal this idea and make it happen - I'd be happy to use your app.

[kiwidrew]

Unfortunately, you're probably going to need to take elevation and topography into account to get anything useful. As far as I know, none of the web mapping APIs really expose that data right now. (Google Earth may, I don't have much experience with it.)

Here in Wellington (NZ), the local terrain is quite hilly, and as a result the amount of sun a house gets is a big factor in purchasing (or even just renting). Especially in wintertime, when the sun is often so low in the sky that many houses, streets, and even neighbourhoods miss out on the sun entirely! (At my house, in about a month we go through a 2+ month period of no sunshine, which takes some getting used to.)

So of course someone built a website to generate 'sunshine reports' for any given address! I'd recommend checking it out. They use topographic data to (roughly) estimate how much sun you'd get during each month of the year, complete with pretty charts and graphs. Still doesn't take into account trees and other buildings, but (as far as I know) that data simply isn't available at all.

http://www.keyring.co.nz/intro/index.jsf

[stijnm → kiwidrew]

Hi Drew,

thanks for the response - elevation will indeed play a role. I don't know by how much though.

However, I would say that for a v1 possible obstacles (mountains, other houses, fence, ...) could be ignored and just imagined by the user. If they have a good idea of the arc through the sky then they can make a judgement themselves.

For me, the key to v1 is to not go too accurate in our algorithm by taking into account all variables. Aim would be to make it useful for those who just need an estimate.

Thanks,

Stijn.

PS: I will look at the site more closely tonight to see how they manage it. No time now.

[jonp]

Wolfram Alpha lets you get the position. eg http://wolframalpha.com/input/?i=sun+at+9am+in+London