8A - Solving the Problem

- My problem is about how a person cannot simply know when either of the gym at the University of Florida is going to be packed or not.

- My solution to this is to create an app that connects with the live cameras at both Student Rec and Southwest Rec and shows a live feed of the two gyms right on the app. The app could also give an actual number of how many people there are at the gym using the data from when people have to sign in to use the gym. There could also be statistics page that shows what time and day the gym is busiest so a person could organize their daily schedule around that.

7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Students who go to either gym at the University of Florida cannot figure out when to go because they do not know if the gym will be crowded or not.

Who: Students at UF who go to either of the two gyms.

What: There is no way to know if the gyms are crowded or not.

Why: Lack of ways to tell when the gyms are crowded.

Testing the who: There are many people who have this need. I feel that this opportunity does not just apply to UF but can apply to all gyms in the United States.

Testing the what: The only way to know for sure if the gym is crowded is to go there, but this could be a problem for many people who live far away from the gyms at UF. They would go there and see that it is pack and then they would have to go back home.  

Testing the why: There is no app or anything that a student could download and see if the gym is crowded or not. I know there are cameras at the gyms, but they should be connected to an app.

Interview 1:

The first person I interviewed was a freshman here at the University of Florida. He lived in Thomas Hall, so he was very close to Student Rec. He says he hates going to the gym crowded because he could not use any of the weights and equipment. He said my idea was fantastic and that I should I let him know when I make it.

Interview 2:

The second person I interviewed was a junior girl who lives in an apartment complex behind Midtown. I asked her which gym she mostly goes to and she said she usually goes to Southwest Rec because Student Rec is usually filled with freshmen. I asked her if she would like an app where people can see if they gyms are crowded or not. She said the idea was good. She usually goes to the gym in the morning because she says that is when the gym is least crowded. She hates going to the gym crowded because she has to make a far drive to Southwest Rec in the first place.

Interview 3:

The third person I interviewed was a senior who is majoring in electrical engineering. I asked him what gym he mostly goes to and he said he used to go to Southwest Rec, but he has gotten so busy with classwork that he barely has any time to go and when he does go, it is so crowded that he usually goes home. I told him about my idea for an app that can let a person know and see if the gym is crowded or not. He said the idea was good well-thought-of and that he and I should work together to create it since he does a lot of coding. I told him I will think about it.

Interview 4:

The fourth person I interviewed was a sophomore who lived at one of the fraternity houses on frat row. I asked him which gym he mostly goes to and he said he usually goes to Southwest Rec at night because it is not that crowded at that time. He said he hates when the gym is crowded because he “cannot get a good pump” and that displeases him. I told him about my idea about an app for the gym and he said that would be awesome. He told me to let him know when it happens.

Interview 5:

The fifth person I interviewed was another sophomore who lived at a different fraternity house on frat row than the one mention in the last interview. I asked him which gym he usually goes to and he said that he usually goes to Student Rec around the afternoon because that is when he is done with classes and he can get dinner at his fraternity house right after he works out. I asked him if my idea about the gym app was a good idea and he told me that it was great and is what he wished UF would implement.

In all of my five interviews, everyone thought my idea of a gym app was great and should be implemented. The problem I learned was that I needed to consult with the University of Florida first because I would essentially need their permission to use their cameras and connect it to my app. Nonetheless, the interviews showed me that I have come up with a great idea and that I should implement it.

6A - Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Opportunity 1 – Alachua County raises tobacco buying age 21. (Regulatory)

a)     https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190122/county-raises-tobacco-buying-age-to-21

b)    I believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist because now the tobacco vendors will most likely lower the price of their tobacco products to make up for the age change.

c)     I think people 21 and above will most likely be the customer with this opportunity because all their friends who are not 21 yet will ask them to buy the tobacco products.

d)    This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit because there is no harm for the 21 years old people. Purchasing the tobacco products is completely legal to them.

I saw this opportunity because a lot of my friends use tobacco products and always ask me to get them from the store. I myself do not use tobacco products, but it is really interesting to see that Alachua County be the first one in the Florida state to raise the buying age to 21. 

Opportunity 2 – FDA to expand the use of mandatory food recall authority. (Regulatory)

a)     https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/news/fda-to-expand-use-of-mandatory-food-recall-authority/

b)    I believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist because now the FDA can make sure fewer people are harm from eating dangerous food.

c)     I think the FDA will most likely be the customer with this opportunity because they are using their powers to save people from toxic food.

d)    This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit because there is a lot of paperwork needed to successfully recall food.

I saw this opportunity because I remembered last year when a lot of Chipotles had to close for a brief time due to a foodborne illness accident. That incident always made me watch what I eat. 

Opportunity 3 – The federal debt will increase. (Economic)

a)     https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2018/12/how-much-is-the-national-debt-what-are-the-different-measures-used

b)    I believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist because there are going to be a lot of policies and people trying to make the debt decrease.

c)     I think the people of the United States will most likely be the customer with this opportunity because some businesses might start hiring temporary workers instead of full-time workers in order to save money.

d)    This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit because the federal debt is in trillions and will take a long time to actually decrease it.

I saw this opportunity because my parents are business people and they always talk about this issue and other issues. It is really interesting to see that the federal debt is in the trillions. 

Opportunity 4 – The value of the dollar will continue to decline. (Economic)

a)     https://www.thebalance.com/value-of-us-dollar-3306268

b)    I believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist because European export companies will be making a profit if they convert their euros into dollars.

c)     I believe that the European exporting companies will most likely be the customer with this opportunity because they will be making a profit with this economic trend.

d)    This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit because the value of the dollar is always fluctuating.

I saw this opportunity because I remembered when the UK Brexit and how the value of the pound went down immediately. I tried buying some so I could convert them back when the rose, but I used a bad website and loss 8 thousand dollars. 

5A - Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Staffing problems at Florida air traffic control center causing delays at Orlando International Airport
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/transportation/os-ae-air-traffic-controlers-government-shutdown-20190125-story.html

There has been a slight increase in the number of staff who work in air traffic control centers in Florida and Washington, D.C., calling in sick. This staffing problem has caused delays in the Florida airports. This staffing problem may be related to the partial government shutdown.

The problem is there are not enough staff members to properly run air traffic control centers so this causes many flights to be delayed.

The airports are the ones having the problem since their staffs are not showing up.

2. Five more Central Florida restaurants fail health inspections with roaches
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/consumer/os-bz-restaurant-inspections-tavern-apopka-20190124-story.html

There are 5 more restaurants in the Orlando area that have been shut down due to failing health inspections. These 5 restaurants all have a problem with roaches. In one of the restaurants, dead and live roaches were found in the kitchen and prep areas as well as the front of the desk of the restaurant.

The problem is that these restaurants are having trouble with roaches and cannot handle the situation.

The restaurants are the ones who are having the problem because they getting shut down due to failing health inspections.

3. Orlando No. 1 for pedestrian deaths
https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AORLB%21Orlando%2BSentinel%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/171269CE35BFB078

According to the report by the Smartest Growth America Dangerous By Design says the Orlando area is the nation's riskiest place to walk along roads. The reports says that older adults as well as people in low-income communities are the ones most at risk.

The problem is that the roads of the Orlando area are actually dangerous because Florida's roads were originally intended for high speed cars and not walking.

The city of Orlando has the problem because it is a problem that cannot be fix overnight.

4. Launch of UberTaxi in Orlando delayed until 2019
https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AORLB%21Orlando%2BSentinel%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0101%21January%2B01&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170B4169993E8640

Uber and Mears partnered up to create UberTaxi which is a service that allows people to get a cab from the Uber app. This service was suppose to start being available by the end of 2018, but due to limited personnel and a busy holdiday season, the service is being delayed till the later of the early 2019.

The problem is that the app UberTaxi is being delayed despite it said release date.

The companies Mears and Uber are the ones who have the problem.

5. Kennedy Space Center workers affected by shutdown still plan to hold rally
https://www.wesh.com/article/kennedy-space-center-workers-affected-by-shutdown-still-plan-to-hold-rally/26042796

The Kennedy Space Center holds the highest concentration of workers who are federally paid.  A reported 1,200 workers have not been paid during the partial government shutdown. Because of this, workers are holding a rally on Saturday.

The problem is that the federally paid workers of the Kennedy Space Center are not getting paid due to the partial government shutdown.

The federally paid workers of the Kennedy Space Center are ones who have the problem.