This project aimed to better understand the usage of the Worcester Community Fridges by developing data collection tools for the organization. The main constraint was maintaining the hands-off, self-service mission of the fridges while still gathering a significant amount of data. We interviewed volunteers as well as researched similar projects done by other community fridge organizations. We evaluated many different data collection, aggregation, and visualization strategies. Our solution involves a combination of qualitative data from volunteers, a system of surveys for self-reported data on fridge conditions, and a hardware device that monitors the fridge door. All of this information is aggregated and displayed in a live updating data visualization portal available to the community.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Yi, James
• Giroux, Tyler
• Saliba, Dimitri

Subject

• Food
• Project-Based Learning
• Innovation
• Community

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-121522-183823
• 83636

Keyword

• Fridges
• Survey
• Community
• Visualization
• Data

Advisor

• Roberts, Laura

Year

• 2022

Center

• Worcester Community Project Center (Massachusetts) - IQP

Sponsor

• Worcester Community Fridges

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 2 - Zero Hunger

Date created

• 2022-12-15

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Source

• E-project-121522-183823

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-01-12