Flare APIs OverviewAndrew Zamler-Carhart, Technical Leader

• What is Flare?• Use cases• Technical info• Code example• Resources

Agenda

What is Flare?

“Flare allows users with mobile devices to discover and interact with things in an environment. It combines multiple location technologieswith a realtime communications architecture, to enable new kinds of user interactions.”

Interaction modes• When the user enters an environment, their device can show the location of

nearby things• When they come near to a thing, they can interact with it by:

• getting information about its current state• changing its state• performing actions

Use cases

Potential markets• Retail• Museums• Advertising• Industrial• Public transport• and more!

Technical Info

Flare server• Open source• Implemented in Node.js and MongoDB• You can run it yourself

Location technologies• Bluetooth beacons (iBeacon, AltBeacon, Eddystone)• Wi-Fi + Cisco CMX (coming soon)• technology agnostic, can work with other kinds of sensors

Flare model• Environment: a geographic location with a grid• Zone: a rectangular division of an environment• Thing: something interesting to the user• Device: a user’s tablet, phone or watch

Flare API• REST: create, read, update, delete Flare objects• Socket.IO: realtime commands and notifications

Socket.IO commands• Subscribe• Unsubscribe• Get data value• Set data value• Get position• Set position• Perform action

Socket.IO notifications• Data changed• Position changed• Device enters zone• Device exits zone• Device near to a thing• Device far from a thing• Handle action

Types of client• User apps on tablet, phone and watch• Interactive displays• Connected things• Admin tools• Import scripts• Logging scripts

Sample code• JavaScript• Swift (iOS and Mac)• Java (Android)• Python

Sample apps• Trilateral: shows map of environment on phone (iOS, Android, Android Wear)• Reflector: interactive digital signage (web) • Explorer: create and modify Flare objects (web, Mac)• Lights: control connected lights (Mac)

Tutorials• Importing data (JavaScript, Swift, Python)• Location (Swift, Java)• Socket.IO (JavaScript, Swift, Java)

Code example

Just a little Swift + JavaScript

And the other way

Resources

Links• Documentation on DevNet: https://developer.cisco.com/site/flare• Source code on GitHub: https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/flare• Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HKBnqo9QlEk• Sandbox: http://flaresandbox.cisco.com:8181• Hackathon: http://hackathon.cisco.com/event/PIRL-Hackathon-2015

Thank you