Denz, a Filipino Open Source Developer, and How His App Became an Instant Viral Hit
Discover how Denz, a Filipino open-source developer, turned his idea into a viral hit with 'My Philippines Travel Level' app. Read about his journey and how OSSPH helped him achieve his goals.
A new interactive web app has been making rounds on social media and has caught the attention of travel enthusiasts and adventurers alike. My Philippines Travel Level has become a sensation among Filipinos, particularly those who love to travel and explore the beauty of their own country.
The app lets users shade the provinces they have visited on an interactive map of the Philippines and provides a "Travel Level" score based on how many provinces they have been to. Users can share their scores on social media, allowing friends and followers to see the places they've been to and inspire others to explore more of the Philippines. Since its launch on April 13, the app has gained immense popularity on social media, with Filipinos across the country sharing their maps and competing with friends to see who has visited more provinces.
How the My Philippines Travel Level Works
Using the My Philippines Travel Level Map is incredibly easy. Simply visit the website, click on a province, and choose the travel level that best describes your connection with that area. The travel levels are as follows:
- Lived there (5) – you spent a significant portion of your life in that area.
- Stayed there (4) – you slept at least a night in that area.
- Visited there (3) – you spent some hours exploring the area.
- Alighted there (2) – you just dropped off for a short stopover, layover, or transfer.
- Passed there (1) – you passed by that area but did not set foot.
- Never been there (0) – you need to travel there soon.
Once you've finished selecting your travel levels, your travel level will be displayed in the upper right corner of the page. You can also save a copy of your map, which you can share on social media or keep for yourself.
How the My Philippines Travel Level was Created
My Philippines Travel Level web app was created by Denz del Villar, a Filipino software engineer based in Singapore. Denz got inspired by JapanEx, a similar program made for Japan, during his two-year stay in Japan. His desire to have an interactive travel map for the Philippines led him to start working on the project during a layover at the airport in Singapore, despite having no prior knowledge of web development. With the help of ChatGPT, Denz was able to create a graphics-intensive web app in just a few days using React.js.
While ChatGPT provided initial templates and guidance to get started, Denz had to customize and refine the codes to ensure the app worked seamlessly. My Philippines Travel Level Map was shared on Instagram Stories on April 12th and quickly gained popularity among Denz's friends who tested and shared it with others. It was also posted on the r/Philippines subreddit, where it received positive feedback from fellow Redditors.
The Success of My Philippines Travel Level App
My Philippines Travel Level app became an instant hit, gaining a massive following on social media in just a few days. Its success can be attributed to the support of notable personalities like Macoy Dubs, a Filipino content creator with over 1 million Facebook followers, and former Vice President Leni Robredo, who shared her personalized map. Brands also created their own versions of the map, using it for serious and humorous purposes.
The app's success shows how helpful open-source software can be. Denz shared the app's source code with everyone, allowing people to collaborate and create new ideas. This gave more people the chance to use technology. The many different versions of the app prove that open-source software can help people and communities create great things. My Philippines Travel Level app is a perfect example of how open-source software can create positive change in the world.
Welcoming Denz to the OSSPH Community
We are thrilled to welcome Denz to the OSSPH community! His My Philippines Travel Level web app project and passion for software development will be a valuable addition to our community. Denz was introduced to OSSPH by founders Waren and Joff, who offered to help him host and maintain his app. With the support of OSSPH, Denz hopes to attract more developers to contribute to improving, maintaining, and growing the app.
Denz believes that open-source software development is crucial in providing transparency and safeguards to ensure that software projects are reviewed and released responsibly. He also believes that every community member has a responsibility to ensure that software projects benefit end-users. Moving forward, Denz plans to continue contributing to the open-source movement by promoting transparency and sharing knowledge, and building trustworthy software projects.
As a member of the OSSPH community, Denz has access to a wealth of resources, tools, advice, and support from other developers. OSSPH actively supports and encourages open-source initiatives such as Denz's app. Together, we can work towards the growth of the open-source movement and create a positive impact on the software development industry.
Since joining the OSSPH community, Denz's My Philippines Travel Level web app project has grown significantly with the help of our talented developers. The commit graphs show a steady increase in contributions, highlighting the positive impact of open-source collaboration on this project. Some of the notable features added include the ability to share the app on Facebook, persistent highlights, and layout enhancements. Moreover, the project has undergone numerous bug fixes, making it more stable and user-friendly. We are proud of the progress that has been made and are excited to continue improving the app with the help of our community.
If you're a developer and you want to contribute to My Philippines Travel Level web app, you can go to this GitHub link: https://github.com/OSSPhilippines/philippines-travel-level-map. We welcome all developers who want to collaborate, contribute, and learn from this open-source project.
Welcome to OSSPH, Denz! We look forward to your valuable contributions to the community, and we are excited to see how My Philippines Travel Level will continue to grow with the help of our developers.
About the author
Paula Isabel Signo is a technical writer at OSSPH and a web developer. In her free time, Paula contributes to various open-source projects, volunteers in the community, and shares her knowledge by writing articles and tutorials. Connect with Paula here to learn more about her work and interests.