DIHUB project presents students’ projects Wineata and Krivovizija

DIHUB project presents students’ projects Wineata and Krivovizija – students at Algebra University College use cloud technology to map wineries and promote art

Nowadays, digital technology is used more frequently worldwide, both for professional and private purposes. If we are trying to find useful solution for storing our documents or we are planning a trip with our friends – we are more likely to seek useful solutions in the digital realm. This trend was recognized by Algebra’s students who are developing very interesting solutions based on cloud technology.

Already during their studies, fifteen Algebra’s students were using cutting-edge technology, with a great aim – to resolve a challenge they identified and therefore improve their surroundings. We will introduce you to the two teams of young innovators – one of the teams is developing digital wine atlas (Wineata) and the other team is working on a platform to which artists could upload their artwork and create their digital portfolio (Krivovizija – Crooked Visions).

One of the teams we will introduce to you today considered how to make it as simple and easy as possible for all wine lovers to locate wines and wineries in Croatia. They developed Wineata, which is a digital wine atlas that gives wine enthusiasts access to details about high-quality wines, wineries, and wine tours available throughout Croatia. The project is closely monitored by the mentors Stella Antolović and Silvio Papić, and the team is formed by nine students from different areas of Algebra’s graduate studies – Karlo Jakobović, Marko Sabolić, Jurica Slovinac, Luka Žgrablić, Suraj C. R. C. Reddy, Elma Melkić, Jigisha H. Shah, Yacine Akki and Celina Wedershoven.

1.You created an application that is a kind of wine atlas – how did you get this idea?

We talked a lot at the beginning of this story about potential ideas and projects that could be carried out, but we all agreed with the fact that it is difficult for wine lovers to locate interesting wineries or information about various wine varieties on the market. We had the chance to further develop our idea during the introductory lectures of the Innovative Project course, and we all agreed that this was the project that would work best for us and meet the needs of the market and consumers.

2.What challenges did you face during the development of Wineata?

It is difficult to predict what will happen in the market after the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that market conditions have a significant impact on the research that is conducted in the wine industry, so gathering all pertinent data on time has proven to be our biggest challenge. However, when the team is committed and passionate, things work. Another challenge was the cooperation of different team members from different fields. We are an interdisciplinary team, so our greatest strength is working together; once we were able to get coordinated, to comprehend, and to accept the common course that the project will take, we produced some creative solutions very quickly.

3.You conducted a survey that served as a starting point for creating the application – what did the results indicate? Does Croatia need an application that will make it easier to find quality wine destinations?

The survey results are very interesting. We created one survey for the Croatian market and one customised survey for tourists. Of the total number of respondents, 7.6% drink wine every day, 9.7% drink wine three times a week, and 22.4% drink wine once a week. We can conclude that almost half of the respondents, more precisely 39.7% of them, drink wine at least once a week. When asked where they most often buy wine, 52.7% answered that they buy in large stores (supermarkets), 15.6% answered in wineries, and 11.4% in wine shops.

This is good news for our application. This indicates that respondents visit wineries and wine shops, and that we can improve their visits to these places. The aim of this research is to understand their habits and how we can improve their wine experiences through our application. Of the total number of respondents, 69.2% said they would like to visit wineries in Croatia, and 21.1% of the respondents were not sure. Of the total number of respondents, 17.3% would use an application that would help them find wineries and what they offer in Croatia, 35.4% agree, and 22.8% are unsure. We can infer from this query that there is potential for our application and that users are open to using this kind of application.

4.Wineata was designed by the interdisciplinary Algebra team – how did that collaboration function?

We think that no business can successfully work if it only uses one specialised function or way of thinking. This was a unique opportunity to experience in practice what it’s like to work in an interdisciplinary team, as we are sure that in the future such an opportunity will be presented to us in the business world, and this interesting project prepared us for that situation.

5.Do you believe that the market will recognize Wineata’s worth, and how do you intend to reach out to your target market?

We believe that the market will recognize the benefits offered by Wineata, mostly because it will be created with the purpose of helping consumers navigate the world of wine. Wineata will merge offline with online experiences and provide relevant and up-to-date information to consumers. It will incorporate various drinking occasions, such as lunch or dinner gatherings, with wine or a combination of food and wine. Wineata is there for the consumer, ready to provide them with personalized advice.

6.Are you planning to expand beyond the borders of Croatia?

Of course; in the future we plan to expand beyond the borders of Croatia. We believe that this project has great potential for acceptance in other markets as well. According to statista (link), in 2021, the consumption of wine in the world is estimated at 236 million hectoliters, which is a decrease compared to 241 million hectoliters in 2019. We believe that the market will recover during 2023 and that we will attract the attention of consumers on the global market with our interactive wine list of the world. Customers will be able to research interesting places, local events, read reviews, and discover wines. Our platform will be entirely customised for each user who uses it, which we think will appeal to consumers and encourage them to use it every day.

The second team of Algebra graduates that we are introducing to you is the interdisciplinary team of Krivovizija – Crooked Visions, which works on an artistic platform and functions on the basis of blockchain technology. If you are wondering what blockchain is and how it can be used to develop art – read on! These ingenious young people have made it possible for artists to upload their artwork and create their digital portfolio on their platform. However, the platform is not intended only for artists, but also for buyers of works of art and all interested audiences. The team consists of six Algebra graduates: Tomislav Čavala, Fran Bartolić, Ena Saško, Ivan Popović, Karlo Bertina and Maxime Coutin, backed by mentors Karlo Josić and Halida Sarajlić. Ivan Popović answered on behalf of the team, who explained to us what blockchain is and how they connected blockchain and art.

1.Can you briefly explain to us how Krivovizija was created and what it offers to its potential users?

The project actually had its own development path, which was initially quite different from the current version, i.e., the initial variations of the idea were much more focused on blockchain technology, motivated by the fact that the term “NFT” has exploded in popularity in the last few years. However, since we were developing the idea, logically we ran into several obstacles and we realised that, ultimately, we want to create something that will integrate modern digital technology and have long term value for users. What our idea brings to users is simply the possibility of learning, creating “digital works”, presenting them on the global market, and freely interacting with other users who share interests in the same things. In the concrete case, it refers to digital arts such as pictures, photographs, comics, etc…

2.What did team collaboration look like during the creation of Krivovision? Who came up with the name?

Like any project, we believe there are countless good ideas out there, but no matter how good an idea is, in the end everything will depend on some type of compatibility and interaction among the team members who realise it. On that front, we were fortunate to come across a group of individuals with the necessary skills and drive to construct something of this size. In terms of the name, Krivovizija is primarily our team’s “code” name, and if we are being completely honest, the origin of the name is not particularly commendable. If we had known that someone would ask us this, we probably would have chosen something else. In short, one of the team members found information about a website that generates words at random that are somehow related to terms that were used in the former Yugoslavia. There were quite a few options, but we agreed that Krivovizija was the optimal choice.

3.Krivovision is built on blockchain technology. How to explain to a layperson what exactly is blockchain technology?

Here we will mention blockchain in two contexts. In its basic form, it is a technology that refers to a decentralised storage method of information that is impossible to change or copy. Since that may sound a bit abstract, we will mention another context related to our project. The simplest explanation would be that we use blockchain technology primarily to protect the ownership of our users’ digital assets. If, for example, someone buys a digital photo, we will ensure that the owner is the sole owner, and that someone cannot show up somewhere with a copy and claim to own the original.

4.How did you decide to develop a platform that is intended specifically for artists and art lovers?

The popularity of digital art has grown exponentially over the past few years; technology has become more accessible, there are more and more talented people, and the global Covid situation has significantly accelerated the transition of a large number of our activities to digital spheres. In addition, studying the current state of the market, we realized that there is a great opportunity to build a platform of this type, and we believe that now is the ideal time for such an undertaking.

5.Where do you see the advantage you hold over your competitors? How will you stand out in the market?

Currently, there are several platforms of a somewhat similar type, but each one of them has a specific domain to which it is attached, so none of them are adequate for use by a wider group of users who have different talents. Some of the platforms are focused exclusively on photography, some only on 3D animation, etc. But the most important thing to mention is that the social aspect is nowhere in focus or it is extremely limited, which we consider to be our greatest advantage. So, in addition to the previously mentioned blockchain technology used in terms of protection, we also want our users to use the platform as a social network where they can learn about the tools they are interested in, can present their talents globally, can communicate openly and can create interest groups, and then ultimately live from their works.

These two projects represent a great combination of developing a cloud solution relying on digital technology to create new product or service as well as praiseworthy entrepreneurship adventures. Since the DIHUB project aims to stimulate the collaboration between students, education providers and businesses, developments of Wineata application and Krivovizija platform are great examples of this endeavour. Since the app gives recommendations and platform enables uploading content, we can conclude that cloud technology is at its’ foundations. It would definitely benefit many wine lovers and artists (but also those who are not professional artists) to have solutions like these at their disposal.

#CloudBasedServices #DIHUB #digitalinnovation #Wineata #Krivovizija

 

 

 

Already during their studies, fifteen Algebra’s students were using cutting-edge technology, with a great aim – to resolve a challenge they identified and therefore improve their surroundings. We will introduce you to the two teams of young innovators – one of the teams is developing digital wine atlas (Wineata) and the other team is working on a platform to which artists could upload their artwork and create their digital portfolio (Krivovizija – Crooked Visions).