Author: yx_admin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: liz@zappen.co
413-325-8251

Greenfield, MA — August 17, 2017 — Visual Search is now open source.

Zappen ® (https://www.zappen.co) and Yes Exactly, Inc. ® today announced a FOSS production-ready framework for mobile application development utilizing computer vision, image recognition, and augmented reality (AR) technologies. Previously, working implementations of visual search have only been available through proprietary APIs such as that offered by Google Lens (still in beta).

“Zappen is like a QR Code on steroids,” says Yes Exactly CEO Tess Gadwa. “You can take a picture with your phone and immediately connect to websites, apps, and social media.”

Discogs, the biggest and most comprehensive music database and international marketplace, plans to integrate Zappen visual search technology into its popular music database and collection management app. “At the core of Discogs is our commitment to embrace and contribute to the open source community,” says Chad Dahlstrom, COO at Discogs. “Our work with Zappen puts that commitment in action by contributing to Zappen’s ability to improve image recognition with scalability testing. We’re excited to be a part of this continuing innovation with the Zappen team as we begin working to implement this technology into the Discogs App.”

Zappen combines a cross-platform React Native app with a PASTEC / ORB / OpenCV backend employing the “visual words” algorithm for image recognition and search.

“We were able to boost our image match success rate to over 95% by optimizing hardware settings and server-side processing filters,” says Zappen cofounder Erik Amlee. “Having a team with a strong technical graphics background was key.”

Server-side image recognition confers several benefits over QR, including enhanced security, brand recognition, and the ability to re-use existing collateral and signage.

Zappen returns 98.7% accurate results in 3- 5 seconds, under normal lighting and bandwidth conditions. It has been tested for accuracy with a dataset containing 100,000 images and is currently undergoing further scalability and performance testing. The technology is best suited for 2D images such as logos, posters, signs, and product packaging. Potential uses include public key verification, electronic currency transactions, signs, exhibits, and advertising.

The Zappen visual search repository is available on Github under the LGPL 3.0 license at https://github.com/ZappenVDNS. Future planned enhancements include machine learning and integration with the EmerDNS distributed domain name system.

Try adding your own images and links (no coding required) with our free demo.

Zappen is pleased to announce the launch of the Valley Beer Trail app, available as a free download for both iOs and Android.

“Social media is a great tool for promoting beer events, but there’s always the FOMO factor – fear of missing out,” says Valley Beer Trail coordinator Mark Lattanzi. “It’s disappointing to learn about a beer tasting, special release or festival…the day after it happened. With our Valley Beer Trail app, if it’s an event posted on Facebook, it’s in the app. No more FOMO!”

Also included in the app are listings and information for all the breweries in western Massachusetts, southern Vermont and southwest New Hampshire so you can plan your next beer trip.

With dozens of destinations on the Valley Beer Trail, there’s so much to explore. Have fun, be safe and go hit the Valley Beer Trail!

The Valley Beer Trail is a creation of the Northampton Radio Group: 93.9 The River, WRSI; WHMP and Hits 94.3.

 

Zappen’s parent company, Yes Exactly Inc., announced a licensing agreement with Discogs.com paving the way for further collaboration between the two companies. The contract provides access to Discogs’ online dataset for scalability testing, and guarantees placement of Zappen logo and UX elements in connection with new visual search features to be added to the Discogs app.

Discogs is the leading online music trading marketplace for vinyl record albums and more. The Discogs app has approximately 250,000 users.

 

 

An updated version of the Zappen visual search demo app is now available for iPhone and Android platforms! Built using React Native, this cross-platform app can be easily configured to use the image dataset of the client’s choosing. Our test image set contains 3,000 images, with an image recognition success rate of 98.3%. Each business logo takes you to a dynamically generated “digest version” of the organization’s social media presence. 

Augmented reality has never been easier to deploy or use. Zappen connects the “real world” to the online world, helping brick-and-mortar spaces to build their online presence.

 

 

Zappen represents at WRSI / Valley Beer Trail’s UBeer Fest at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, MA. 

Signing up beta testers and counting down for launch…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes Exactly is pleased to announce that Northampton Radio Group (WRSI, WHMP and Hits 94.3) will be using our Zappen augmented reality and social media aggregation technology as the backbone of the new Valley Beer Trail custom app.

The app helps beer drinkers in the Pioneer Valley find the perfect beer and more, with an interactive map and up-to-date listings of events, tastings, and festivals at venues across the region. Whether you want to know what’s happening every week at your favorite neighborhood pub, or tour breweries across the region, the Valley Beer Trail app is a must-have for the beer enthusiast.

“The Valley Beer Tail shines a spotlight on all the great things happening in our Western Mass beer scene. Our new app will eliminate FOMO (fear of missing out). Any beer event posted to social media by Valley Beer Trail members will appear in the app,” says Mark Lattanzi, Promotions Director of Northampton Radio Group. “We chose Yes Exactly and Zappen to create our app because we’ve seen what they can do in the past, and we’re excited about the innovative tech behind Zappen.”

Say Tess Gadwa, CEO and founder of Yes Exactly Inc, “We are thrilled to have Valley Beer Trail as our first client for a Zappen custom solution. This highly intuitive, usable mobile phone technology helps businesses of every size stay in contact with the customers most passionate about their brand. Zappen tech is ideally suited for the Valley Beer Trail app.”

The Valley Beer Trail app and new website will launch this spring.

zappen.co
valleybeertrail.com