Loyalty card companies database

[TheLastProject]

Stocard offers a list of cards to easily add. We should probably support something like this too:

What we will need:

1. List of companies that offer loyalty cards per country and an icon
2. A way to integrate this list into the app
3. Icon support

Preferably, we have a list where every entry has an unique ID so we can just use something like a companyId field in the loyalty card to load the relevant icon and also update if the company ever changes. I can implement this all myself, doesn't seem that difficult, but it is very important that we don't start our own list if one already exists.

So... the important part is: does anyone already have a list of companies and logos preferably in JSON or XML format or so under an usable license, or is this something we'll need to start ourselves?

[evelikov]

This seems to overlap with #8 and #45, does it not? Adding cross-references for posterity ;-)

There was a question floating around wrt the legality of the icons. IMHO andOTP does it in a neat way. Namely:

• individuals can submit MR adding/removing/updating an icon - for example
• the About page lists the app license (+link) and has a clear icon/thumbnail disclaimer

[TheLastProject]

I don't think someone else adding icons changes the legality but I am also convinced this is just fair use. A disclaimer in the about activity would be good yes

[djechelon]

I am also convinced this is just fair use

@TheLastProject don't. This is how I got my app removed a decade ago. (jurisdiction: Europe)

[TheLastProject]

Interesting, do you have more info about this perhaps so I could make a more educated decision?

[djechelon]

Back in 2012 I wrote an app that allowed you to automate logging-in (yes, the concept of "free wifi" is relative) to high speed train's onboard wifi network. Basically the app automated the SMS verification.

It had a prominent logo of one of the train companies. Reviews were decent, the rail company never bothered writing me about "hey, should we discuss that you make money on a freemium app that displays our logo?" and DMCA-reported me.

Of course I am an individual running on personal project and they are a multi-million company. So Google blocked the app and demanded that the rail company allowed for unblocking. After being contacted, the company never responded to me.

So I could sue them, but the app was so cheap on budget and revenues that it wasn't worth. So I published the same app under a new package name by altering the logos to ridiculous. One other developer, out of all shame, was even contacted directly at the time by that rail company who wanted to provide logo (I had a mail conversation with that person)

[evelikov]

Fwiw I believe that the following two are indicative and clear about the goal and intend of using their data.

• "about page has a clear icon/thumbnail disclaimer", plus
• andOTP is free (as in beer)

Another alternative is to have a third party online icon/thumbnail database. With a once-off download, as initiated by the user.

Worst case scenario the app gets removed from Google Play, while it's still available on fdroid/elsewhere.

[IllusiveMan196]

Honestly not sure if it's worth it at all: making large enough databse takes time and one would need to include big regional/country-wide companies at least, then license images (Stocard has popularity and advertising potential behind it, which leads to deals with stores and so on; YourWallet has just some "big enough to be noticed" stores; Google Pay is everything in one and backed by... well, Google and even that does not have some stores in database), compress them while preserving readability and app size...

[mgohin]

Can this database be upgraded each time someone is adding a card and allow the app to send non private data (company name, barcode type) ?

[TheLastProject]

Oh, we could probably ask users upon adding an unknown store if they want to tell us about it so it can be added to the known list in a future release, yeah.

[mgohin]

With this system you don't have to wait to have a huge database to add this feature.

I don't know how it works today, but I guess you don't use any backend ? Because if you have to release too often, maybe it'll be more a pain in the a** than a great feature 😅

[TheLastProject]

There's no back-end at the moment, and that's by design. Trying to keep it so that the app does not need an internet connection at all. Sure, we can use an internet connection in a good way, but I like it when apps don't even need internet permission so you can be completely sure it will never leak any data.

[mgohin]

I like it. How could the user send data to you, a templated email ?
With some automation you could insert data from emails in your database/json

[TheLastProject]

Yeah, a templated email would be my plan. I don't mind inserting it manually from my email, that way I can also prevent people from putting in malicious strings (it's the same reason why I always manually check the translation PRs)

[mgohin]

Alright. If you add this feature with the import from image, I'd be glad to be the first to spam your inbox 😂

[jovandeginste]

Should we create a totally unaffiliated github repo with all companies, metadata and several of their logo's (in structured form), which can then be used by any other tools?

[jovandeginste]

I just found this: https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/

[TheLastProject]

I would really love a different repo yeah, so others can more easily use this in apps too and we invite more collaboration. Especially given Catima only runs on Android it would be nice to make it easier for devs for other platforms too.

[jokay]

Why not letting users add (locally stored) images themself by providing a simple image selection?

Simple and easy 😉

[TheLastProject]

Because that doesn't properly solve things like #90. Or the lack of supporting barcode types from Fidme.

[jokay]

Correct, I thought this was for the logos only.

[Ansem93]

Out of curiosity: Does an open source/free to use database like that already exist but for other apps?
Otherwise I would be fine to have an optional template so that user can send the logo.
Something like fixed text box with: name of the company, country and then the image.
It

[TheLastProject]

I could not find any such database, sadly. If anyone finds one I would love to know, it's a lot of work that'd be better spread over multiple people.

[ycodryn]

If your thinking about legality of implementing this then don`t do it by default. Instead have the user do it and import an image of that card. Is better then having a round icon with alphabet text.

[Cj-Malone]

There is a similar system in the OpenStreetMap world for a database of chain stores.

We have a git database that everyone can contribute to, and add brands by editing a JSON file.

The majority of the records point to a Wikidata item. Where we can get more data about the chain, and we can often get an image via the social media profiles attached.

I think if we could redo things, we'd skip the git repo and just use Wikidata as the database.

There is already some loyalty cards in Wikidata, pointing users to improve that instead of re inventing the wheel would be an amazing outcome.

[TheLastProject]

The Wikidata link looks great and is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

Is there a way to see all available fields? I see some like https://m.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101210200 have a logo, but I haven't found any with barcode format info yet.

[Cj-Malone]

So I'm no @Wikidata expert, but. I think you need a new property, there is a process to make new ones.