QR Codes today are very popular. From underground mining fields to high flying planes—QR Codes are rocking all the way. And now it’s time for the technology to take a trip to space.
You must have scanned a QR Code to make a payment. Or must have spotted a QR Code on product packaging. Here is a list of some of the most bizarre QR Code use cases.
In this article, we will detail on how QR Codes are used in space. Big Companies such as Facebook and Phillips have already created their benchmark in this area.
Keep reading.
A. QR Code—a brief
A QR Code is a 2D barcode which can easily be scanned via a smartphone. With fast internet speed, smartphone penetration, and contactless exposure, the popularity of QR Codes have increased.
The major advantage of a QR Code is that you can link unlimited information. You link a text, an image, a document, a video, and other content to a QR Code.
QR Codes also have an advanced category known as Dynamic QR Codes. With this type of QR Code, you can edit content anytime. You can also track the scanning activity to an extent of getting an exact GPS location of each scan.
Plus, QR Codes can resist damage upto 30%. Given this, they will still be functional even after subject to slight wear-and-tear.
Furthermore, a QR Code occupies very little space. The data in a QR Code is encoded in its data modules. Hence, it becomes denser upon adding more data and does not expand vertically.
Lastly, you can create an absolutely custom-designed QR Code. That is, you can add a logo, a background color, or a background image to a QR Code.
Now let’s see how Companies are using QR Codes in space.
B. Some Use Cases of QR Codes in Space
Here’s how some of the top companies have used QR Codes. These either to promote their product or have been designed in a way that they are visible from space!
Scroll down to know more.
1. NASA
a. To tell people about NASA events
Many marketers still use print media to advertise their product. They generally specify website, social media links, or app links on pamphlets, brochures, flyers, which they use.
Yet, the traffic you usually get is low. This is because not many people actually type the link in their mobile browser and then visit it. This is both time and effort consuming.
With QR Codes, you can make your print media actionable, trackable, interactive, and engaging. And NASA, one of the most esteemed companies in aeronautics and space research, uses QR Codes it’s print media marketing.
NASA uses QR Codes to give details about it’s events taking place all across the world. Upon scanning via their smartphone, users can get event information in detail.
b. To help recycle waste
In this eco-friendly world, sustainability is the key. And with QR Codes, you can definitely achieve it. For your reference, you can read this detailed guide on QR Codes and sustainability.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA has been a pioneer platform in its commitment to reuse, recycle and repurpose resources. The aim is to reduce its footprint and conserve the environment. With QR Codes, the centre went another step further by creating its first-ever sustainability plan.
The centre used QR Codes for effective waste management and recycling. These QR Codes were placed on waste/recycling containers. People scanned the QR Codes with their phones and specified when a waste management service is actually required.
“The use of these codes can eliminate ‘milk runs’ where recycling vendors walk around and check each can once a week, and can replace it with a system that will make all Kennedy team members responsible for their sustainability,”
—Frank Kline, Environmental Management Branch lead, Florida
2. Facebook
You all know that the Great Wall of China is visible from space. But what if I tell you that you can also spot a giant QR Code from space? Sounds interesting?
Mark Zuckerberg called for a “Space Hackathon” to decorate Facebook’s massive new headquarters in Menlo Park, San Francisco. It was an amazing project which entailed designing a 42-foot wide QR Code on the roof, which is visible from space!
Upon scanning this QR Code, end users are redirected to FB QR Code Page on Facebook. Here, they can exactly see how the QR Code was painted.
Mark Pile, the man behind this surreal QR Code said that it started with a comment on Zuck’s Space Hackathon post. He further continued:
“Hack yeah! I’d like to paint a gigantic QR Code somewhere so we can RickRoll online maps, or point people to our careers site, or send them to a ‘Clarissa Explains it All’ GeoCities Page”
QR Codes are also used in wallpapers and even designed on walls. Here is a detailed guide of QR Codes in the design industry.
3. Philips
Philips and company also see the potential advantage of using QR Codes. The company through its partnership with Blue Marble is advocating the use of QR Codes to be painted on companies having a large rooftop (such as the example of Facebook just mentioned above)
“Space is not just a destination – it is a platform for applications and services. Our use of satellite imagery in day-to-day applications is proof that our ‘big blue marble’ called Earth is one global market accessible through the Internet, mobile phones and GPS devices. By using QR code technology, we are taking dynamic marketing to literally the next level – low-earth orbit. But the benefits are to any company on Earth that wants to optimize their real estate investment and build a marketing program that can take advantage of today’s mobile revolution.”
—Rich Phillips, Phillips & Company President
The QR Codes can get photographed by satellites orbiting the Earth. The images can then be processed into Google’s map databases. This can become visible to people on their computers through Google Maps and Google Earth.
Now let’s move on the section of how to create QR Codes.
C. How to create QR Codes
To create a QR Code, you need a professional QR Code generator tool such as Scanova. With Scanova, you can choose from various products depending upon your use case. These include:
1. Scanova QR Code Generator: Here, you can sign up for a 14 day free trial and choose from various QR Code categories, depending upon the content you want to encode.
2. QR Batch: This is a bulk QR Code generator tool. You can create QR Codes in bulk a matter of minutes.
3. Scanova API: You can then generate QR Codes in bulk by using Scanova’s API. With this tool , you can integrate Scanova’s Static QR Code Generation API with your own information system or mobile app. And generate a QR Code anytime.
On the other hand you can use Scanova’s SDK . And add it to your own server. Here, you can make API calls locally, allowing you to generate custom-designed QR Codes at a must faster rate.
Hence, you just read a detailed guide on QR Codes in Space. Still amazed? We would love to hear your comments in the comments section below.