BloomBook

Inspiration

The inspiration for our project is the importance of connecting with nature. For instance, as hackers, we may be too engrossed in the virtual world and forget the beauty of the nature around us. However, when we need to take a break, we take walks and admire nature. So, why not get to know the life around us? Like humans, plants have a history and personality. Wouldn't it be interesting to learn where a prickly plant came from? While learning about the life around us is interesting, it is also helpful in encouraging us to preserve the beauty of Mother Earth.

What it does

BloomBook is an application where people can learn about plants as well as share the beauty of the world with those around them through photos. As people take pictures of a plant they find interesting, these photos and the location of that plant are saved so people can learn more about plants native to an area! With the app, people can create a map of flora and fauna around the world and being aware of the appropriate living conditions of these plants.

How we built it

We used various technologies to build this project, for the mobile view, we utilized the Swift programming language as well as SwiftUI for seamless integration with our devices. As for backend, we decided to use Node.js with Typescript linked to a MongoDB database, we believed that the developer velocity provided by such stack is essential for such a fast paced environment. Lastly, we used tailscale to create our very own virtual private network due to some complications with the general network throughout the hackathon, it was a very valuable tool that we soon learned to love.

Challenges we ran into

The main challenge we encountered was being new to the Swift language. It was difficult to rely on something we were somewhat unfamiliar with but we also saw it as a learning experience. Based on what we knew about other languages, we applied our current foundation to working with Swift.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of learning the Swift language as we built this project. We are also proud of our perseverance as we faced the unfamiliar, despite all the hardships and long nights, we didn't give up and managed to create a full-fledged application!

What we learned

We have learned many things technologically speaking, yet the most important thing we took away from this hackathon would be that perseverance and collaboration are the most important step to success. Without it, we would not have made it where we are today.

What's next for BloomBook

For BloomBook , we hope to implement the images of plants as part of the plant details modal, as well as implement a filter for users to quickly sort through various species within a matter of seconds! We truly believe that this app will become a changing point for the way many people will interact with nature as well as their surroundings as a whole.

Built With

• gemini-api
• mongodb
• node.js
• swift
• typescript