Citizen Complaint Management System

Home page of citizen complaint management system
New Complaint
Submit complaint with live image and GPS location
Citizen's dashboard
Staff login with respective department credentials
Staff Dashboard/Complaint review page

Inspiration

Citizens frequently face difficulties reporting everyday civic issues such as potholes, power outages, garbage overflow, and water supply problems. Existing systems are often slow, lack transparency, and provide no real-time tracking. We were inspired to build a technology-driven, evidence-based platform that empowers citizens to report issues with GPS-verified proof, ensuring accountability and faster resolution.

What It Does

For Citizens • Submit complaints with GPS location • Capture photos and videos as evidence • Automatic GPS & timestamp watermarking • Track complaint status in real time • View all public complaints transparently For Government Staff • Department-specific dashboard • View complaints with media evidence • Update status (Pending → In Progress → Resolved) • Filter and prioritize complaints For Admin • Manage departments and categories • Monitor system-wide performance • View analytics and resolution statistics

How We Built It

Frontend • React.js (Vite) for UI • Geolocation API for GPS capture • MediaDevices & MediaRecorder APIs for photos/videos • Canvas API for GPS watermarking • React Router for role-based routing • Context API for authentication • i18n (Internationalization setup) – Multilingual support Backend • Node.js + Express.js • JWT authentication • MySQL for structured data • Multer for media uploads • Role-based access control

Challenges we ran into

• GPS accuracy issues in urban areas → Solved using high-accuracy GPS mode and validation • Large video uploads causing slow performance → Implemented compression and upload limits • Camera compatibility across browsers → Added fallback constraints and error handling • Managing multiple user roles securely → Implemented protected routes and backend role checks

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Successfully built a GPS-verified evidence system • Embedded location data directly into images (tamper-proof) • Designed a complete citizen–staff–admin workflow • Created a transparent and accountable civic platform

What we learned

• Practical use of Geolocation, MediaDevices, MediaRecorder, and Canvas APIs • Secure authentication using JWT and bcrypt • REST API design and relational database modeling • Importance of transparency and usability in civic applications