CILT – Community Issue & Location Tracker

CILT – Community Issue & Location Tracker

Every city has problems—potholes, broken lights, flooding—but most go unreported, or worse, unheard. CILT was born out of the need to give local communities a voice through the map. Inspired by the power of geolocation, crowdsourcing, and open civic data, my mission was simple: map what's broken so it can be fixed.

I set out to build a platform that empowers residents to:

• 📍 Report neighborhood issues (like broken infrastructure or unsafe zones) in real time
  
• 🗺️ Visualize concerns on a live map, clustering by type and frequency
  
• 📢 Help local governments and communities prioritize action using data, not guesswork
  

What I Learned

This project taught me how to combine user-first design with geospatial intelligence. I dove into:

• Real-time data syncing with Firebase and Google single-click signup authentication
  
• Google Maps Platform with custom markers, clustering, and live map updates
  
• Handling geolocation edge cases, media uploads, and real-time sync
  
• Balancing performance and usability in geospatial-heavy apps
  

How I Built It

I built CILT using:

• Next.js for the frontend UI
  
• TailwindCSS for clean and responsive styling
  
• Firebase Firestore for real-time issue storage
  
• Firebase Storage for image uploads
  
• Firebase Authentication with Google one-tap login
  
• Google Maps JavaScript API for map rendering and geolocation
  
• Google Places API for location autocomplete
  
• Dynamic marker logic based on issue type and stuff

Challenges I Faced

• Rate limits and restrictions with map APIs
  
• Ensuring smooth map performance while rendering multiple markers
  
• Handling geolocation accuracy and privacy considerations
  
• Creating an intuitive reporting flow with image, location, and category inputs

Built With

• api
• firebase
• firestore
• google
• javascript
• maps
• next.js
• places
• storage
• tailwindcss