Inspiration
Many individuals in crisis whether experiencing homelessness, facing domestic violence, or needing urgent medical assistance struggle to find nearby emergency services quickly. Existing tools like Google Maps are not designed for life-threatening situations or real-time shelter availability. Inspired by this gap, we built CityAid to provide a fast, reliable, and location-based solution for those in urgent need.
What it does
CityAid is a web-based emergency resource locator that helps users find essential services near them, including: -> Emergency Shelters – Locate safe spaces for overnight stays. -> Free Medical & Mental Health Support – Find urgent care clinics and crisis centers. -> Food Banks & Survival Essentials – Get access to free meals, water, and clothing. -> Crisis Hotlines & Domestic Violence Safe Houses – Immediate access to life-saving contacts. -> Disaster Relief Centers – Locate aid stations for floods, wildfires, and extreme weather.
With an emergency mode for quick access to critical contacts, CityAid ensures help is always within reach.
How we built it
-> Frontend: React.js (v19.0.0), Material-UI (MUI v6.4.4), CSS-in-JS for UI components, React Router DOM (v7.1.5) for routing, Axios for HTTP requests, Papa Parse for CSV parsing -> Backend: Node.js, Express.js framework, Middleware: cors (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing), body-parser dotenv (for environment variables) -> Data: CSV files for storing service data, Python scripts for data processing -> Data Sources: Government open data (211 Canada, municipal listings, canada.com).
Challenges we ran into
The biggest and most difficult part of the build was data collection – Finding accurate and up-to-date emergency resource data required manual scraping and verification.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
-> Successfully built a fully functional prototype in just 35 hours while working Solo -> Integrated location-based emergency listings with an intuitive UI. -> Implemented an Emergency Mode for instant access to crisis contacts. -> Created a platform that can truly make a difference in people’s lives.
What we learned
-> The importance of verified data in emergency situations. -> How to integrate Google Maps APIs. -> The different ways of processing Data with python for efficiency -> How to work under extreme time constraints.
What's next for CityAid - DeerHacks 2025 Submission
-> Expanding to a Mobile App – Bringing CityAid to iOS & Android. -> Community-Verified Listings – Allow users and volunteers to submit and validate emergency services. -> Partnerships with NGOs & Governments – Integrate official APIs to keep resources updated in real-time.
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