Inspiration
Since we had to self quarantine, I have had a hard time keeping track of major events that are happening in Cupertino. I also have had a hard time communicating with my friends and doing things I love, such as playing basketball. This inspired me to look for solutions to fix the problem. My inspiration for creating this app was to solve some problems that I have experienced during quarantine. I also realized that other people may be experiencing the same problems and I wanted to find a solution that would not only help me, but help a lot of people in a similar situation.
What it does
My solution to all these problems was creating an app to allow people in a similar location to communicate with each other and inform them of any events happening in their area. It also allows the community to come together and do things together that they have in common, such as playing sports or topics like music. This even allows people to chat about things that they have in common, like a video game that many people enjoy playing or even interesting discussion topics. This will keep you informed and might teach you something new and interesting every day.
How I built it
I looked around for examples for chat applications that allow people to communicate but with the goal of creating localized communities that can help get local people together. I decided to make this an Android app so people can have it on their phones.
Challenges I ran into
I did not know how to develop server code for my application. After struggling to do this, I came across a tool called Firebase that allowed me to develop the app without requiring me to develop the server code. This helped me get over the hirdle and develop the app.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
I was proud that I could figure out way to authenticate users and verify them in the app and then able to send them messages or announcements. Even though this is not the full fledged app that I wanted to develop this gives me a good basis to keep adding features to it.
What I learned
I learned to develop a complex Java app with Firebase for authentication and database. I also learned about client-server architecture for these kinds of messaging apps.
What's next for CivicCircl
- Add ability to verify the address and make sure the users are local.
- Ability to create multiple groups depending upon interests and needs
- Ability to provide notifications for update and allow the group to send messages to each other.
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