CuseWater

Inspiration

As beginner hackers, we were inspired by a previous homework assignment in a class that showed us water quality levels in Syracuse. The information was shocking, so we decided to build a website full of useful information on water quality in the area for the community. We hope that this information helps community members to understand where their water comes from, and how contaminated it may be to ingest.

What it does

This website provides information on water sources, as well as pipe types by home. It does so by first, having a query bar in which one can search a county around Syracuse to receive information on its water source, who services it, and whether or not they have any violations. Next, one can go to the website .map or click the link under the query bar to access the map function. One can then search locally for pipe types, or input a specific address in the community to check its pipe type. This information is important to recognizing levels of lead exposure, as these can be extremely detrimental to ones health.

How we built it

We gathered data from sites such as the Syracuse open data API, as well as water quality reports from EWG. We then built this data into dataframes using python over Google Collab. Next, our partner transferred this data into the Flask python code for the website. Then, he had to build the website by adding a query search bar, inputting a map over a link, and creating a legend and markers to go along with it.

Challenges we ran into

We wanted to upload the code to Google Cloud, so that it could be publicly accessible. However, this did not work out as the build would not function correctly. The legend was also a surprising challenge as new hackers to add into the map.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are beginner hackers that were able to complete a functioning website. We are also very proud of the map that our partner Allen created. We originally tried to use ArcGIS, but found trouble exporting the coordinate files, so Allen found a more efficient way to build a map using folium over python. We are most proud of the data we were able to gather, and how this may provide valuable health information to the Syracuse community.

What we learned

We learned a lot about website building, and were all first timers to using Flask. We also learned a bit about SQL databases, as that was our original plan to use for the website.

What's next for CuseWater

We hope to continue perfecting this website using cusewater.tech from Domain.com, as well as adding more valuable data. We also hope to provide information and links on the website, so that users may get a more in depth understanding of what their water quality, source, and pipe type can do to their health.