Inspiration
We often wonder especially how we as young black adults can make a difference in our community, even if we lack capital, the resources or maybe even the know how to rejuvenate and revitalize those communities around us. Food deserts are places of sparse access when it comes to fresh produce, meats and overall just healthier alternatives to a corner store or quick mart that has to cover swaths of land. This is a problem that also affects the black and brown community at much higher rates as well so some of family and friends may directly be affected by the lack of these resources. Maybe even yourself. And that is why my inspiration is so strong. Although I may not have spent the majority of my time building it, I spent it brainstorming and determining what resources and information can help someone today make a difference with also a possible roadmap to the future and to get people even more engaged on a project like this. I didn’t look at this as just a hackathon project. But a springboard to make meaningful change in some people’s life who are losing a battle to food security that were never given the tools to fight to begin with.
What it does
It utilizes the OpenAI API to utilize map technology and prompting to determine the closest food desert relative to the zipcode given. Based on that zipcode, you will be given information such as local food banks, congressional contact and even local abandoned buildings that could serve as the new home for a grocery store.
How we built it
This is built in Typescript, ReactJs and NodeJs, utilizing the the API’s for OpenAI as well as Google Maps to give a visualization of the area that is affected.
Challenges we ran into
One challenge I ran into was just getting all of the technologies to play nice together, especially in typescript. I use typescript for its type safety and popularity of the language and while it has many benefits some of its drawbacks could be breaking changes when implementing a library that may not natively support typescript. Another challenge was just designing a page that utilizes everything in a timely manner but is also clear and concise enough to get the point across.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I am proud of even having a working prototype even if it is just in local host currently. I am proud of the thought process, the prompt accuracy and the dedication within myself to continue coding late into the night
What we learned
The thoroughness of chatgpt and its models and the litany of ways they can help people instead of creating business or ‘art’, it can also be used as a vessel for change in places that desperately need it. I can think of ways this can assist the unhoused, connect those who need assistance with those who can assist, and ultimately bridge the gap of communication that currently exists between our most vulnerable groups of people and those generous enough to give their time an energy but may not have the technical ability to reach an even wider audience.
What's next for Food Desert Fixer
I really want this to be seen as a concept for something so much greater that may even outpace me as a single developer. Features like allowing food banks to have spaces on the web app so that people who may not even be in the area but have cause for concern for a certain zipcode can send important items. Local schedule of town hall meetings to bring up concerns about food insecurity. A dashboard of locations suffering the most from food insecurity and an interactive map that can pinpoint places and show instantly local initiatives
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.