Inspiration
The security and wellbeing of every individual is a primary concern everywhere. This can be highlighted through the recent crisis occurring in Ukraine. Citizens in Ukraine have been under heavy attack for the last month without knowing when the next attack will be. To allow Ukrainians to communicate effectively between regions of Ukraine, an app will be created so that they will be able to alert others in a vicinity about a certain event.
What it does
Similar to Waze, users will be able to add alerts of various information [bombing, military movement, shooting, theft, assuault] types onto a map. Their location is asked for at the time of sign up and will constantly update as the user travels so that the information displayed and provided is location and time accurate. Users will also be able to join groups, expanding their knowledge of alerts past their immediate proximity. For example, a family could create a group, and when one member pings a particular alert, all group members will be able to know what concerns that individual despite being a large distance away.
How we built it
To develop our project, we used Java, HTML/CSS (through repl.it), and the Google Maps API.
Challenges we ran into
Our team ran into a few problems between the languages Java and Javascript, our members being more comfortable with the initial language but realizing a bit too late that the secondary was more applicable to website creation. The Java portion of our code contains many of the functionalities available to our product, but we were unable to bridge those characteristics over to the Javascript needed in website building.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud of the way we were able to collectively use our resources and understanding to create a website and integrate our code with it for the first time.
What we learned
None of our group members have real experience with creating a website, let alone of this complexity. To approach this learning curve, we prioritized communication and efficient allocation of tasks to boost overall progress of the product. This wasn’t easy, after all, JavaScript and HTML are difficult to approach, but we definitely learned useful skills about website development through this initiative.
What's next for HooHacks 2022
The ultimate implementation of this product would likely be in an app, similar to other “pinging” map applications, like Waze. A website, although feasible for widespread use, exists as more of a prototype of this concept, a full fledged phone application being the next step. We envision this problem allowing communities to stay connected and informed on events around them. Although our inspiration came from the struggles of Ukrainian citizens and the uncertainties in their surroundings, we realize that this concept could be utilized to promote safety in a variety of environments. Whether it's a rural town or NYC, with a willing community, AlertUs is always applicable.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.