Know Your Lakes [KYL]

Inspiration

Our inspiration for this project, was taking problems we ran into when going to the lakes in Michigan, and giving them a solution, and providing combined services that aren't currently easily accessible, and creating a website that does.

What it does

Our web page is a beach safety application that combines all kinds of services, like crowd meter, accessibility finder, rip current, bacteria level checker. Our goal is to prevent accidents, reduce uncertainty, and make every lake visit safer and more enjoyable.

How we built it

We used VS Code, and used technologies like html, css, java script, implementing API's, hand-drawn animations. We worked diligently by establishing unique roles that fit our expertise's.

Challenges we ran into

Some of the challenges we faced while doing this application is implementing the google auth, relearning html, css and java script, connecting API's like connecting beach, Michigan data.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Madhumitha, and Joannie were proud of being able to showcase their artistic abilities while coding at the same time. Nashitat, and I were proud of learning to implement real time data and API and connect it to the application in a short time and as a group we are proud of accomplishing good communication and work hard, even though it was all of our first hackathon.

What we learned

We learned to implement different API, learned about databases, and learned to navigate GitHub as a team.

What's next for Know Your Lakes [KYL]

Our next plans for KYL is to implement more inclusive services, like adding a security feature that informs about criminal activity in the near, implementing AI chat for more personal experiences, and including more languages for diversity.

Built With

Submitted to

Grizzhacks 8

Created by

During the Hackathon, I led the development and direction of our project KYL, where I transformed our idea into a functional and impactful beach safety platform I organized the team, assigned the roles. On the technical side, I contributed to the backend structure, feature planning, API research, especially for the rip current feature and the accessibility features. I also worked on the google authentication flow. Apart from coding I created the pitch structure, demo flow, PowerPoint outline, and technical script, helping present our responsive web application as a scalable solution for iPad, Nest Hub, and future mobile devices. This hackathon strengthened my skills in leadership, full-stack thinking, cloud integration, and product pitching under pressure.

Keziashelly23 Arundavid Shelly
I worked on the front end, where I laid out the HTML formatting for the website, and I helped along with Joannie with the CSS designing of our website. I also used some of my graphic design skills to create an animation for the project. This is my first time actually working on a project with a front-end and a back-end, and I learned a lot about how important it is the coordinate with of my group members on all of your pages. Also, this was my first time using my HTML knowledge on a project, which was a bit of a learning curve since I haven't used it much in the past, and I'm more comfortable using the Java programming language. Nonetheless, I gained the ability to work in a team effectively, and have realized I have the patience to tweak code for hours on end.

madhumithaanand-git Anand
I primarily worked as a Front-End Developer for this project, contributing to the user interface. I created the project name and the slogan. I used my digital illustration skills to create the logo as well as the animations shown on the dashboard page. I also made sure the tones and colors were all cohesive with each page to maintain a consistent user experience.

Joannie Texta-Romero
I contributed to developing the Beach Safety features of the Know Your Lakes platform, focusing on both the Crowd Meter and Bacteria Level monitoring. As my first hackathon, I took ownership of building these features end-to-end and turning ideas into a working product.

For the Crowd Meter, I designed and implemented a responsive front-end interface that displays real-time and forecasted crowd conditions for Michigan beaches. I built dynamic components using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, including interactive filters, occupancy indicators, progress bars, and categorized crowd levels (low, moderate, high, very high) to help users make better decisions about when and where to go. I also explored integrating external data using location-based APIs such as Foursquare to support crowd estimation.

For the Bacteria Level feature, I structured and presented water safety data in a clear and user-friendly way, and integrated external data using an API key from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to provide reliable water quality information.

Nashitat Ahsan

Updates

madhumithaanand-git Anand posted an update — Mar 29, 2026 11:39 AM EDT

Watching this project come together was very rewarding. Our whole group worked very hard, ang our group were like perfectly fitting puzzle pieces, as we working together very well. A very memorable hackathon experience that I won't forget, and I hope to come back next year!

Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.

Joannie Texta-Romero posted an update — Mar 28, 2026 11:55 PM EDT

It has been a pleasure working with all of you! Every step of the way has been amazing, all of our skill's complimented each other that made a beautiful project that we can proudly stand by. I am glad that we were able to accomplish this application knowing it's our first ever hackathon together!

Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.

Nashitat Ahsan posted an update — Mar 28, 2026 11:44 PM EDT

Had an amazing time working on this project with these fellow passionate ladies. Can’t wait for the next grizzhacks:)

Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.

Keziashelly23 Arundavid Shelly started this project — Mar 28, 2026 11:40 PM EDT

Leave feedback in the comments!

Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.