Lost and Slugged

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Main map mage

Inspiration

As students, we know how frustrating it can be to lose a personal item on campus, remember exactly where we left it, return to that same place and it has suddenly disappeared. On the other hand, it can also be stressful to find an item that's been left behind, and not know who to return it to. With Lost and Slugged, we wanted to build a community driven solution to this issue.

What it does

"Lost and Slugged" features an interactive map displaying pins indicating where items have been lost on campus. Students can easily log their lost items, mark the locations on the map, and search existing pins to locate their belongings. Additionally, students can log items they find, leaving contact information for owners to reclaim their possessions.

How we built it

For the frontend, we used React. For login authentication we used Firebase, not allowing users to log lost/found items until they sign in to an account. Firestore stored data such as lost item coordinates, names, and contact information. The map functionality was implemented using the Leaflet library.

Challenges we ran into

We faced challenges when it came to handling our Git repository, and had difficulty keeping all of our local repos up to date, while coordinating the remote repository to maintain the most recent useful changes. Additionally, all members of our team were not very experienced with React, so creating a web app that requires so many components and state hooks proved to be a struggle.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of learning how to use the leaflet library for the first time, and being able to blend it with the other parts of the tech stack, a new framework for all of our first time working with maps. We also appreciate that our frontend team member was able to create a UI so similar to our original design, and what we wanted it to look like. We were also to implement all of the base functions that we wanted, such as logging and displaying pins on the map, and showing cards that contain previews of the existing entries.

What we learned

The project provided valuable learning experiences, particularly in utilizing Firebase for authentication and database systems and integrating them with our React application. We also learned that it is important to prioritize our base requirements, before allocating more time to perfecting aspects such as aesthetic. Another important learning milestone that occurred is that we were able to more efficiently and neatly send and retrieve data from our database that previous attempts, due to the more well-ordered organization and formatting of our data.

What's next for Lost and Slugged

There are a few more levels of functionality that we would like to implement eventually, such as being able to search and filter for items, which would be helpful. We also think it would be interesting to work with UCSC PD to establish official records of lost items. This step aims to enhance the reliability and credibility of our platform in reuniting students with their belongings. With these next steps, "Lost and Slugged" is could evolve into a more comprehensive and collaborative resource for the university community.