NDIC - Natural Disaster Information Centre

The project name on Foundry is Aaryan.

Inspiration

As the ideas on our planning document quadrupled, our search only increased. None of the ideas had enough impact to actually matter. Then, while frustrated, we started talking about wildfires and their impact on the world. We decided to do something about it. Not only that, we decided to tackle the complete set of natural disasters.

What it does

By processing data from numerous databases on California's natural disasters, we provide recommendations and risk assessments on the viability of housing and infrastructural precautions homeowners should take based on their location.

How we built

We used Foundry's wide toolset to get NDIC up and running. We started off by analyzing and parsing our data, in the data ingestion directory, using Foundry's contour application. Doing so allowed us to add multiple different filters, including a GeoHash column, and remove results from the data that make no sense in the context of the assignment. Following the production of the enriched data file results, we were then able to use Foundry's Workshop application to produce a seamless interface for the users. Essentially the user can query the county or zip code that they would like (current constraints limit this to the state of California) under the Make-A-Query tab. This Make-A-Query tab uses several different features from Foundry (courtesy to the Palantir team for helping us out). We built filters, so when the user queries their given county, the right-hand side of the screen produces a report informing them of the condition of the average magnitude of earthquakes, or the average land burned in acres by a wildfire. This interface then, using the functions repository, allows us to parse the data, and provide appropriate infrastructural solutions to the end user. In addition to the Make-A-Query tab, we added Chloropleth mapping for flood risk, wildfire acres burned and average magnitude of earthquakes. All in all, these features combine for a user-friendly interface, providing the our prospective clients with the appropriate information.

Challenges we ran into

We ran into numerous challenges, but we worked through them. One of the main challenges that we faced was using Foundry. But, through the tutorials, trial and error, and much help from the sponsors, we pushed through that. Learning typescript was another challenge because none of us had any experience with javascript. In the end, through equal division of work, we managed to learn the required technologies and applied them to a fruitful conclusion.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of having a functional demo in 24 hours. We are also proud of making something that can have a lot of effect on how users go about making decisions on housing and real estate. We are proud of working coherently and efficiently as a team.

What we learned

We learned a lot of tangible and intangible skills. In terms of coding skills, we learned typescript and Foundry. We also learned about cleaning, organizing, and presenting data. In terms of intangibles, we learned how to function 24 hours without sleep, and piece different pieces of software to make a coherent whole.