Oasis

Inspiration

The idea for Oasis came from recognizing a growing concern among students the lack of a reliable, tech-driven way to feel safe on campus . Many students walk to classes, dorms, or parking lots late at night without knowing who to call or where to go if they feel unsafe. We wanted to bridge that gap by creating a tool that combines instant communication, real-time location tracking, and community awareness into one seamless app. Our goal was simple: to build a digital “safe zone” a true oasis where every student can feel protected, connected, and confident wherever they are on campus.

What it does

Oasis is a campus security app that helps students stay safe and connected in real time. With one tap, users can send an SOS alert to campus security or trusted contacts, instantly sharing their live location and emergency details. The app’s core features include: Real-time location tracking: Share your route with friends or security until you safely arrive at your destination. Anonymous incident reporting: Quickly report suspicious activity or unsafe behavior without revealing your identity. Dynamic danger zone alerts: Oasis highlights high-risk areas on campus based on recent reports and security data, helping users avoid unsafe routes before incidents happen. Instant emergency access: Contact campus security or emergency services directly from within the app. Oasis transforms your phone into a proactive safety assistant, empowering students to move with confidence and awareness across campus.

How we built it

We built Oasis using React, TypeScript, and Vite, styled with Tailwind CSS and consistent UI components from Shadcn/ui. The app uses a screen-based navigation system managed through App.tsx as the main router. We started by developing the core features, including an incident reporting form that lets users select the type of report, describe the situation, and mark the location using the Google Maps API. We also implemented a paginated alerts system that displays 10 items at a time with a “View More” option. To manage real-time updates, we created an IncidentContext that keeps all incidents and alerts in sync across the app. When a user reports an incident, it immediately appears in recent activities, and emergency incidents automatically trigger campus alerts. For data persistence, we used localStorage, ensuring all reports and alerts remain saved even after the app is closed. We also added dedicated screens for Emergency Contacts, Location Sharing, Notification Settings, and Privacy & Security, along with a debug section for testing data persistence. Overall, the result is a fully functional campus safety app that allows students to report incidents, view alerts, and manage their personal safety settings all with real-time updates and reliable data storage.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges we faced was integrating Google Maps smoothly into the app’s Maps tab. Getting real-time location updates to display correctly required configuring multiple APIs and handling permission requests across different devices. Another major challenge was implementing the danger zone system, which highlights high-risk areas on campus. We had to figure out how to visually represent danger zones dynamically while keeping the map clean and easy to read. Balancing performance, accuracy, and user experience during this process pushed us to refine our data structure and optimize how markers and zones are rendered in real time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Oasis is something we’ve been wanting to build for months, Thanks to this Hackathon we are seeing it come together, has been one of our proudest moments. What started as an idea to improve campus safety has grown into a fully functional app with real-time alerts, incident reporting, and danger zone detection. We’re especially proud of how far the project has come from brainstorming on paper to developing a working prototype that students can actually use. The next big step is partnering with schools to access real campus data, which will allow us to make danger zone alerts even more accurate and valuable for students.

What we learned

Throughout this project, we learned how to combine technical problem-solving with human-centered design. Working with APIs like Google Maps taught us how to handle real-time data efficiently while maintaining privacy and app performance. We also gained hands-on experience with React Context, localStorage, and state management to create smooth, persistent user experiences. Beyond the code, we learned the importance of team communication, version control, and breaking big ideas into achievable steps to turn a concept into a working product.

What's next for Oasis

Next, we plan to connect with universities and campus security departments to integrate real safety data into Oasis. This will allow us to generate live danger zone alerts based on verified incident reports and patterns. We also want to explore AI-powered threat detection, where the app can identify unusual activity and suggest safer routes automatically. Our long-term goal is to release Oasis as a pilot program across multiple campuses and make it a trusted tool for students everywhere.