ONEAlert

Inspiration

In the fast-paced and dynamic world of supply chain and logistics, cargo professionals waste valuable time manually logging into multiple tracking systems for shipment updates. Tracking cargo often requires checking post office platforms, courier platforms, and supplier dashboards. This fragmented tracking process increases the risk of missing critical updates such as delays in shipment, customs clearance issues, and changes in handling status. Without an instant, real-time notification system, logistics teams’ risk slow response times, financial losses, and workflow inefficiencies. The need for a streamlined, automated solution is essential to ensure that critical updates are received in real-time without disrupting daily operations. We took on the OLF challenge and the Open challenge for this Hackathon.

What it does

ONEAlert is a smart Chrome extension that eliminates the need to log into multiple platforms by providing real-time air cargo tracking powered by the IATA ONE Record API. It delivers instant notifications for schedule changes, customs clearance, offloading, and other shipment milestones. Users can customise their tracking dashboard to monitor key cargo attributes, ensuring they receive live updates without manually refreshing multiple tracking platforms. With ONEAlert, logistics teams can automate notifications, optimise supply chain routes, and enhance operational efficiency without disrupting workflow.

How we built it

ONEAlert was developed using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to create a seamless and intuitive Chrome Extension. The backend is powered by Node.js and Express.js, handling API requests and fetching real-time shipment data. Our system integrates directly with the IATA ONE Record API, ensuring compliance with global air cargo tracking standards and providing instant updates on shipment milestones. We focused on a lightweight and efficient design, prioritizing real-time API calls over persistent data storage to ensure users receive the most up-to-date cargo tracking information.

Challenges we ran into

We ran into an issue where we were able to run a separate server but we were unable to implement it in time, however it is still functional on the terminal which we can develop further for even easier analysis. We had a challenge implementing REACT to our project for frontend, so we opted with html, css and javascript. We also had challenges preparing for this hackathon, trying to understand the API a week before the start, for which the lovely mentors helped us with.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are second-year Computer Science students from Dublin City University, and this project represents a major achievement for us. As local students, we took on the challenge of learning and integrating the IATA ONE Record API from scratch, successfully developing a fully functional cargo tracking solution within just a day and a half. We are proud of how quickly we adapted to the API, built a robust tracking system, and created a polished, user-friendly Chrome extension that simplifies logistics tracking. Despite the time constraints, we managed to develop a working solution that automates notifications, streamlines cargo tracking, and provides actionable insights for logistics professionals.

What we learned

Through developing ONEAlert, we learned how to integrate IATA’s ONE Record API and work with real-time logistics data to improve cargo tracking. As second-year Computer Science students at Dublin City University, this project gave us hands-on experience with API calls, real-time notifications, and front-end design. We also learned how to balance simplicity and functionality, making sure users get important updates without being overwhelmed. Most importantly, we learned how to work efficiently under tight deadlines, building a working prototype in just over a day while improving our teamwork and problem-solving skills.

What's next for ONEAlert

For this prototype, we would like to include our AI solution on the Chrome extension, instead of it running on a separate server in the terminal. Add more methods to analyse the fields to do with time such as arrivals and departure to make dynamic graphs Implementing react with Postman for the UI interface, since React is a much better tool for maintenance and scalability for our code so that the developers can build more complex functions faster and more efficiently. We want this to become an open source project because we see the huge potential in this project and we believe we can upscale and improve the system for global use.