Pulse

Inspiration

At big events, finding a free seat, short food line, or quiet space can feel impossible. We wanted a simple way for people to see where the crowd actually is — without tracking anyone personally. That’s how Pulse was born.

What it does

Pulse shows a real-time heatmap of crowd density across different event zones. Users tap a button for their current location, and the map updates live — red for crowded, green for calm. It helps people move smarter and avoid long lines.

How we built it

We used a Flask (Python) backend with an in-memory dictionary to store real-time reports. Each report expires after 5 minutes to keep data fresh. The frontend is built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, fetching live data every few seconds and updating a simple colored grid that acts as our heatmap.

Challenges we ran into

Accomplishments that we're proud of

-Built a fully working prototype in under a day using pure Python. -Achieved real-time crowd updates with no external database. -Created a solution that respects user privacy while still being useful.

What we learned

We learned how to design lightweight real-time systems, handle data expiry logic, and simplify user interaction for fast feedback — all while keeping the UX intuitive.

What's next for Pulse

-Event Planning: Pulse will be expanded into an app where organizers can plan events
-Friend Finder – Share a code with your group, see each other's locations on the map in real-time -“Appification” – Make our website an app instead, so it’s easily accessible to anyone who has a smartphone -Adaptability – Make the venue plans much more editable with features like an editing canvas for admins

Built With

• html
• python