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  Map page

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  Chat page

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  Inside a proximity chat

StormLinked

Inspiration

I live in an area prone to tornadoes and have always been fascinated by them. As such, I love watching severe weather livestreams and noticed a need for easy communications between chasers.

What it does

StormLinked is a comprehensive real-time communication and coordination platform specifically designed for storm chasers. The app provides several key features to solve the communication challenges in severe weather coordination:

🎯 Chat Beacon System: The core innovation is a beacon-based communication system where chasers can create "Chat Beacons" - coordination hubs with customizable ranges (1-25 miles) that other chasers automatically join when they drive into range. Think of it as creating temporary "radio stations" that nearby chasers can tune into.

📍 Proximity-Based Chat: Automatic discovery and connection to nearby chasers within a configurable radius, enabling real-time coordination without needing to manually find and join groups.

🗺️ Interactive Radar Map: A comprehensive map showing:

• Real-time positions of all active storm chasers (if they opt-in)
• Chat beacon ranges displayed as amber circles on the map

The platform essentially turns the chaotic, disconnected world of storm chasing into a coordinated network where chasers can easily communicate, share locations, coordinate movements, and assist each other - all while maintaining safety and situational awareness.

How we built it

React + TypeScript: Industry-standard for type-safe, maintainable frontend development Vite: Faster development experience compared to traditional bundlers Supabase: Reduces backend complexity while providing PostgreSQL, auth, and real-time features Socket.io: Reliable WebSocket implementation for real-time features Tailwind CSS: Rapid UI development with consistent design system Zustand: Lightweight state management without Redux boilerplate Leaflet: Open-source mapping without Google Maps API costs

This stack represents a modern, full-stack approach optimized for real-time, location-based communication with a focus on developer experience and maintainability.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was getting the real-time proximity chat working. I had to do a lot of research and debugging but finally got the right combo of front-end and backend config.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Coming up with and successfully implementing the chat beacon system is something I'm super proud of. I believe it's an elegant way to overcome the negatives of a straight proximity chat system.

What we learned

I learned that it's good to be flexible and bend your direction when needed. I also learned to make sure to build in plenty of debugging.

What's next for StormLinked

Next for StormLinked is to turn mock systems into real systems (profiles & classifieds) and integrate weather warnings and alerts to make a one-stop place for chasers to chase and communicate.

Built With

• leaflet.js
• react
• supabase
• tailwind
• vite