Inspiration
When can I expect to get vaccinated?
How well is my state handling the distribution process?
What's even in the vaccine?
As vaccine rollout begins and we envision our lives returning to normal, we are all left wondering - When will the pandemic finally end?. Vaccelerator was inspired by the current ambiguous state of the Covid-19 vaccine distribution. Our team was intrigued by the power of data, such as search trends and government studies, but was frustrated with how the information we wanted was scattered everywhere. We wanted to consolidate information as a way to not only inform the public, but to also catalyze the vaccine distribution process - speeding up recovery and saving lives. There was and still is a lot of uncertainty with the vaccine distribution program. Many of us are left wondering about when we will actually get our vaccine and what are the correct procedures. From there, Vaccelerator was born.
Introducing a platform that offers data-driven vaccine distribution insights and information to improve the transparency of the vaccination progress. We wanted a clear and data-driven approach in the vaccine roll-out plan and an easy way for users to be more informed of their vaccination date.
Furthermore, we wanted to create a centralized location for users to learn of Covid-19 news, track their vaccination date, and demystify any uncertainty around the vaccine. Vaccelerator is not only a website designed to help best inform you on vaccine rollout plans, but also a one-stop hub for all your Covid-19 needs.
What It Does
Information Centralization and Visualization
| Dashboard | Analytics |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Vaccelerator aids users in having an easy-to-use and personalized vaccine sign up. Users are able to view the dashboard showing relevant and visual data about the vaccine rollout plan. We utilize the power of Google search trends to further find the areas of highest prioritization for the vaccine. This helps distributors identify high priority regions and better allocate resources. Vaccelerator also features an education section filled with articles about the vaccine and Covid-19 news. Additionally, there is an FAQ page for frequently asked questions.
Personalized Appointments and Estimations
| User Profile |
|---|
 |
Users also have the opportunity to sign up for their vaccine appointment. They enter a personalized form that takes their information and calculates a "Who Are Priorities" (WAP) score to determine their estimated vaccination date. The WAP score is our algorithm that takes into account a user's region, demographic, medical history, and PVI score to name a few factors.
Notifications
| Notifications with Twilio |
|---|
 |
Users are then split into priority groups and will receive real-time updates, through SMS messages, as their estimated vaccination date changes or draws closer. Users have an opportunity to submit a change request, updating any relevant information, and this new information will be used to update their WAP score and place in our priority queue.
How We Built It
| Our Tech Stack |
|---|
 |
| GitHub Repo |
The App
This web application is built mainly through React and Node.js. We used bootstrap to help create a responsive and cohesive frontend. The design is highly minimalistic and intuitive for easy accessibility for any demographic.
Data Visualization
The graphs retrieve data from APIs such as the Google Trends API and COVID Tracking Project API to create interactive visual representatives in an easy to process fashion. The Covid-19 PVI heat map was implemented in Python using the Pandas and Plotly libraries, parsing data collected by the CDC. Other graphs were created with Chart.js.
User Management
We used the Google Firebase SDK along with Cloud Firestore, Google Authenticator, and Cloud Functions to write and retrieve user data to calculate our WAP function and determine a user's vaccination priority. The Twilio API was used to send SMS message reminders to users when their vaccine status updated. Additionally, we created an Express server in the backend to send and receive data from our API endpoints.
Challenges We Ran Into
It was many of our team members' first times using the Firebase SDK and exploring all the available applications it offers. These took time to pick up in the beginning but we were able to appreciate the simplicity and wide applicability that Firebase brings to any project. Additionally, we learned a great deal about integrating interactive and live updated graphs and charts into web applications.
Accomplishments That We're Proud Of
Our team is proud of the tech stack we were able to pick up during this hackathon. From having a beginner's grasp of the different products offered by Google, we were able to expand our knowledge and have since explored Cloud Functions, Firestore, Google Authentication, Google APIs, and Firebase. These are definitely products we will be bringing with us to different projects in the future.
What We Learned
The power data holds! From helping inform vaccine roll-out plans to even buying GameStop shares data drives the way the world moves. We hope to better use, communicate, and analyze data to help us make informed decisions.
What's Next for Vaccelerator
Vaccelerator is excited to see how health surveillance can evolve through monitoring everyday data. We will continue to refine our WAP score and add more information and insights into our heat map and charts. Lastly, we hope to refine our process and expand our coverage to help other vaccine roll out plans become more efficient and effective.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.