WashU's Super Seven

Inspiration

We wanted to alleviate a straightforward and avoidable problem that plagues shelters and those in need: the inability to properly allocate resources and communicate efficiently. Lost time can have significant consequences on both ends of this: whether it be more time spent without shelter or food being needlessly wasted. To do our part to help those in need, we created Street Samaritan.

What it does

We created a website, SS, that displays a website a map that detects the density of individuals who are homeless in order to more efficiently visualize the demands upon shelters so they can better manage and utilize their resources.

How I built it

Created a website that provides a user friendly interface and effectively informs users of shelters and available resources in the area. We used Django forms as a format to collect data from shelters as clients are checking in in real time by updating a SQL database. With the real time update, we used Javascript and the Google Maps API to construct a heat map of which homeless shelters in the area are most crowded. Furthermore, we added an RSS feed on our django website so that shelters can make update on their needs/shortages and even urgent announcements, such as if the shelter is at maximum capacity. On the client side, we creating a text-message based directions application so that those that need shelter can text a number and get directions to the nearest and least busy shelter.

Challenges I ran into

Our first big challenge was coming up with an idea we all could agree on. We found it difficult to come up with something that was specific and impactful, as well as creative with a pretty narrow specification. We also had various technical challenges along the way. We had significant difficulty with conflicting versions of Python on mac machines and the correlate effects which made Heroku unusable in the context of our first utilized chat service, Twilio.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm very proud of everyone on my team and their incredible efforts and energy this weekend. We have successfully launched a website which has the potential to seriously streamline the transfer of information between shelters and from shelters to the homeless. I think that this is also something to be very proud of.

What I learned

We each learned a lot over the course of the hackathon, and collectively learned how to brainstorm and work as a team. Some of the new technologies we came across include Django, Twilio and Plivo. We sharpened our skills in tools like the command line interface and server deployment, and in programming languages like Python, JavaScript and CSS. We also learned quite a bit about the problems faced by the homeless and about the good people who offer them solutions. Finally, we learned how fun, exciting, and exhausting a hackathon can be! We all came in as newbies, but plan to be involve more in the future.

What's next for WashU team

In the near-future, most of us will compete in ArchHacks hosted by WashU; and looking forward, we will continue studying CS to better serve those around us both in our community and country.