AidAtlas | Devpost

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Inspiration

The devastation of recent fires in California inspired AidAtlas. Seeing friends and families impacted, we wanted to create a tool to help people connect with essential resources like shelters and inspire communities to help. Our mission is to empower those affected by disasters and encourage those eager to help but are unsure of where or how to begin.

What it does

AidAtlas uses geolocation to identify nearby shelters and display disaster relief volunteer and job listings. It bridges the gap between people in need and the resources or opportunities available, making support accessible when it's needed most.

How we built it

The backend is built using Python, Flask, and Geopy to process user coordinates and retrieve location-specific data. We integrated APIs such as FEMA's OpenShelters and ReliefWeb to fetch shelter and job information.

The frontend is designed to interact seamlessly with these services by using an API to send user requests like location data and retrieve relevant information such as shelter names and addresses from the backend, enabling dynamic and responsive updates to the user interface.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was the limited availability of shelters and listings in existing APIs. This lack of accessible, comprehensive data highlighted a significant gap in disaster resource visibility and inspired us to think about ways to address this issue in the future. Additionally, integrating geolocation data into our application presented unforeseen technical hurdles, particularly when ensuring accurate latitude and longitude formatting for API requests. Another challenge was handling and processing empty or incomplete responses from the FEMA's OpenShelters API, which required extensive error handling and fallback mechanisms to maintain a smooth user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of creating a tool that connects people to vital resources in their time of need. Overcoming technical hurdles and ensuring accurate geolocation was a rewarding achievement.

What we learned

Through this project, we learned how to navigate complex API integrations, optimize geolocation-based services, and address data challenges creatively. We also gained insights into the broader issues surrounding disaster relief resource accessibility.

What's next for AidAtlas

Moving forward, we aim to enhance AidAtlas by sourcing more comprehensive and real-time data. We also hope to develop additional features such as notifications for disaster updates and user-submitted resource availability.