Inspiration
The inspiration behind "CoolPaws" was the need for a comprehensive solution to protect our furry friends during the scorching summer months. Every year, countless pets suffer from heat-related illnesses, which can often be prevented with proper care and awareness. Pet owners “sometimes judge heat by how they feel, and that’s not what we need to do,” says Barbara Hodges, a veterinarian and director of advocacy and outreach for the Humane Society Veterinary Medicine Association, located in Davis, California. This is why water intake should be tracked and key information such as heat index should be easily accessible for pet owners. Our love for animals and technology drove us to create an app that could make a real difference in the lives of pets and their owners.
What it does
"CoolPaws" helps pet owners navigate the summer with their pets safely. It provides real-time temperature alerts, locations of pet-friendly cooling centers, and advice on preventing and identifying heatstroke in pets. The app also includes features like hydration reminders, safe walking schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day, and educational resources about summer pet safety.
How we built it
"CoolPaws" was developed using a modern tech stack that includes React.js for the frontend to create a responsive user interface. For the backend, we utilized Node.js and Express.js to set up our server and endpoints. MongoDB Atlas was chosen for our database needs due to its flexibility and performance with large datasets. For location-based features, we integrated a Map API that allows users to find nearby cooling centers and shaded areas. The combination of these technologies provided a robust platform for building a scalable and efficient application.
Challenges we ran into
Our primary challenge was the time constraint, which didn't allow us to fully integrate and utilize a weather API to its fullest potential. While we managed to lay down the groundwork for the weather-related functionalities, developing a fully functional weather service within the app was more time-consuming than anticipated. Additionally, we faced the typical hurdles of backend development, such as ensuring data integrity and designing an API that could handle the load and complexity of real-time data feeds.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Despite the time constraints, we successfully created most of the pages we had envisioned for "CoolPaws." This is a testament to our team's hard work and dedication to the project. We conducted extensive research on the technologies we hope to use, laying a solid foundation for future development. Our team gained valuable insights into the process of building a tech product from the ground up, and we're proud of the progress we've made so far in bringing "CoolPaws" to life.
What we learned
Through the development of "CoolPaws," we learned about the intricacies of pet health and the various factors that can affect it. We also gained experience in processing and presenting real-time data in an accessible manner. The importance of user-centered design became clear as we iterated on our app based on user feedback.
What's next for Cool Paws
Moving forward, we aim to incorporate more interactive features, such as a social platform for pet owners to connect and share advice. We're also looking at expanding our database of cooling centers and including emergency veterinary services. Long-term, we're exploring wearable tech integration to monitor pet vitals, providing even more proactive health alerts.
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