AutoWatch

Inspiration

With rising car thefts in urban areas like Toronto (almost 20000 reported cases in 2023 alone), we wanted to build a lightweight, real-time tool that helps people report stolen vehicles and mobilize their communities to help recover them. Existing solutions are slow, centralized, or require police involvement—AutoWatch puts the power back in the hands of the public.

What it does

AutoWatch lets users quickly report stolen cars, geotag incidents on a live map, and see when their vehicle is spotted. Community members can submit sightings with location and description, creating a decentralized, real-time tracking network. Think of it as an Amber Alert system for your car, powered by your neighborhood.

How we built it

We used Next.js with React and TailwindCSS for a fast, modern frontend, and Firebase for real-time database updates. Mapbox powers the interactive map interface for viewing and reporting thefts and sightings. Though we planned to integrate Firebase push notifications and a mobile app, we focused this MVP on location and report functionality due to time constraints.

Challenges we ran into

Due to time constraints and the novelty of some of the APIs for our group members (Mapbox, Firebase), a lot of time was invested into figuring out methods to leverage these services that would result in the best effects for our website and goals. Therefore, a lot of our initial plans such as user authentication, notification and other map styles had to be set aside for the duration of this hackathon.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a working MVP in under 36 hours, complete with live map integration and dynamic reporting.
Learned and successfully implemented Mapbox for geospatial visualization and Firebase for real-time data management.
Designed an intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to report and track stolen vehicles.

What we learned

How to integrate geolocation services using Mapbox and display dynamic data on an interactive map.
How to structure a project around real-time updates using Firebase.
The importance of scope in a time-sensitive build—and how to prioritize core functionality over features.
That community tools for safety don't have to be complicated; simplicity and clarity go a long way.

What's next for AutoWatch

Add user authentication to personalize alerts and enable stolen car recovery tracking.
Integrate Firebase Cloud Messaging for push notifications on new thefts and sightings.
Expand the report form with media uploads and car-specific metadata.
Develop a mobile app to reach more users and allow on-the-go reporting.
Utilize AI to analyze trends in thefts near each user's location, providing early warning systems to residents and reminding them to stay extra vigilant if there seems to be more thefts around them recently.