FIREcast

Leveraging AI to forecast fire risks in geographical regions. FIREcast empowers communities with actionable insights to allocate resources and implement proactive strategies for wildfire prevention.

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Inspiration

Our inspiration for creating FIREcast stemmed from the heartbreaking impact of the devastating wildfires that have been ravaging Canadian provinces, territories and notably, Maui. Witnessing the destruction caused by these fires served as a catalyst for our team's commitment to curate a solution that addresses these pressing environmental challenges head-on.

What it does

FIREcast integrates geo-coding and weather data APIs to predict regions with elevated wildfire risks. FIREcast uses mathematical formulas to calculate the Fire Weather Index (FWI), resulting in a efficient algorithm that can display the risk of a wildfire. Recognizing the inherent challenges in fully averting these natural and human-induced disasters, our tool enables global users to participate in resource allocation for vulnerable areas, while aiding experts in identifying high-risk zones.

How we built it

The frontend was developed using HTML, CSS, and JS. Some libraries used in the frontend include "Animate On Scroll". We used asynchronous functions and onClick buttons to call the GeoLocation API which gave longitude/latitude coordinates. Then, we used those coordinates to call the Weather API to get the weather, humidity, wind speed, etc. Using this information, we performed the algorithm to find the FWI.

Challenges we ran into

  • Creating a full-stack website, as this was all of our first times. It was difficult to update the website due to DOM manipulation.
  • Calling APIs without Node or Express.
  • Fixating on a specific issue that we could realistically address using the technology we have on hand.

Accomplishments that we're proud of and what we learned

Since none of us were seasoned coders, we collectively embraced the opportunity to acquire new skills, with some focusing on frontend development and others delving into the intricacies of implementing various APIs. Regardless, we all endured restless hours of research to create a final product that tackles the world's most pressing environmental crisis.

What's next for FIREcast

FIREcast is dedicated to advancing its impact on wildfire prevention through enhanced accuracy, educational features, and global collaboration. By refining predictive models and fostering understanding through education, we believe that FIREcast can make an impact in the world. Additionally, we plan to:

  • Integrate an efficient backend using MongoDB or MySQL to store user information like email, password, address and donation history.
  • Use the Google Pay API to securely perform financial transactions like donations.
  • Integrate AI and ML models through OpenAI API or manually training the AI.
  • Access historical data to formulate more accurate predictions.
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