LA Relief

Inspiration

Wildfires in Los Angeles and the scattered, often outdated sources of emergency information inspired us to create a centralized, real-time platform. We wanted to build a tool that not only informs communities during crises but also empowers them with actionable data and resources.

What it does

LA Relief is a cutting-edge, real-time platform dedicated to connecting communities impacted by wildfires with essential resources, such as shelter, support services, medical, mental health, and animal care supplies.

Real-life challenges solver: It efficiently provides information about organizations, volunteer opportunities, and donation channels to address immediate real-life challenges.
Wildfire Prevention & Post-Fire Education: It provides educational resources to users on fire risks, prevention methods, and long-term ecosystem recovery.
Real-Time Fire/ Air quality API: The platform’s real-time Fire and Air Quality API delivers live wildfire alerts and up-to-date air quality information, empowering communities to prepare effectively for potential hazards.
Diverse Audience: Leveraging the LibreTranslate API and a user-friendly design, LA Relief ensures that a diverse audience is accessible to all, meeting the needs of a varied user base in times of crisis.
User-Friendly Chatbot: A conversational interface that not only navigates users through the platform but also offers real-time assistance with frequently asked questions regarding website usage, information submission, and resource updates.

How we built it

Backend: Java & Spring Boot for handling APIs, PostgreSQL & Nest.js for handling user data.
Frontend: Tailwind CSS, JavaScript (ReactJS)
Cloud Platforms: Hosted on Render
Collaboration Tools: CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Workflows
API: CalFire, OpenWeather, Google Maps and LibreTranslate
Figma, Docker, Recaptcha, Data Collection

Challenges we ran into

Real-time Data Collection: Integrating real-time data from multiple APIs and handling complex geospatial information with Leaflet.js to provide accurate information through a visually engaging interface.
Speed Optimization & Data Security: Managing multiple APIs and processing detailed data for over 100 organizations required advanced speed optimization strategies.
Real-time Collaboration: Implementing version control and multi-user edits in real time
Responsive Platform: Ensuring the platform remained responsive during high traffic and in implementing seamless multilingual support

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built a full-stack platform that not only aggregates critical wildfire and resource data but also offers a user-friendly, multilingual experience. Our real-time mapping and "open now" features enable communities to access the help they need quickly. We also established a robust CI/CD pipeline and containerized our application, ensuring scalability and reliability during emergencies.

What we learned

We deepened our understanding of integrating diverse APIs and handling live geospatial data. The project taught us valuable lessons in full-stack development, efficient data management, and the importance of designing for accessibility and scalability. We also learned how to overcome real-world challenges by iterating quickly and collaborating across different technical disciplines.

What's next for LA Relief

Our next steps include expanding our environmental data integrations such as adding AI-driven predictive wildfire mapping and enhancing our mobile experience. We plan to further refine our volunteer and donation features and broaden our language support. Ultimately, we aim to evolve LA Relief into a comprehensive disaster response platform that can be adapted to various communities and emergencies.