Inspiration
COVID19 brought many struggles to our daily lives. And with everyone stuck in isolation, one of the things we miss the most is a sense of community. In one study, more than 38% of those surveyed say that they interact with family and friends much less after covid, and that can have a dangerous impact on people’s mental health. A separate survey found that 41% of adults experienced anxiety or depression after COVID, compared to 11% before. We at LocalPal believe that forming new connections is a core part of everyone’s wellbeing, which is why we wanted to build an app that helps bring people together by supporting others in times of need.
What it does
Our app allows users to make posts to request things from others. Other users on the application who are nearby can see these posts and give them the assistance they need. In addition to this, our app has a built in text chat and video call system that allows people nearby to stay connected. Finally, the application has an event page system that allows user to keep up to date with upcoming events. The goal of all these features is to help bring back the sense of community that comes with giving and receiving.
How we built it
We built the android app on Flutter and the backend on Firebase for storing user information. We used Material UI for the front end and made use of some open source plugins for building some features of the application. A website for the app was built using HTML and CSS.
Challenges we ran into
Fitting multiple markers on the app using Firebase proved to be extremely challenging, and building all the functionality of the chat application also added a significant level of complexity to our project.
What's next for LocalPal
We would love to add the ability for users to create map-based notifications asking for help. This would make it easier for users to see those who needs assistance. We also want to add functionality that could help match users with other users who have similar interests, location and also into friend groups to further bolster the sense of community in the area.
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