🔥 FLARE - Emergency Rescue Beacon

Turn any smartphone into a rescue beacon. When disaster strikes and someone is trapped, they press one button - their phone becomes a homing signal.

📱 The Core Concept

FLARE turns any smartphone into a rescue beacon. When disaster strikes and someone is trapped, they press one button - their phone becomes a homing signal. Rescuers follow the signal like a treasure hunt, with real-time distance updates and a heat map showing safe paths around obstacles.

No GPS, no internet, no special equipment needed. Just Bluetooth waves and smart navigation.

🎯 The Problem We're Solving

During disasters (earthquakes, building collapses, floods):

• Cell towers are down - no calls or texts
• GPS doesn't work indoors or under rubble
• Rescuers can't locate victims who are:
  • Unconscious and can't call for help
  • Buried under debris
  • Lost and don't know their own location
  • Children who can't describe where they are

FLARE solves the problem: FINDING people who can't communicate.

💡 Our Solution

Two-sided app system:

Victim Side (SOS Beacon):

• One-tap SOS button
• Phone becomes a continuous Bluetooth/WiFi beacon
• Works even if victim is unconscious (just needs to be turned on once)
• Broadcasts device ID + battery status

Rescuer Side (Navigator):

• Detects all SOS beacons in range
• Shows distance to each victim (using signal strength)
• Provides directional navigation ("hot/cold" guidance)
• 2D Heat Map showing safe paths vs obstacles
• AR View (optional) with 3D markers overlaid on camera

🔧 Key Technologies

Technology	Range	Accuracy	Purpose
Bluetooth LE	~100m	±3-5m	Primary victim detection
WiFi Direct	~200m	±2-4m	Extended range detection
UWB (if available)	~50m	±10-30cm	High-precision positioning

RSSI-Based Distance Estimation

• RSSI = Received Signal Strength Indicator
• Stronger signal = closer to victim
• Formula converts signal strength → approximate distance
• Updates in real-time as rescuer moves

Movement-Based Direction Finding

Rescuer walks 5 meters →
Signal got stronger? → "Keep going this direction ✓"
Signal got weaker? → "Turn around ↺"

Obstacle Detection

We detect obstacles WITHOUT imaging by analyzing signal patterns:

• 🟢 GREEN = Clear path (strong, stable signal)
• 🟡 YELLOW = Unstable area (fluctuating signal)
• 🔴 RED = Obstacle detected (sudden signal drop)

🎨 User Interface

View 1: Radar Screen

┌─────────────────────────┐
│   🎯 FLARE SCANNER      │
├─────────────────────────┤
│        )))))))          │
│       )))))))           │
│      ⊙  👤  Victim A    │
│         ↑ 12m away      │
│  Signal: ▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░    │
│  Battery: 42%           │
└─────────────────────────┘

View 2: Heat Map Navigator

┌─────────────────────────┐
│   🗺️ HEAT MAP          │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  🟢🟢🟢🔴🔴            │
│  🟢🟢🔴🔴🔴            │
│  🟢YOU🟢🟡🔴           │
│  🟢🟢🟢🟢📍 Victim    │
│  Safe path detected →  │
└─────────────────────────┘

🚀 Three Use Cases

1. PUBLIC EMERGENCIES (Earthquake/Disaster)

   • Anyone can send SOS
   • Anyone can help locate victims
   • Trigger: Triple power button press

2. PROFESSIONAL RESCUE (Fire/Police/EMT)

   • Certified rescuers only
   • Connects to emergency dispatch systems
   • Trigger: Long press + Volume Down

3. PRIVATE GROUPS (Hiking/Outdoors)

   • Pre-formed groups of friends/family
   • Only group members see each other
   • Trigger: In-app button

📁 Project Structure

Flare/
├── src/                          # React Native Mobile App
│   ├── screens/
│   │   ├── HomeScreen.js         # Main entry with mode selection
│   │   ├── VictimScreen.js       # SOS beacon activation
│   │   ├── RescuerScreen.js      # Radar/scanner view
│   │   ├── HeatMapScreen.js      # 2D heat map navigator
│   │   ├── ARViewScreen.js       # AR camera view
│   │   ├── SettingsScreen.js     # App configuration
│   │   ├── GroupScreen.js        # Private groups
│   │   └── ProfessionalModeScreen.js
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── BluetoothService.js   # BLE P2P logic
│   │   ├── WiFiService.js        # WiFi Direct
│   │   ├── SupabaseService.js    # Cloud sync
│   │   ├── NavigationService.js  # Distance/direction calc
│   │   └── HeatMapService.js     # Obstacle detection
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── BeaconCard.js         # Victim card UI
│   │   ├── HeatMapCanvas.js      # Heat map visualization
│   │   ├── RadarView.js          # Radar screen
│   │   └── SignalStrength.js     # Signal indicator
│   ├── context/
│   │   ├── AppContext.js         # Global state
│   │   └── BluetoothContext.js   # Bluetooth state
│   └── utils/
│       ├── rssiCalculator.js     # RSSI → distance
│       └── constants.js          # App constants
│
└── flare_backend/                # Django REST API
    ├── api/
    │   ├── models.py             # Data models
    │   ├── serializers.py        # JSON serialization
    │   ├── views.py              # API endpoints
    │   └── urls.py               # API routes
    ├── flare_backend/
    │   ├── settings.py           # Django config
    │   └── urls.py               # URL routing
    └── requirements.txt

🛠️ Quick Start

Backend Setup

# Navigate to backend
cd flare_backend

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows
source venv/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings

# Run migrations
python manage.py migrate

# Start server
python manage.py runserver

API available at: http://localhost:8000/api/

Mobile App Setup

# Navigate to mobile app
cd src

# Install dependencies
npm install

# iOS only
cd ios && pod install && cd ..

# Run on Android
npm run android

# Run on iOS
npm run ios

🔑 Environment Configuration

Backend (.env)

SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
DEBUG=True
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...  # Optional, uses SQLite by default
SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
SUPABASE_KEY=your-anon-key

Mobile App

Update Supabase credentials in src/services/SupabaseService.js

📱 Required Permissions

Android

• Bluetooth (Scan, Connect, Advertise)
• Location (Fine)
• WiFi State

iOS

• Bluetooth
• Location When In Use
• Camera (for AR view)

✅ Key Features Checklist

• One-tap SOS beacon activation
• Bluetooth LE beacon broadcasting
• Real-time beacon scanning
• RSSI-based distance estimation
• Navigation guidance (hot/cold)
• 2D Heat Map visualization
• Obstacle detection via signal analysis
• Private groups with join codes
• Professional rescuer mode
• Battery priority sorting
• Offline-first architecture
• Cloud sync when available
• AR View (stretch goal - UI ready)

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────┐    Bluetooth P2P    ┌─────────────┐
│   Victim    │◄───────────────────►│  Rescuer    │
│  Mobile App │                     │  Mobile App │
└──────┬──────┘                     └──────┬──────┘
       │                                   │
       │      (when internet available)    │
       │                                   │
       └────────► Supabase ◄───────────────┘
                      ↕
              Django REST API

P2P is primary, cloud sync is secondary.

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines first.

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FLARE - Because every second counts in an emergency.