Trace

Starting Dashboard with add on Folders, Notes, and Images (only in JPEG and PNG)
Specified Folder with all previously added information inside all labeled
These high crime rates drive our mission to enhance police management and organization to diminish these rates.

Inspiration

Our Inspiration behind this project is to help the police force organize their information and gather their data more efficiently and rapidly to solve cases in a more methodical way. For context, in 2020, there were 396 violent crimes per 100,000 US residents according to the FBI Agency. We empathize for the amount of crime rates within our society today and this is our solution to help reduce the amount, immensely.

What it does

Trace, our app, is a case organization and management app that is open to the public and can also be seen by higher authorities. At the start, there is a title slide that is simple and shows our apps name and our main colors of white and black. Secondly, in our dashboard, we have many things like the addons of images, notes, and full folders. In this way, all the notes and images can be absorbed within each folder correspondingly, increasing organization. People an also look through the folder by double clicking on it to see all the previously added items. In this way, we can properly promote organization and it will be easier for detectives and the higher authorities to solve cases better!

How we built it

We used Visual Studio Code and outline of our app which was constructed on paper. Because of the outline, it gave our team a clear picture how to come about coding the app in Visual Studios and what functions and variables to use in our code. First, we created a start screen for a more visually appealing app. Then, In Visual Studios, we first created a class to create sticky notes and make them detailed to our needs such as creating a red dot. To do this, we used functions and a command to create a yellow box that resembles the color of a sticky note. The next part was using inheritance to extend our previous class and then making the sticky note expandable to make sure that more important events were highlighted. Next, using abstraction and inheritance we created a class to make sure that the sticky notes could be moved around the screen for convenience for the user. Furthermore, we created a button to create folders that can organize cases into respective folders and help for more organization when detectives and law enforcement access them. Finally, we added an image button that promotes a pop-up asking for any downloaded images on the computer that can be added to the folder with a click on the image and folder respectively.

Challenges we ran into

Our team, well-versed in Python, Java, and other programming languages, embarked on a project to revolutionize police case management. However, transitioning to Dart and Visual Studio Code (VS Code) presented many unexpected hurdles. Dart’s syntax and VS Code’s learning curve led to bugs and errors. With perseverance to complete this app, we desired guidance from mentors and online resources, gradually mastering our skills. Through determination and collaboration, we conquered the challenges. Today, our efficient codebase reflects the mastery we achieved, empowering us to build a organized case management system for law enforcement.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Firstly, as we needed a functional app, we had to learn an entirely new programming language (Dart) that was utilized by Flutter for front-end app development, all through vsCode. Additionally, originality was an issue during the beginning of our project, but we persevered and created a new, original app idea.

What we learned

We learned the different aspects of our newfound mastered language, Dart. We also learned how to use a new video editor called kdenlive which enabled us to make the cutscenes at the start of the video smooth and more. Another thing we learned is how to use different concepts from other languages and implement them into our app and dart. Overall, we learned to organize different parts of code, take backups, and have fun while competing.

What's next for Trace

The next step for our app, Trace, is to address the high crime rates in our society, we propose developing an integrated case management system for law enforcement agencies. This system will streamline data collection, analysis, and collaboration. Key components include a centralized database for case details, automated data entry, advanced search and analytics tools, a collaboration platform, mobile app integration, machine learning algorithms, and robust privacy and security measures. By implementing these features, we aim to enhance community safety and improve the efficiency of police operations. Other steps we would take to improve our app further are to have a type of user verification such as email and password or two-step verification, a moderation team to regulate posts, community guidelines for users to follow, and a reporting system.