VIC Alert Server

VIC Alert Server is a Node.js/Express backend and real-time dashboard for an IoT assistive safety system designed to support visually impaired users with obstacle monitoring, SOS alerts, environmental updates and caregiver visibility.

👤 Author: Abdulbasit Abdulalim

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Product Overview

The VIC Alert System connects an ESP32-based wearable device, smartphone GPS data and a cloud dashboard. The server receives telemetry from the device, stores the latest status in memory and exposes a dashboard for caregivers to monitor safety events.

This project demonstrates backend API design, IoT telemetry handling, real-time dashboard rendering and assistive-technology product thinking.

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System Architecture

ESP32 Wearable Device
        |
        |  telemetry: distance, zone, SOS, weather, GPS
        v
Node.js / Express Server
        |
        |-- /update  receives device updates
        |-- /data    returns latest device state
        |-- /        caregiver dashboard
        v
Caregiver Dashboard / Mobile Browser

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Key Features

• Express.js telemetry server
• Device update endpoint for ESP32/smartphone data
• Real-time JSON data endpoint
• Caregiver dashboard rendered from the server
• SOS history tracking
• Location history tracking
• Obstacle distance and safety zone monitoring
• Weather/environmental status display
• CORS and JSON/form-body support
• Render/VPS deployment-ready structure

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Tech Stack

Area	Technologies
Runtime	Node.js
Backend	Express.js
Middleware	CORS, JSON/body parsing
Dashboard	Server-rendered HTML/CSS/JS
Maps	Leaflet frontend integration
Deployment Target	Render, Railway, Fly.io, VPS or similar Node hosting

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API Endpoints

GET /

Returns the caregiver monitoring dashboard.

GET /data

Returns the current device state, SOS history and location history.

Example response:

{
  "distance": 120,
  "zone": "SAFE",
  "sosCount": 0,
  "sosActive": false,
  "systemStatus": "ACTIVE",
  "lat": 7.85,
  "lng": 9.78,
  "hasLocation": true,
  "sosHistory": [],
  "locationHistory": []
}

GET /update

Accepts telemetry updates through query parameters.

Example:

/update?distance=100&zone=SAFE&sosActive=false&lat=7.85&lng=9.78&weather=Clear&temperature=28

POST /update

Accepts telemetry updates through JSON or form body.

Example body:

{
  "distance": 80,
  "zone": "CAUTION",
  "sosActive": true,
  "sosCount": 1,
  "lat": 7.85,
  "lng": 9.78,
  "weather": "Cloudy",
  "temperature": 27
}

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Getting Started

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/basgenix4u/vic-alert-server.git
cd vic-alert-server

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Run locally

npm start

Open http://localhost:3000.

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Environment Variables

This version only requires an optional PORT variable.

PORT=3000

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Deployment

Deploy to any Node.js hosting service.

Recommended steps:

1. Set the start command to npm start.
2. Set PORT if the host requires it.
3. Deploy the server.
4. Configure the ESP32 device to send updates to the deployed /update URL.
5. Open the deployed dashboard URL on the caregiver device.

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Roadmap

• Persist telemetry in a database
• Add authentication for caregiver dashboard
• Add device registration and API keys
• Add WebSocket/SSE real-time updates
• Add SMS/email/push notifications for SOS events
• Add multi-device support
• Add automated tests and CI checks
• Add Docker support

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Safety Disclaimer

This project is an assistive technology prototype. It should not be used as the only safety mechanism in critical situations without proper hardware validation, testing, redundancy and emergency-response planning.

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Author

Built and maintained by Abdulbasit Abdulalim.

• GitHub: https://github.com/basgenix4u
• Website: https://alimswrite.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdulbasit-abdulalim-94a701354

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Built by Abdulbasit Abdulalim