COMMUNITY VOICE

A Crowdsourced Civic Tech App to Advocate for Environmental Justice

CommunityVoice is a civic‑technology tool designed to help communities document environmental odor events and related physical symptoms in a structured, data‑driven way. It empowers residents to record what they experience, when it happens, and under what environmental conditions — helping turn individual experiences into usable information.

CommunityVoice is not a medical device, emergency service, or legal service. It is a documentation and reporting aid only.

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I NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP !

Mission

My Commitment

CommunityVoice is a student-led civic technology project dedicated to empowering communities to document environmental conditions in a structured, transparent, and responsible way. The app enables residents to record odor events, environmental context, and related experiences so that individual observations can become meaningful, usable data.
Our mission is to reduce the gap between lived environmental experiences and the systems that govern environmental decision-making. By improving how community data is collected and contextualized, CommunityVoice aims to support clearer communication, better understanding, and more informed dialogue among residents, regulators, researchers, and industry stakeholders.
CommunityVoice is not designed to assign blame or replace regulatory processes. Instead, it seeks to promote transparency, accountability, and learning by making environmental information more accessible and responsibly documented for those working to improve environmental outcomes.

Special thanks to ChatGPT and Gemini AI. As someone without much coding background, they have made it possible for me to bring my vision to life exactly as I imagined. Please contact me via email if you would like to download the app via my development site.

ABOUT THE APP

A map-based interface lets users report incidents by location
- This is critical for spatial correlation and regulatory relevance.
App only allow reporting of incident inside a geofenced area
- currently set to be 2 miles radius of Sunshine Canyon Landfill
- This function could be set to any geofenced area

Users select:
- Odor type (e.g. Fresh Trash, Rotten Egg / H₂S, Ammonia / NH₃, Natural Gas, Other)
- Odor intensity using a standardized Level 1–5 scale
Environmental context is automatically captured:
- Temperature
- Wind speed
- Wind direction
- Humidity / pressure

Users can log health symptoms associated with odor exposure:
- Eye irritation
- Throat irritation
- Lung irritation
- Nausea
- Headache
- Nasal blockage
- Chest pain
Severity levels (Mild / Moderate / Severe) are included
Rate limiting (e.g., “please wait 10s”) suggests anti-spam / data integrity controls

Your Contacts screen provides one-tap access to:

SCL Odor Report Form (online)
SCL Odor Patrol
Local Enforcement Agency
SCAQMD hotline
SCL main hotline
This bridges the gap between data collection and enforcement.

Reporting History Page

This page records all reporting to the system.
It contains all information and stored in the cloud for futre data analytics
All data stored are anonymous , only store by device_id of the mobile home
Lat and Long are store in the none-accurate GPS so does not pin point the exact location of the phone
The app does not access and cookie or cache information on device for analytics use.
All stored weather data are acquired from apple weatherkit .

How CommunityVoice Works

CommunityVoice is a civic‑technology tool designed to help communities document environmental odor events and related physical symptoms in a structured, data‑driven way. It empowers residents to record what they experience, when it happens, and under what environmental conditions — helping turn individual experiences into usable information.

CommunityVoice is not a medical device, emergency service, or legal service. It is a documentation and reporting aid only.

What You Can Do With CommunityVoice

Document odor incidents near your home or community
Record physical symptoms associated with odor exposure
Automatically capture weather and wind context
Keep a personal timeline of environmental events
Access official reporting channels and hotlines

The app is designed to support community awareness, environmental justice, research, and regulatory engagement.

Report an Odor Event

What This Does

The Report Odor feature allows you to log an odor event at your location with standardized descriptions and environmental context.

How It Works

Location Awareness
A map displays your general area. Your report is associated with an approximate location to help identify spatial patterns. Exact addresses are not required.
Odor Type Selection
Choose the odor that best matches what you are experiencing:
- Fresh trash / mixed waste
- Rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide – H₂S)
- Natural gas / gas mixture
- Ammonia (NH₃)
- Other unpleasant odor
Odor Intensity Scale
Odor strength is reported using a standardized five‑level scale:
- Level 1: Intermittent odor
- Level 2: Constant light odor
- Level 3: Constant noticeable odor
- Level 4: Heavy intermittent odor
- Level 5: Heavy constant odor
Environmental Context (Automatic)
When available, the app automatically records:
- Temperature
- Wind speed
- Wind direction
- Humidity or atmospheric pressure
Submit
Submitting saves the event with a timestamp and environmental context.

Report Physical Symptoms

What This Does

The Report Symptom feature allows you to document physical sensations you believe may be associated with environmental odor exposure.

How It Works

Select Symptoms
You may select one or more symptoms, including:
- Eye irritation
- Throat irritation
- Lung irritation
- Nausea
- Headache
- Nasal blockage
- Chest discomfort
Choose Severity
Indicate how intense the symptoms feel:
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
Submit
Your symptom report is timestamped and saved. To protect data quality, the app may limit how frequently symptom reports can be submitted.

Important Notice

CommunityVoice does not diagnose conditions or determine medical cause. If symptoms are severe or worsening, seek professional medical care immediately.

View Your History

What This Does

The History section displays a timeline of your previously submitted odor reports.

What You’ll See

Each entry typically includes:

Odor type
Intensity level
Date and time
Environmental conditions at the time of reporting

This history helps individuals and communities identify patterns over time.

Contact Authorities & Agencies

What This Does

The Contacts section provides direct links and phone numbers to official odor reporting agencies and hotlines.

How to Use It

Tap a phone number to call directly
Tap a link to submit an official online report

Using CommunityVoice does not replace official complaints. This page helps you connect directly with the appropriate authorities when needed.

How Data Is Used

Reports include timestamps, odor type, intensity, and approximate location
Environmental data helps provide objective context
Data may be used for personal records, community analysis, research, or advocacy

CommunityVoice does not guarantee regulatory action or enforcement outcomes.

Privacy & Respect

CommunityVoice is designed to respect user privacy while supporting community‑level insight. Location data is used only to understand geographic patterns, not to identify individuals.

Important Disclaimers

CommunityVoice is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
CommunityVoice is not a legal service and does not provide legal advice.
CommunityVoice is not an emergency service. For emergencies, contact local emergency responders.

Intended Use

CommunityVoice is intended to support:

Community documentation of environmental odor events
Environmental justice and civic engagement
Research and data‑driven advocacy
Informational reporting alongside official complaint processes

It is not intended for emergency response or medical diagnosis.

Questions or Collaboration

If you are a community organization, researcher, regulator, or legal professional interested in CommunityVoice, please contact the project team for more information.

CommunityVoice — turning lived experience into structured environmental data.

HELP MY EFFORT !

I’m a high school student who built CommunityVoice to help communities document environmental odor impacts. Along the way, I realized this work intersects with complex legal, regulatory, and industry considerations.
I believe transparent, responsibly handled data can benefit communities, regulators, and operators alike — but doing this right requires expert guidance.
I’m seeking input from environmental lawyers, public health experts, regulators, industry professionals, and researchers who are open to advising or collaborating on this project.
This is an educational, exploratory effort focused on learning, transparency, and responsible civic technology.