VTSmart Trail Mobile App
Project Description
A survey app published in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store
In partnership with Virginia Tech’s Tech on the Trail Initiative, we developed an app to better understand the experiences of long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we designed weekly surveys for hikers to complete on the trail and created a UI tailored to their needs, including offline functionality to ensure accessibility in remote environments.
My Role
As the Backend Lead for this project, I
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Led backend development of the cross-platform app, managing a peer team and collaborating closely with UI designers to ensure seamless integration, smooth development, and successful deployment.
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Designed and deployed scalable containerized services using Docker on university-managed infrastructure.
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Built real-time data syncing pipelines and RESTful APIs using Firebase Firestore and Flask. Optimized data fetch and sync logic in Python, reducing API calls by 30%.
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Drove outreach efforts, onboarding 30+ users to the app.
Tools Used: Firebase Realtime Database, Flask, React Native, XCode, Android Studio, Git