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ConectaBairro: AI-Powered Cross-Platform Community App for Brazilian Social Impact

#devchallenge #unoplatformchallenge #dotnet #crossplatform

AI Challenge for Cross-Platform Apps - WOW Factor Submission

This is a submission for the AI Challenge for Cross-Platform Apps - WOW Factor

What I Built

ConectaBairro is a community-driven cross-platform app connecting Brazilian citizens to local resources, government programs, free courses, and social opportunities. Built with Uno Platform (.NET 10), it runs seamlessly on Windows, Android, iOS, and WebAssembly from a single codebase.

The app tackles social inclusion by helping users discover nearby public services (health, education, social assistance), enroll in free vocational programs (SENAI, SENAC, PRONATEC), participate in community forums, and track engagement through a gamification system. Behind the scenes, a Node.js + Express backend with MongoDB handles authentication, opportunities catalog, messaging, notifications, and integrates Google Gemini for intelligent assistance.

Demo

Repository: https://github.com/PauloTuppy/ConectaBairro
Video Demo: https://youtu.be/_EnWugs6Fz8

In the video walkthrough, you'll see:

  • Interactive map showing nearby public services and opportunities
  • Course discovery and enrollment workflow (SENAI/SENAC/PRONATEC programs)
  • Community forum for discussing local issues and sharing knowledge
  • AI-powered chat assistant answering questions about app features and government programs
  • XP and badges system rewarding user engagement
  • Live backend API integration running on http://localhost:3000

To test locally: clone the repository, run .NET 10 SDK with dotnet run -f net10.0-desktop (or target platform), and start backend with cd backend && npm install && npm start.

Cross-Platform Magic

ConectaBairro leverages Uno Platform to share a unified codebase across Windows Desktop, Android, iOS, and WebAssembly. All XAML pages, C# ViewModels, and business logic remain consistent across platforms, with platform-specific adaptations isolated in the Platforms/ folder.

This approach meant:

  • Single design system applied everywhere (colors, typography, components)
  • Shared business logic for auth, data, and API integration
  • Reduced maintenance overhead compared to native apps
  • Web version via WebAssembly for accessibility (no store installation required)

The Node.js backend is consumed uniformly across all platforms through REST API endpoints, ensuring seamless sync between desktop, mobile, and web users.

Interactive Features

Interactive Map

  • Google Maps integration showing nearby schools, hospitals, and CRAS centers
  • Tap a service to view details and contact information
  • Filter by category (health, education, social assistance)

Courses & Opportunities

  • Browse government vocational courses (SENAI, SENAC, PRONATEC)
  • View course details, prerequisites, and enrollment links
  • Tap "Enroll" to record participation and earn XP

Community Forum

  • Create discussion topics around local issues
  • Reply to threads and build community knowledge
  • Real-time notifications for new responses

Gamification

  • Earn XP for forum posts, course enrollments, and app interactions
  • Unlock badges as milestones (e.g., "First Post," "Certified Course Completer")
  • Leaderboard showing top community contributors

Live Notifications

  • Firebase Admin SDK sends push alerts for new forum threads, opportunities, and community events
  • Customizable notification preferences by topic

The Wow Factor

AI-Powered Chatbot:
The app includes an intelligent assistant built on Google Gemini that understands app context and Brazilian social programs. Example queries:

  • "How do I find free courses near me?"
  • "What are the requirements for SENAI enrollment?"
  • "How do I apply for social assistance programs?"

The Gemini API is integrated into the backend endpoint /api/assistant/ask, which returns context-aware responses with hyperlinks to relevant resources within the app.

Social Impact at Scale:
ConectaBairro bridges the digital divide for underserved Brazilian communities by:

  1. Centralizing fragmented information (no more jumping between 10 different government websites)
  2. Gamifying civic engagement (XP/badges incentivize participation and learning)
  3. Building peer-to-peer support (community forum allows neighbors to help neighbors)
  4. Multi-platform accessibility (desktop for public libraries, mobile for on-the-go, web for shared devices)

Technical Excellence:

  • Single codebase powering 4 platforms (desktop, Android, iOS, browser)
  • Real-time API with MongoDB Atlas cloud backend
  • JWT-based secure authentication
  • Firebase integration for push notifications
  • Google Gemini AI for intelligent assistance
  • Responsive XAML UI that adapts to any screen size

Made with love for Brazilian communities. Code at https://github.com/PauloTuppy/ConectaBairro

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