LifeFence

LifeFence is a geofencing-driven faculty attendance management system, designed to automate the attendance process using real-time location data. The project utilizes a Python FastAPI backend, a Flutter frontend, and integrates with the Supabase database to provide a seamless and efficient attendance management solution.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed on your system:

• Python 3.12+
• Poetry (for dependency management)
• Supabase account & project setup
• Supabase CLI (for managing the database)

Tech Stack

• Backend:

  • Python
  • FastAPI
  • Supabase (PostgreSQL)

• Frontend:

  • Flutter

Project Structure

The project is organized into three main directories:

• lifefence-backend: The Python FastAPI backend responsible for handling the geofencing logic, user authentication, and API services. It integrates with the Supabase database for data storage and retrieval.

• lifefence-frontend: The Flutter frontend that provides a cross-platform interface (Android, iOS, Web) for users to interact with the attendance system, view geofencing zones, and track attendance.

• literature-review: This directory contains research materials, literature surveys, and documentation regarding geofencing technology and its applications in real-world scenarios.

Project Features

• Geofencing API: Determine when a faculty member enters or exits a geofenced zone.
• Authentication: JWT-based user authentication and authorization.
• Automated Attendance Tracking: Automatically marks attendance based on the user's location within predefined geofencing zones.
• Real-time Location Tracking: Tracks the real-time location of users to ensure accurate attendance records.
• Cross-platform Support: Provides a seamless user experience across Android, iOS, and web platforms.
• Comprehensive Reports: Generates detailed attendance reports and analytics for faculty and administrators.
• Supabase Integration: Seamless integration with the Supabase database for storing user data, attendance logs, and geofencing information.
• Scalable Architecture: Built with scalability in mind to accommodate growing numbers of users and geofencing zones.

Installation

Backend Setup

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-org/lifefence-backend.git
   cd lifefence-backend

2. Install Dependencies Using Poetry to install required dependencies:

   poetry install

3. Setup Environment Variables

   Create a .env (make a copy of the .env.example and add the required parameters) file in the root directory and add the following environment variables:

   DATABASE_URL=<your-database-url>
   JWT_SECRET=""<your-jwt-secret>

4. Run Database Migrations Use the Supabase CLI or direct SQL scripts to set up your database schema.

   If you're using Supabase CLI:

   supabase db push

5. Start the Backend Start the FastAPI development server:

   poetry run uvicorn app.main:app --reload

   The API will be available at http://localhost:8000.

API Documentation

Once the server is running, you can access the interactive API documentation (Swagger UI) at:

http://localhost:8000/docs

Deployment

Pull the pre-built docker image

docker pull kreativethinker/lifefence-backend:latest

Deploy using:

docker run kreativethinker/lifefence-backend

Running Tests

To run the test suite using pytest and pytest-asyncio, run:

poetry run pytest

Supabase Configuration

• Supabase is used for data storage. Ensure your Supabase instance has the necessary schema and tables for the application (e.g., users, attendance logs, geofenced areas).
• More details on Supabase configuration and database schema will be found in the docs/ directory.

Project Structure

lifefence-backend/
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/           # Workflows and github actions
├── app/
│   ├── api/                 # API routes
│   ├── models/              # Pydantic models and Tortoise ORM models
│   ├── utils/               # Business logic (geofencing, attendance tracking)
│   ├── config.py            # Stores server configuration
│   └── main.py              # FastAPI app entry point
├── Dockerfile               # Dockerfile for deployment
├── .env.example             # Example environment variables file
├── poetry.lock              # Poetry lock
├── pyproject.toml           # Poetry configuration
└── README.md                # This file

Literature Review

For research and documentation purposes, refer to the materials available in the literature-review folder. This includes:

• Literature surveys on geofencing technology
• Research papers and related articles
• Future prospects and system enhancements

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please follow these steps for making contributions:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix
3. Submit a pull request with a clear description of your changes

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.