Collision-Aid

Collision-Aid is a web application designed to assist Canadians in easily locating collision repair centers in their area. With the prevalence of auto collisions, finding a trustworthy and affordable repair center can be challenging. This app streamlines the process by allowing users to input a Canadian postal code and search radius, returning all collision repair centers within that specified area. The results are displayed on a leaflet.js map, providing users with an interactive and visual representation of available repair centers.

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone [repo_url]

2. Create Virtual Environment:

   virtualenv venv

3. Activate Virtual Environment:

   • CMD:

     venv\Scripts\activate

   • Bash:

     source venv/bin/activate

4. Install Requirements:
   For Linux, run:

   pip install psycopg2-binary
   pip install -r requirements.txt

   For Windows, run:

   pip install psycopg2==2.9.5
   pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Setup PostgreSQL and PostGIS:

   • Use a serverless service like neon.tech or set up locally with Docker.
   • Create a database named collision_aid and enable the PostGIS extension:

     CREATE EXTENSION postgis;

6. Create .env File: Create a .env file in the BASE_DIR (same folder as manage.py) with the following environment variables:

   SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key
   DEBUG=True
   DB_NAME=collision_aid
   DB_USER=your_postgres_username
   DB_PASS=your_postgres_password
   DB_HOST=your_postgres_endpoint
   DB_PORT=5432
   STATIC_URL=static/
   ALLOWED_HOSTS=*
   ENGINE=django.contrib.gis.db.backends.postgis
   EMAIL_BACKEND='django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'
   EMAIL_HOST=your_email_host
   EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
   EMAIL_PORT=587
   EMAIL_HOST_USER=your_email
   EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your_email_password

7. Install GDAL:

   • For Windows, download the appropriate wheel file from here and install using:

     pip install full_path_to_wheel_file

   • For Linux (Ubuntu), run:

     source gdal_install.sh

8. Run System Check:
   From the BASE_DIR, run:

   python manage.py check

9. Create Database Tables:

   python manage.py makemigrations
   python manage.py migrate

10. Load Dummy/Fake Data into Database:

    python manage.py shell
    import os
    from django.conf import settings
    from shops.load import load_shop, load_postal_codes
    b = settings.BASE_DIR
    load_postal_codes(os.path.join(b, 'CanadianPostalCodes202208.csv'))
    load_shop(os.path.join(b, 'faker_shops_tilder.txt'))

Usage

1. Run the Django development server:

   python manage.py runserver

2. Access the application in your web browser at http://localhost:8000.

3. Enter a Canadian postal code and search radius to locate collision repair centers in the specified area.

How Collision-Aid Works

Auto collisions are a common occurrence, and the app aims to simplify the process of finding trustworthy and affordable collision repair centers. Users can quickly locate repair centers within a specified radius, view their rates on an interactive map, and access aggregated repair rates in a table. The app also allows users to submit new collision repair centers and their rates, contributing to a comprehensive database.

Contributing

We welcome contributions to improve Collision-Aid. If you find any issues or have suggestions, please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Special thanks to neon.tech for providing a generous free tier for serverless PostgreSQL services.
• The app utilizes the Leaflet.js library for interactive maps.

Feel free to explore, use, and contribute to make Collision-Aid even better!