What this app is

I SEE SMOKE is a citizen smoke-reporting tool for the Lake Tahoe and Truckee Wildland-Urban Interface. Anyone can file a directional report in a few taps — bearing, estimated distance, severity, and a required photo — and see it plotted alongside ALERTCalifornia camera feeds on a live map.

The goal is early situational awareness: a fast, basin-wide pulse of what residents and visitors are seeing on the ground during fire season.

How it is built

• Frontend: a mobile-first React app built with TanStack Start and routed through the Lovable Cloud edge network.
• Backend: reports and uploaded photos are stored in a Lovable Cloud database and private storage bucket. Reads are public so the live map works for everyone; edits, deletes, and the device blocklist are admin-only and enforced server-side.
• Authentication: regular reporting does not require an account. A single admin sign-in uses Google OAuth to moderate reports.
• Camera feeds: ALERTCalifornia camera markers are loaded from public UC San Diego camera network endpoints.

What data is collected and why

When you file a report, the app stores the information needed to place it on the map and show others what you observed:

• Report details: your GPS location or location name, compass bearing, estimated distance, severity level, and any note you add.
• Required photo: every report must include a photo. The image file and limited metadata (capture time, camera dimensions, optional GPS, device platform, user agent, and request IP) are stored in the backend and linked to your report so it can be displayed and verified.
• Device identifier: a randomized local ID is stored with each report so you can recognize your own submissions on a given device and so admins can block repeat abuse without collecting personal information. It is not tied to a name, email, or phone number.

No account, email address, or phone number is required to file a citizen report.

Who can see your reports

Reports are saved to the backend database and appear on the public live map at /dashboard in near real time, on every device that opens the map. Any photo you attach is also public once submitted.

Treat anything you upload as public information. Do not include personal identifiers, home addresses, or other private details in notes or photos unless you are comfortable with them being visible to anyone visiting the map.

Moderation

A single authorized admin can edit or remove reports that are inaccurate, spam, or abusive, and can block the randomized device identifier behind repeat bad submissions. Blocking is enforced on the server before a new report is accepted, so a blocked device cannot submit even if it bypasses the app UI.

Admin access is restricted to a single Google account approved by the operator. There is no public sign-up for admin privileges, and non-admin accounts that attempt to sign in are signed back out automatically.

How long data is kept

Citizen reports and uploaded photos are retained indefinitely to preserve basin-wide situational history. After seven years, content is moved to long-term searchable storage. If you need a report or photo removed sooner, see the deletion request section below.

Deletion requests

To request removal of a report or photo you submitted, use our contact form with the report details, time, and approximate location. Because reports are submitted without accounts, we may need those details to locate and confirm the right item.

Security practices

• Traffic is served over HTTPS/TLS between your browser and the app.
• Uploaded photos are kept in a private storage bucket and served through time-limited signed URLs.
• Admin access is restricted to a single authorized Google account; there is no public sign-up for admin privileges.
• Every report submission runs through server-side validation that rejects malformed payloads, caps field sizes, and enforces the device blocklist before the row is written.
• Edits, deletes, and blocklist changes are restricted by database row-level rules to the admin role, not just hidden in the UI.

No system is perfectly secure. Security is a shared responsibility: the operator configures and maintains the app, Lovable provides the platform, and users should keep their devices and browsers up to date.

Not an emergency service

I SEE SMOKE is a community situational-awareness tool, not a 911 dispatch center or official emergency service. If you see an active fire, smoke rising from a structure, or people in danger, call 911 immediately. Always follow official evacuation orders from CAL FIRE, local sheriff offices, and Genasys/Zonehaven.

Cookies and analytics

The authoritative copy of every report lives in the backend database. The app also uses browser localStorage to cache a small randomized device ID and to support a low-bandwidth emergency mode. It does not use third-party advertising cookies or tracking pixels, and no personal advertising profile is created.

Contact

Questions about privacy, data, security, or moderation can be sent via our contact form.