Bilkom – Campus App for Bilkent University

Bilkom is a community-driven platform exclusively for Bilkent University students. Developed as part of our CS102 group project for Spring 2025, Bilkom aims to revolutionize campus connectivity by fostering social interactions, streamlining event management, and ensuring student safety—all within a secure, Bilkent-only environment.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Technologies
• Usage
• Team

Overview

University life is about more than academic achievement—it’s a time for personal growth, social development, and community engagement. Bilkom addresses the challenges of campus disconnection and isolation by offering a dedicated platform where students can:

• Connect over shared interests and activities.
• Stay informed with real-time weather in Bilkent/Ankara and campus news.
• Easily receive emergency alerts.
• Engage with student clubs and post/manage club events efficiently.

By bringing all these features together, Bilkom not only enhances the social and academic experience but also builds a safer, more supportive campus community.

Features

• Activity Matching & Shared Interests:
  Easily create or join events—ranging from leisure activities to study groups—tailored to your interests.

• Student Clubs & Event Promotion:
  Enable student clubs to advertise their events and activities without relying on outdated methods like posters or generic social media.

• Emergency Alerts & Community Response:
  Get instant notifications during emergencies such as fires, accidents, or urgent health situations.

• Real-Time Weather & News Feed:
  Stay updated with accurate weather forecasts and the latest Bilkent University news directly from the homepage.

• Robust Reporting System:
  Ensure a safe environment with a built-in reporting feature to handle harassment or unwanted behavior swiftly.

Technologies

Backend

• Language & Framework: Java with Spring Boot
• Database: MySQL
• ORM: Hibernate (JPA)
• Authentication: JWT-based authentication using Bilkent email verification
• Real-Time Communication: WebSockets for emergency alerts and messaging
• • APIs:
  • OpenWeatherMap API for real-time weather updates
  • JSoup for integrating Bilkent news

Frontend

• Core Technologies: Android Studio (Java), Android SDK, XML Layouts
• Styling: Material Components, custom themes (colors.xml, themes.xml), vector drawables with tinting, optional shape-based styles for elevation and corner radius

Usage

Register

• Only Bilkent emails (@bilkent.edu.tr) allowed
• Email verification via JWT system

Create / Join Event

• Fill title, description, quota, tags
• Join an event
• Filter by interest, time, and availability

Club Announcements

• Clubs post events with quota/time
• Replaces Instagram/WhatsApp chaos

Emergency Alerts

• Urgent needs for blood donation
• Uses WebSocket for instant broadcast

News & Weather Feed

• Pulls news from:
  • https://bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr/
  • https://gazetebilkent.com/
• Displays real-time weather on homepage via OpenWeatherMap API

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Team

Group0 – CS102 (Spring 2024/2025)

• Salih Mert Uzun
• Sıla Bozkurt
• Elif Bozkurt
• Ali İhsan Sevindi