Veritas - Truth and Clarity for Civic Life

A civic clarity engine and issue reporting tool for the City of Kingston.

🏆 Built at QHacks 2026
🔗 Devpost: https://devpost.com/software/veritas-gbqc0h
🎥 Demo Video: https://youtu.be/sJOm-jkIVQA?si=msw0Yb2wF1ZL6zJ1

Features

• RAG-Powered Q&A: Ask questions about city services with mandatory citations
• Issue Reporting: Report potholes, noise complaints, and other civic issues with photos and map locations
• AI-Assisted Triage: Automatic severity assessment and department routing
• Dashboard: Map and list views of all reported issues
• Multilingual Support: Available in English and French, with extensible i18n architecture
• Accessibility: Large text mode, high contrast, and dark mode
• Trust Layer: Tamper-evident audit logging with optional Solana blockchain anchoring

Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 14 (App Router)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
• Database: SQLite + Drizzle ORM
• AI: Google Gemini 1.5 Flash
• Maps: Leaflet + OpenStreetMap
• Blockchain: Solana devnet (optional)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• A Gemini API key from Google AI Studio

Installation

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

2. Set up environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env

   Edit .env and add your Gemini API key:

   GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here
   

3. Seed the document database (for Q&A):

   npm run seed:docs

4. Seed demo reports (optional):

   npm run seed:reports

5. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

6. Open http://localhost:3000

Project Structure

veritas/
├── src/
│   ├── app/                    # Next.js App Router pages
│   │   ├── page.tsx           # Home page
│   │   ├── ask/               # Q&A interface
│   │   ├── report/            # Report submission
│   │   ├── dashboard/         # Reports dashboard
│   │   └── api/               # API routes
│   ├── components/            # React components
│   ├── lib/                   # Core libraries
│   │   ├── db.ts             # Database connection
│   │   ├── rag.ts            # RAG pipeline
│   │   ├── gemini.ts         # Gemini client
│   │   ├── triage.ts         # AI triage
│   │   ├── audit.ts          # Hash chain logging
│   │   └── solana.ts         # Blockchain anchoring
│   └── data/                  # Content and seed data
├── drizzle/                   # Database schema
├── scripts/                   # Seeding scripts
└── public/uploads/            # Uploaded photos

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Purpose
POST	/api/ask	RAG Q&A
POST	/api/reports	Create report
GET	/api/reports	List reports
GET	/api/reports/[id]	Get single report
POST	/api/triage	AI triage
POST	/api/upload	Upload photo
POST	/api/translate	Translate text
POST	/api/anchor	Anchor hash to Solana

Solana Integration (Optional)

To enable blockchain anchoring:

1. Create a Solana devnet wallet
2. Get devnet SOL from the faucet
3. Add to .env:

   SOLANA_PRIVATE_KEY=your_base58_private_key
   SOLANA_ENABLED=true
   

Demo Script

1. Home page: Modern branding with two CTAs
2. Q&A: Ask "When is my garbage day?" - see citations
3. Multilingual: Toggle to French, ask same question
4. Report: Submit a pothole with photo and map pin
5. Triage: See AI-suggested severity and department
6. Dashboard: View reports on map, use filters
7. Accessibility: Toggle large text and high contrast

Sample Q&A Queries

• "When is my garbage day?"
• "How do I report a pothole?"
• "What are the noise bylaw hours?"
• "How do I get a parking permit?"

License

MIT