Peer Store

A location-based marketplace Android application that allows users to buy and sell items with AI-powered image recognition and real-time chat functionality.

Features

🔐 Authentication

• User registration and login
• Email-based authentication with Firebase Auth
• Password reset functionality
• Secure user session management

📱 Core Functionality

• Post Creation: Users can create listings with photos, descriptions, and prices
• AI Image Recognition: Automatic object detection and classification using Google ML Kit
• Location-Based Discovery: Find items near your location using GPS
• Real-time Chat: Communicate with sellers through post-specific chat rooms
• User Profiles: Manage your own posts and account information

🎯 Main Screens

• Explore: Browse all available posts from other users with distance calculations
• Chat: View and participate in conversations for all posts
• Profile: Manage your posts and account settings
• Post Details: View detailed information about items including AI descriptions

Tech Stack

Frontend

• Language: Kotlin
• UI Framework: Android Views with ViewBinding
• Architecture: Activity-based with Firebase integration

Backend & Services

• Authentication: Firebase Auth
• Database: Cloud Firestore
• Storage: Firebase Storage for images
• ML/AI: Google ML Kit for object detection

Key Dependencies

• Firebase SDK (Auth, Firestore, Storage)
• Google Play Services (Location, Maps)
• ML Kit Object Detection
• Picasso for image loading
• CircleImageView for profile pictures

Project Structure

app/src/main/java/com/example/peerstore/
├── MainActivity.kt              # Splash screen
├── SingInActivity.kt           # User login
├── SingUpActivity.kt           # User registration  
├── ForgotPasswordActivity.kt   # Password reset
├── ExploreActivity.kt          # Browse posts
├── ChatActivity.kt             # View all chats
├── PostChatActivity.kt         # Individual post chat
├── ProfileActivity.kt          # User profile
├── CreatePostActivity.kt       # Create new post
├── PostInfoActivity.kt         # Post details
└── PostChatActivity.kt         # Chat for specific post

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Android Studio Arctic Fox or later
• Android SDK API 24+
• Google Services JSON configuration file

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd peer-store

2. Firebase Setup

   • Create a new Firebase project at console.firebase.google.com
   • Enable Authentication (Email/Password)
   • Enable Cloud Firestore
   • Enable Firebase Storage
   • Download google-services.json and place it in app/

3. Configure Permissions The app requires the following permissions:

   • INTERNET - For Firebase connectivity
   • ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION - For location-based features
   • ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION - For location services
   • CAMERA - For taking photos of items

4. Build and Run

   ./gradlew assembleDebug

Features in Detail

AI-Powered Image Recognition

When users create posts, the app automatically analyzes uploaded photos using Google ML Kit to:

• Detect objects in images
• Generate confidence scores for identified items
• Provide automatic descriptions to supplement user descriptions

Location Services

• Calculate distances between user location and posted items
• Display items sorted by proximity
• GPS integration for accurate positioning

Real-time Chat System

• Post-specific chat rooms stored in Firestore
• Real-time message synchronization
• User identification in chat messages

User Experience

• Clean, Material Design-inspired interface
• Bottom navigation for easy screen switching
• Image rotation handling for camera captures
• Responsive layouts for different screen sizes

Database Schema

Users Collection

{
  "posts": ["postId1", "postId2", ...]
}

Posts Collection

{
  "title": "Item title",
  "image": "https://firebase-storage-url",
  "imageName": "unique-image-name.jpg", 
  "descriptionAI": "AI-generated description",
  "descriptionOwner": "User description",
  "price": "100",
  "owner": "userId",
  "latitude": 40.7128,
  "longitude": -74.0060,
  "globalChat": ["userId_message1", "userId_message2", ...]
}

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/new-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add new feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/new-feature)
5. Create a Pull Request

Security Considerations

• User authentication handled securely through Firebase Auth
• Database rules should be configured to ensure users can only modify their own data
• Image uploads are processed through Firebase Storage with proper access controls
• Location data is used only for distance calculations and not stored permanently

Future Enhancements

• Push notifications for new messages
• Advanced search and filtering options
• User ratings and reviews system
• Payment integration
• Enhanced AI descriptions with more detailed analysis
• Dark mode support
• Multi-language support

License

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

Support

For issues and questions, please create an issue in the repository or contact the development team.