Alert System Guide

Community Alert System

The alert system is the core interaction model for Community Networks. Members create alerts to notify their community about lost items, missing pets, or emergencies.

Alert Lifecycle

1. Creation: A member fills out the alert form with title, description, topic, and radius
2. Rate limiting: The system checks the member's trust level and daily usage
3. Publishing: The alert goes live and is visible to community members
4. Notification: Subscribed members are automatically notified based on their topic preferences
5. Active period: The alert remains active and visible to community members
6. Resolution: The creator marks the alert as resolved when the situation is handled
7. Expiry: Unresolved alerts automatically expire after a configured period

Rate Limiting

Rate limits are based on the member's trust level, determined by how many items they have registered on itemID:

Trust Level	Items Required	Daily Limit
NEW	0	1 alert/day
VERIFIED	1+	3 alerts/day
SCOUT	5+	5 alerts/day

A progress indicator on the alert creation page shows your current usage and remaining capacity for the day.

Alert Properties

• Title: Brief summary of the situation (required)
• Description: Detailed information (required)
• Topic: The category of the alert (required)
• Priority: Low, Medium, High, or Urgent
• Radius (km): How far the alert notification should reach
• Location: The geographic centre point of the alert
• Status: Active, Resolved, or Expired

Notification Flow

When an alert is created:

1. The system identifies community members subscribed to the alert's topic
2. Each eligible member receives a notification
3. Notifications appear in-app (notification bell) and optionally via email

Resolution

Alert creators can resolve their alerts when the situation is handled. This:

• Changes the status to resolved
• Updates the alert to show it as resolved
• Stops further notifications to community members

Creation Wizard

Creating an alert is guided by a step-by-step wizard:

1. Select topic
2. Enter title and description
3. Set location and radius
4. Preview and submit