cliffkoome/echo-reach

Echo Reach is an automated, voice-first climate early warning system delivering local-language telephony alerts to feature phones across East Africa. # Echo Reach: Last-Mile Climate Voice Alerts ## Project Overview Echo Reach is an automated climate early warning platform engineered to protect vulnerable, off-grid communities. By monitoring meteorological telemetry and utilizing generative AI, the system bypasses internet and smartphone dependencies. It translates complex climate data into local languages and delivers actionable voice advisories directly to standard feature phones. This project was developed for the IGAD Hackathon 2026 to address climate communication barriers ahead of the 74th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF 74) scheduled for August 17 to 18, 2026, in Kigali, Rwanda. ## System Architecture The platform operates on a strict five-stage execution pipeline: 1. **Telemetry Polling:** A Node.js core continuously samples Open-Meteo API endpoints for extreme precipitation and temperature anomalies. 2. **AI Simplification:** Raw meteorological bulletins are processed through Google's Gemini API to extract hazards and generate concise, actionable instructions. The pipeline implements a multi-tier model fallback strategy (`gemini-3.6-flash` to `gemini-3.5-flash-lite`) to manage API quotas. 3. **Neural Translation:** The simplified text is translated into regional languages utilizing Meta's NLLB-200 model running locally via Transformers.js. 4. **Speech Synthesis:** A dedicated Python FastAPI microservice converts the translated text into natural audio utilizing Meta's MMS-TTS models. 5. **Telephony Dispatch:** The system triggers the Africa's Talking API, executing outbound voice callbacks that stream the generated `.wav` audio over the cellular network, accompanied by a redundant SMS backup. ## Technology Stack * **Core Backend:** Node.js, Express.js * **Database:** MariaDB with Sequelize ORM * **Artificial Intelligence:** Google Gemini SDK (`@google/genai`), Hugging Face `Transformers.js`, Meta MMS-TTS * **Telephony Gateway:** Africa's Talking Voice and SMS APIs * **Production I …