Study Abroad TAMU

Study Abroad System

The Study Abroad System is a cloud-native application designed to ensure the safety and well-being of students while studying abroad. It provides an integrated communication platform for students, faculty, and administrators, allowing them to track locations, receive notifications, and respond promptly to safety-related alerts.

Project Overview

This application serves three key user roles:

• Students participating in study abroad programs
• Faculty responsible for monitoring student safety
• Administrators overseeing the deployment and management of the system

Key Features

• Real-time location tracking for students
• Automated check-ins and notifications
• Emergency alerts and faculty oversight
• Role-based access and system management
• Custom check-in status creation

System Architecture

Project Structure

muppalla-ramaraju-study_abroad/
├── README.md                     # Main project documentation
├── backend/                      # AWS Lambda functions code
│   ├── Various Lambda files      # Each file corresponds to a specific Lambda function
│   └── Subdirectories            # Organized Lambda functions
├── public/                       # Frontend files (HTML, CSS, JS)
│   ├── css/                      # Stylesheets for all pages
│   ├── js/                       # JavaScript logic
│   └── HTML files                # Page templates
├── terraform-project/            # Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
│   ├── Root Terraform files      # Main deployment configuration
│   └── modules/                  # Modular infrastructure components
└── .github/workflows/           # CI/CD pipelines

Architecture

The system is built using a serverless architecture with:

• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (hosted in S3, delivered via CloudFront)
• Backend: AWS Lambda functions, Amazon API Gateway
• Database: Amazon DynamoDB (UserProfiles, Locations, ClassesTrips tables)
• Authentication: Amazon Cognito
• Notifications: Amazon SNS
• Infrastructure: Defined with Terraform
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions

Getting Started

Prerequisites

1. AWS Account with programmatic access
2. S3 bucket for Terraform state (if using remote backend)
3. Required GitHub Secrets:
   • AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
   • AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
   • AWS_S3_BUCKET
   • CLOUDFRONT_DISTRIBUTION_ID (for frontend cache invalidation)
4. Terraform CLI v1.6+ installed (locally or via GitHub Actions)

Deployment

The system can be deployed via GitHub Actions:

1. Go to the repository on GitHub
2. Navigate to the Actions tab
3. Choose the "Full Deploy Pipeline" workflow
4. Run the workflow

For more detailed deployment instructions, see the Administrator Deployment Documentation.

Usage

Student Dashboard

Students can:

• Update their location using geolocation
• Check in with peers
• Select a status (e.g., "At Hotel", "In Transit")
• Add comments for context
• Report emergencies via the SOS button

Faculty Dashboard

Faculty can:

• View real-time student locations
• Send check-in notifications to students
• Create custom check-in statuses
• Receive emergency alerts
• Access historical check-in data

Admin Dashboard

Administrators can:

• Create/manage classes and trips
• Assign faculty and students to classes
• Set up and monitor the system

Documentation

Detailed documentation for each user role:

• Student Documentation
• Faculty Documentation
• Admin Documentation
• Backend Documentation
• Infrastructure Documentation

Technologies Used

• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6)
• Backend: AWS Lambda (Python/Node.js)
• Database: Amazon DynamoDB
• Authentication: Amazon Cognito
• API Gateway: RESTful API endpoints
• Notifications: Amazon SNS
• Storage: Amazon S3
• CDN: Amazon CloudFront
• IaC: Terraform
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions

Contributing

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

Acknowledgments

• Texas A&M University Mays Business School
• Study Abroad Program