The Fur Finder

1. App Overview

The Fur Finder is a mobile application designed to help reunite lost pets with their owners across Australia. It combines AI-powered photo matching, community engagement, GPS-based search, and pet registration into a single platform. Available on both iOS and Android via the App Store and Google Play.

2. Core Features

2.1 Report Lost or Found Pets

• Quick Reporting: Users can report a lost or found pet in under 2 minutes with guided form fields
• Multi-Photo Upload: Attach up to 5 photos per report with swipeable gallery view
• Detailed Information: Capture pet type, breed, size, colour, distinguishing markings, last seen date, and location
• GPS Location: Automatic location tagging with manual adjustment on an interactive map
• Contact Info: Secure contact details for the reporter (name and phone)
• Reward System: Set a reward amount for lost pet reports to encourage community help

2.2 Home Feed

• Live Feed: Scrollable list of all active lost and found pet reports from all users
• Filter & Sort: Filter by lost/found status, pet type, and proximity
• Report Cards: Each card shows pet photo, name, breed, status, location, and time posted
• Boost Indicator: Boosted reports appear prominently for increased visibility

2.3 Interactive Map

• Map View: View all pet reports as pins on an interactive map (Google Maps)
• Colour-Coded Markers: Different colours for lost pets, found pets, vets, shelters, and rescue organisations
• Radius Search: Adjustable search radius (1–100 km) to find reports near a specific location
• Vet & Shelter Directory: Pins for nearby veterinary clinics, animal shelters, and rescue organisations

2.4 Pet Profile Registration

• Pre-Registration: Register your pets proactively before they go missing
• Comprehensive Details: Pet type, name, breed, size, colour, markings, photos, microchip number, and medical notes
• Biometric ID Scanning: Upload close-up photos of your pet's nose, eyes, and face for enhanced AI matching
• Quick "Report as Lost": Convert a registered profile into a lost pet report with one tap
• Suburb Tagging: Tag your pet's home suburb for neighbourhood-based discovery

2.5 My Pets Tab

• Unified Dashboard: Combined view of all your registered pets and active reports in one place
• Manage Profiles: Edit, update, or delete pet profiles and reports
• Status Tracking: See the current status of each report (active, boosted, reunited)

3. AI-Powered Features

3.1 AI Pet Matching

• Smart Matching: Automatically finds potential matches between lost and found reports
• Visual Analysis: Compares photos for face shape, ear position, coat patterns, markings, and body build
• Text Analysis: Matches breed, colour, size, markings, and description details
• GPS Filtering: Pre-filters candidates within a configurable radius (default 5 km) before AI analysis
• Confidence Scoring: Each match receives a 0–100% confidence score with an explanation
• Cross-Matching: Matches against both active reports and registered pet profiles
• Biometric Matching: Uses registered biometric scans (nose prints, eye patterns) for higher accuracy

3.2 Scan Online Posts

• Text Extraction: Paste text from Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, or community boards
• Auto-Detection: AI extracts pet type, breed, colour, size, markings, location, and contact info from unstructured text
• Cross-Reference: Automatically matches extracted details against all reports and profiles in the app
• URL Support: Can also fetch and analyse content from a pasted URL

3.3 Quick Snap

• Instant Photo Match: Spot a pet? Take a photo and instantly match it against all registered profiles and reports
• Biometric Comparison: Compares the photo against registered biometric scans for nose prints, eye patterns, and facial features
• On-the-Go: Designed for quick use when you encounter a stray or unidentified pet

4. Community Features

• Community Tips: Users can leave comments and helpful tips on any pet report
• Visual Timeline: Each report has a chronological timeline showing sightings, updates, comments, and status changes
• Social Sharing: Share pet reports directly to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other platforms
• Likes & Support: Users can like reports to show support and increase engagement
• Reward Pool: Community members can contribute to a collective reward for finding a lost pet
• Boost Report: Increase a report's visibility in the feed and on the map
• Happy Tails: A dedicated section celebrating successful reunions — read reunion stories from other users
• Printable Flyer: Generate a professional missing pet flyer from any report, ready to print and distribute
• Area Alerts: Get notified when a pet is reported lost or found near your location

5. Suburb Directory

• Browse by Suburb: View all registered pets organised by Australian suburb
• Search Suburbs: Search for specific suburbs to see pet profiles in that neighbourhood
• Privacy-Safe: Only displays public information (pet name, breed, type, photo) — no phone numbers or medical notes
• Community View: Discover pets in your local area and build neighbourhood awareness

6. Safety & Resources

• Safety Tips Guide: Expert advice on what to do when you find or lose a pet
• Vet & Shelter Directory: Searchable directory of veterinary clinics, animal shelters, and rescue organisations
• How It Works Guide: Step-by-step instructions for new users
• FAQ Section: Answers to commonly asked questions about using the app

7. User Accounts & Security

• Secure Registration: Email and password-based accounts with encrypted password storage (bcrypt hashing)
• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based sessions with 30-day expiry
• Data Ownership: Users can only edit or delete their own reports and profiles
• Block & Report: Block other users and report inappropriate content
• Account Deletion: Full account deletion with cascading removal of all associated data
• Cloud Database: All data stored securely in a PostgreSQL cloud database — shared across all users

8. Legal & Privacy Compliance

• Mandatory Consent: Users must accept 4 consent checkboxes before using the app — Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, AI Matching, and Data Storage
• Privacy Policy: Detailed policy covering data collection, AI processing, storage, and user rights
• Terms of Use: Comprehensive terms governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia
• AI Transparency: Clear disclosure that pet descriptions (not personal contact details) are processed by AI for matching
• Data Retention: Users can delete their data at any time via the app
• GPS Consent: Location is only accessed on-demand with explicit user permission

9. Monetisation

Referral & Ambassador Program

• Referral Codes: Every user gets a unique referral code to share
• Referral Rewards: Refer 3 friends = 1 free week; 5 friends = 1 free month; 10 friends = another free month
• Welcome Bonus: New users who join via referral get 3 free premium days
• Social Ambassador: Log 20 social media shares in a month = 1 free premium week

10. Technical Architecture

11. Platforms & Availability

• iOS: Available on the Apple App Store (iPhone and iPad)
• Android: Available on Google Play Store
• Web: Landing page with app download links
• Target Market: Australia and New Zealand