FindIT: A Smart Lost and Found Management System
Losing something valuable like your keys, a wallet, or a laptop—is incredibly stressful, especially in a fast-paced campus environment. Currently, most lost and found processes are fragmented, relying on pure luck, scattered social media posts, or physical notice boards with limited reach.
FindIT is designed to bridge this gap. We have built a smart, privacy-first platform that centralizes the recovery process. Instead of waiting for a chance encounter, FindIT uses structured data and intelligent matching to reunite people with their belongings quickly and securely.
Key Features
- Smart Matching: Utilizes decision-support logic to automatically compare lost and found reports, flagging potential matches for review.
- Privacy Controls: Found item details are kept under restricted visibility to ensure that only the rightful owner can identify and claim them.
- Gradual Disclosure: Provides secure communication channels that protect personal contact information until a match is verified by both parties.
- Centralized Dashboard: A single source of truth for campus security and administrators to monitor recovery trends and manage high-value items.
- Automated Lifecycle Management: Features a built-in background scheduler that tracks item lifespans, issuing warnings and automatically purging expired or resolved reports after a 7-day retention cycle to maintain database efficiency.
Process
- Report: Users submit a detailed, structured questionnaire for a lost or found item.
- Match: The system analyzes descriptions (color, brand, location, time) to find similarities.
- Verify: The “Gradual Disclosure” process allows the finder to ask clarifying questions without revealing their identity.
- Recover: Once verified, the system facilitates a safe exchange of contact info or a drop-off location.
- Resolve & Cleanup: Recovered items are marked as resolved, and unclaimed reports are automatically archived and removed from active search after the 7-day retention period.
The Team
| Name | E-Number |
|---|---|
| Dulmina Weerasinghe | E/23/431 |
| Livindu Jayasinghe | E/23/149 |
| Lihini Silva | E/23/382 |
| Thenuk Piyathilake | E/23/274 |
Project Structure
/docs: Contains the SRS report and project documentation./src: Source code for the FindIT platform./data: JSON configurations for the project portal.