meshcore-sar_android/README.md

MeshCore SAR

Flutter app for Search and Rescue operations over a MeshCore mesh radio network via Bluetooth Low Energy.

What It Does

MeshCore SAR helps teams coordinate in low-connectivity or no-connectivity environments using mesh radio + BLE.

• Send text messages to contacts, rooms, and channels
• Share voice clips and field images
• Track team movement and location updates
• Work with offline maps and field overlays
• Mark and share SAR points of interest

Core Features

Messaging

• Direct and group chat over mesh
• Contact and room awareness from live mesh telemetry
• Message overlays integrated with map and tactical tools

Voice

• Push-to-talk voice clips optimized for low bandwidth
• Voice is fetched on demand when someone presses play
• Automatic playback when fetch completes
• Works well for short field updates where text is too slow

Images

• Capture from camera or pick from gallery
• Automatic compression before sending (optimized for mesh transport)
• Receiver sees a placeholder and taps to load the image
• Full-screen image viewer for quick field inspection

Maps & Navigation

• Multiple base maps (street, topo, satellite, terrain)
• Offline tile download for selected areas
• Optional MBTiles import for custom/offline map packages
• Team member markers with freshness indicators
• SAR markers (person found, fire, staging, custom object markers)
• Compass-assisted orientation and target direction UI

Tracking & Trails

• Continuous GPS tracking with configurable update thresholds
• Personal trail recording with distance and duration stats
• Contact trail visibility controls
• GPX export/import for trail sharing and reuse

Tactical Drawing

• Draw lines/rectangles directly on map
• Distance measurement mode
• Share drawings to channel/room
• Toggle received drawings and SAR marker visibility

Permissions (App Use)

• Bluetooth: mesh device communication
• Location: team tracking and map position updates
• Microphone: voice clip recording
• Camera / Photos: image messaging