Concept and demonstrator for a public-interest, location-based social network connecting citizens, institutions, municipalities, organisations, and businesses.
LOCUTERRA aims to digitally connect local civic life without becoming just another global feed. At its core are real places, reach levels, public and private groups, resource sharing, information channels, citizen contact points, direct messages, and location-based alerts.
This repository is a gift: We are making the entire concept freely available so that municipalities, non-profit organisations, or public-sector institutions can pick it up and build it.
The demo/ folder contains the source code of the concept
demonstrator, built with Next.js, React, and TypeScript. It shows the
fictional municipality of Grüntal with synthetic data:
- 9 places (districts, meeting points, facilities)
- 5 groups (neighbourhood help, garden club, parents' meetup, ...)
- 8 resources (tools, skills, requests, help)
- 2 information channels with posts
- Direct messages between fictional citizens
The demo preview is also used as the social sharing image for the GitHub Pages build.
cd demo
npm install
npm run devThen open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.
The demonstrator is a statically exportable prototype with no backend. All data is fictional and lives in the client.
LOCUTERRA consists of two concepts: the platform concept (how the network works) and the financing concept (how it sustains itself). Both belong together but are deliberately documented separately.
| Document | Contents |
|---|---|
| KONZEPT.md | Original product idea and MVP scope |
| FINANZIERUNGSKONZEPT.md | Arena model, sponsoring, and revenue sharing |
| ARCHITECTURE.md | Technical target stack and domain modules |
| DATENMODELL.md | Logical data model for the MVP |
| DATENSCHUTZ.md | Data protection and consent model |
| GOVERNANCE.md | Stewardship, moderation, and appeals |
| ROLES_AND_RIGHTS.md | Actor, role, and permissions model |
| REICHWEITENMODELL.md | Reach levels (private to transnational) |
| SICHERHEIT_UND_MISSBRAUCH.md | Security and abuse risks |
| RESSOURCEN_UND_MARKTPLATZ.md | Separation of resources vs. marketplace |
| RESSOURCEN_FLOW.md | Resource offering workflow |
| INFORMATIONSKANAL_FLOW.md | Subscription, companion chat, and contact sharing |
| GLOSSARY.md | Project terminology |
| Feature_Analyse_LOCUTERRA.md | Comprehensive feature analysis |
Internal decision and porting notes are maintained locally. The public repository only carries stable concept and demonstrator material.
LOCUTERRA thinks about communication spatially:
- Citizens can share resources, skills, requests, and local groups.
- Institutions and municipalities can operate information channels, citizen contact points, public places, and crisis alerts.
- Non-profit organisations can maintain their own channels, places, and contact offerings.
- Resources remain non-commercial; monetary transactions belong in a separate marketplace system.
The MVP is designed as webapp/PWA-first:
- Frontend: TypeScript, React, Next.js
- Data storage: PostgreSQL with Prisma
- Validation: Zod
- Testing: Vitest, Playwright
- Platform: Webapp first; native shells only when genuinely needed
This concept is fully specified:
- MVP scope, role model, and reach model are defined
- Data model, data protection, and governance are worked out
- Security and abuse risks are documented
- Conflict scenarios (reporting, triage, suspension, appeal) are tested
What is missing: a public-sector or non-profit steward to build, operate, and take responsibility for the system. We developed the concept — you just need to build it.
MIT License. See LICENSE.
Lukas Geiger / Um:bruch