The requirements for the app was quite straightforward. It should be a map-based web application, where users can add their needs and projects according to their geolocation.
After that, it should display a kind of a heatmap, which represents a needs distribution and relations.
Based on requirements we decided to use our classic stack:
Meteor as a platform allows us to build apps fast and don't waste time implementing basic functions such as user authorization, user management and etc.
The second important step was to choose a map library. According to the requirements we found only one library which fits our needs — Leaflet.
It's a very popular and wide-spreaded solution, used by many big companies and service providers. Our clients had a suggestion on heatmap plugin, which we'll need to use. Also, Leaflet has a great documented API which allows implementing a lot of custom behavior.
App design files was provided in 2 modes: desktop and mobile. The difference was quite huge, because the main app element - the heatmap layer and the map itself should be organized in a different way on the small mobile screens.
We spent some time adjusting layout and components to the mobile platforms and managed to get a fully working solution.