Radius Roulette

A wee web application that generates random coordinates within a specified radius from a starting point. Perfect for discovering new places to explore!

If you live near the coast please bear in mind that some of the random places might be underwater: so get your diving gear ready 🤿 😉

Features

• Generate random coordinates within a customizable radius
• Display coordinates in both decimal and DMS (Degrees, Minutes, Seconds) format
• Calculate exact distance from starting point
• Direct link to Google Maps for easy navigation
• Modern, responsive design with Tailwind CSS
• Fast and lightweight React/Next.js application
• Place search with automatic coordinate filling
• Manual coordinate editing capabilities
• Unit toggle between miles and kilometers

Live Demo

Visit the live application at: [https://radius-roulette.vercel.app/]

Local Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd radius-roulette

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Run the development server:

npm run dev

4. Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server
• npm run build - Build for production
• npm run start - Start production server
• npm run lint - Run ESLint

Deployment

This application is optimized for deployment on Vercel:

1. Push your code to GitHub
2. Connect your repository to Vercel
3. Deploy automatically on every push

The app includes a vercel.json configuration file for optimal deployment settings.

How It Works

The application uses mathematical formulas to generate truly random coordinates within a specified radius:

1. Haversine Formula: Calculates distances between coordinates on Earth's surface
2. Spherical Trigonometry: Generates random points within a circular radius
3. Coordinate Conversion: Converts between decimal degrees and DMS format
4. Geocoding: Uses OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service for place search

Default Starting Point

The app uses Edinburgh, Scotland as the default starting point:

• Latitude: 55°46'27"N
• Longitude: 3°55'6"W

You can easily modify this in the code to use any location as your starting point.

Technologies Used

• Next.js 14 - React framework with App Router
• TypeScript - Type-safe JavaScript
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first CSS framework
• Vercel - Deployment platform
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim - Geocoding service

TODO (MAYBE)

• Include automatic geolocation option

Acknowledgments

This project was developed with the assistance of Claude Sonnet 4, an AI coding assistant, through the Cursor IDE. The AI helped transform a simple Python script into a full-featured web application, implementing:

• Modern React/Next.js architecture
• Responsive UI design with Tailwind CSS
• Place search functionality with geocoding
• Unit conversion features
• Deployment optimization for Vercel

Special thanks to the Cursor team for providing an excellent development environment that makes AI-assisted coding a seamless experience.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.