palantir-for-family-trips

name	palantir-for-family-trips
description	A Palantir-ish dark command-center dashboard for family trip planning with convoy routes, timeline playback, meal logistics, and Google Maps integration.
triggers	["add a new family to the trip dashboard","customize the trip itinerary or timeline","set up the Google Maps route playback","modify meal or activity planning screens","add a new view or tab to the command center","configure environment variables for the maps key","hack on the trip model or seed data","run the family trip command center locally"]

Family Trip Command Center (Palantir for Family Trips)

Skill by ara.so — Daily 2026 Skills collection.

A deliberately overbuilt, dark-themed operations dashboard for coordinating multi-family road trips. Built with React 19, Vite, Google Maps JS API, Framer Motion, and Lucide icons. Treats a weekend cabin trip like a live ops room: convoy tracking, arrival windows, day-by-day timeline playback, meal logistics, expense splits, and family checklists.

---

Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/andrewjiang/palantir-for-family-trips.git
cd palantir-for-family-trips
npm install
cp .env.example .env

Edit .env:

VITE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your_browser_maps_key_here
VITE_GOOGLE_MAP_ID=your_optional_google_map_id

npm run dev

Open http://127.0.0.1:5173 (or the URL Vite prints).

Without a Maps API key the UI fully renders but the live Google Map layer won't initialize. All other views work without it.

---

Project Structure

src/
  App.jsx          # Main shell, tabs, timeline controls, overlays
  CommandMap.jsx   # Google Maps route rendering, convoy playback
  tripModel.js     # Seed trip document, families, routes, helpers
  main.jsx         # React entry point
  index.css        # Global dark-theme styles
public/
docs/              # Screenshot assets for README
.env.example

---

Core Data Model (src/tripModel.js)

The trip is a single JS object (the "trip document") exported from tripModel.js. Everything — families, routes, days, meals, activities, expenses — lives here.

Typical shape

// src/tripModel.js (simplified)

export const trip = {
  name: "Pine Mountain Lake & Yosemite 2026",
  basecamp: {
    label: "Pine Mountain Lake Cabin",
    coords: { lat: 37.85, lng: -120.17 },
  },
  families: [
    {
      id: "fam-a",
      name: "The Johnsons",
      origin: { label: "San Francisco, CA", coords: { lat: 37.77, lng: -122.41 } },
      members: ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie (8)", "Dana (5)"],
      vehicle: "Blue Minivan",
      arrivalWindow: { earliest: "2026-06-27T14:00:00", latest: "2026-06-27T16:00:00" },
      color: "#4ade80",
    },
    {
      id: "fam-b",
      name: "The Garcias",
      origin: { label: "San Jose, CA", coords: { lat: 37.33, lng: -121.88 } },
      members: [, , ],
      : ,
      : { : , :  },
      : ,
    },
  ],
  : [
    {
      : ,
      : ,
      : [
        { : , : , : , :  },
        { : , : , : , :  },
      ],
    },
    
  ],
  : [
    {
      : ,
      : ,
      : ,
      : ,
      : ,
      : [, , ],
      : [, , ],
    },
  ],
  : [
    {
      : ,
      : ,
      : ,
      : ,
      : ,
      : { : , : { : , : - } },
      : ,
      : ,
    },
  ],
  : [
    { : , : , : , : , : [, ] },
  ],
  : {
    : [, , ],
    : [, ],
  },
};


  () {
   trip..( f. === id);
}


  () {
   day = trip..( d. === dateStr);
   day ? day. : [];
}


  () {
   share = expense. / expense..;
   expense..( ({ famId, : share }));
}

---

Adding a New Family

Edit src/tripModel.js:

families: [
  // …existing families
  {
    id: "fam-c",
    name: "The Nguyens",
    origin: { label: "Sacramento, CA", coords: { lat: 38.57, lng: -121.49 } },
    members: ["Linh", "Minh", "Jade (10)", "Owen (7)"],
    vehicle: "Red Crossover",
    arrivalWindow: { earliest: "2026-06-27T13:00:00", latest: "2026-06-27T15:00:00" },
    color: "#a78bfa", // pick a distinct color for map polyline + UI accents
  },
],

The map, timeline, and family view all consume trip.families reactively — adding a family here surfaces it everywhere.

---

Google Maps & Route Playback (src/CommandMap.jsx)

CommandMap accepts props derived from the trip model and renders routes + convoy playback.

Key props pattern

// Inside App.jsx
import CommandMap from "./CommandMap";
import { trip } from "./tripModel";

<CommandMap
  families={trip.families}
  basecamp={trip.basecamp}
  playbackTime={currentPlaybackTime} // ISO string or null
  activeFamily={selectedFamilyId}    // highlight one convoy line
  onMarkerClick={(familyId) => setSelectedFamilyId(familyId)}
/>

Adding a custom waypoint to a route

In CommandMap.jsx, each family's route is built with the Directions Service. To add a waypoint (e.g. a gas stop):

// Inside CommandMap.jsx, where directionsService.route() is called:
directionsService.route(
  {
    origin: family.origin.coords,
    destination: trip.basecamp.coords,
    waypoints: [
      {
        location: { lat: 37.65, lng: -120.95 }, // e.g. Oakdale gas stop
        stopover: false,
      },
    ],
    travelMode: google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,
  },
  (result, status) => {
    if (status === "OK") {
      directionsRenderer.setDirections(result);
    }
  }
);

---

Timeline Playback

The timeline in App.jsx steps through day events. The current day index and playback offset drive what the map and timeline panel show.

Hooking into timeline state

// App.jsx pattern
const [dayIndex, setDayIndex] = useState(0);
const currentDay = trip.days[dayIndex];

// Step forward
function advanceDay() {
  setDayIndex((i) => Math.min(i + 1, trip.days.length - 1));
}

// Render events for current day
currentDay.events.map((event) => (
  <TimelineEvent key={event.time} event={event} families={trip.families} />
));

---

Adding a New Tab / View

Tabs are defined in App.jsx. To add a new view (e.g. a "Packing" tab):

// 1. Define the tab in the tabs array
const TABS = [
  { id: "itinerary", label: "Itinerary" },
  { id: "map", label: "Map" },
  { id: "meals", label: "Meals" },
  { id: "activities", label: "Activities" },
  { id: "expenses", label: "Expenses" },
  { id: "families", label: "Families" },
  { id: "packing", label: "Packing" }, // ← new
];

// 2. Render it in the tab content switch
{activeTab === "packing" && (
  <PackingView checklist={trip.checklist} families={trip.families} />
)}

// src/PackingView.jsx
export default function PackingView({ checklist, families }) {
  return (
    <div className="packing-view">
      {families.map((fam) => (
        <div key={fam.id} className="family-checklist">
          <h3 style={{ color: fam.color }}>{fam.name}</h3>
          <ul>
            {(checklist[fam.id] || []).map((item) => (
              <li key={item}>{item}</li>
            ))}
          </ul>
        </div>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

---

Framer Motion Overlay Pattern

The mission launch overlay uses Framer Motion. Reuse this pattern for any dramatic full-screen overlay:

import { AnimatePresence, motion } from "framer-motion";

<AnimatePresence>
  {showOverlay && (
    <motion.div
      className="overlay"
      initial={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.95 }}
      animate={{ opacity: 1, scale: 1 }}
      exit={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.95 }}
      transition={{ duration: 0.3, ease: "easeOut" }}
    >
      <h1>MISSION LAUNCH</h1>
      <button onClick={() => setShowOverlay(false)}>Dismiss</button>
    </motion.div>
  )}
</AnimatePresence>

---

Expense Split Example

import { trip, splitExpense } from "./tripModel";

// Show each family's share for all expenses
trip.expenses.forEach((exp) => {
  const splits = splitExpense(exp);
  console.log(`${exp.label} ($${exp.amount}):`);
  splits.forEach(({ famId, owes }) => {
    const fam = trip.families.find((f) => f.id === famId);
    console.log(`  ${fam.name} owes $${owes.toFixed(2)}`);
  });
});

---

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Required	Purpose
VITE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY	Recommended	Enables Google Maps rendering and Directions API
VITE_GOOGLE_MAP_ID	Optional	Enables Cloud-based map styling / Advanced Markers

Access in code:

const apiKey = import.meta.env.VITE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY;
const mapId = import.meta.env.VITE_GOOGLE_MAP_ID;

---

Common Patterns & Tips

• All trip data lives in tripModel.js — edit there first; the UI reacts automatically.
• Family colors are used for map polylines, timeline accents, and checklist headers. Pick hex values with enough contrast on dark backgrounds.
• State is local — no backend, no auth. Refresh resets to seed data unless you add localStorage persistence.
• Optimized for desktop — the dense dashboard layout is intentional; don't expect a responsive mobile layout out of the box.
• Google Maps billing — if you deploy with your key, usage is billed to your Google Cloud project. Restrict the key to your domain.

---

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Map doesn't load	Check VITE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY in .env; ensure the key has Maps JS API and Directions API enabled in Google Cloud Console
google is not defined	The Maps script loads async; make sure CommandMap only calls Maps APIs inside the onLoad callback
Routes don't render	Directions API must be enabled separately from Maps JS API in your Cloud project
Vite dev server URL differs	Use whatever URL Vite prints, not a hardcoded port
Adding a family breaks layout	Give the new family a unique color and id; check that any hardcoded familyId references in App.jsx are generalized to trip.families.map(...)