ALEP: Advanced Loan Eligibility Predictor

Team Information

• Awwal Ahmed
  • Email: aya3@hood.edu
  • Title: Project Liaison/Developer
• Sarah Freidel
  • Email: srf3@hood.edu
  • Title: Developer

Project Repository URL

GitHub - ALEP

Project Overview

ALEP (Advanced Loan Eligibility Predictor) is a sophisticated tool designed to enhance the loan approval process. Utilizing a Random Forest algorithm, ALEP assesses potential borrowers based on factors like income, employment status, and credit history. This automated system predicts the likelihood of applicants fulfilling their loan obligations by analyzing historical data, ensuring decisions are both accurate and fair.

Repository Directory Structure

• ALEP/
  • app/ - Backend application with Flask
    • models/ - Contains the Random Forest model and scaler for runtime use
  • alep_frontend/ - Frontend React application
    • src/ - Source files including React components and styles
      • components/ - React components for UI elements
  • instance/ - Database instance
  • migrations/ - Database migrations folder
  • notebooks/ - Jupyter notebook for data exploration and model training
    • data/ - Data files used in the notebook

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React.js
• Backend: Flask, SQLite
• Data Science: Python, Pandas, Scikit-Learn
• Data Visualization: Matplotlib, Seaborn

Installation & Configuration

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Node.js 14.x or higher
• npm (typically installed with Node.js)

Virtual Environment Setup

1. Clone the repository and navigate to the project directory:

   git clone https://github.com/Inferinus/ALEP.git
   cd ALEP
   

2. Create a virtual environment and activate it:
   • For macOS/Linux:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   

   • For Windows:

   python -m venv venvwin
   .\venvwin\Scripts\activate
   

3. Install python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

4. Set the FLASK_APP environment variable:
   • For macOS/Linux:

   export FLASK_APP=run.py
   

   • For Windows (Command Prompt):

   set FLASK_APP=run.py
   

Initialize the Database

1. Initialize the database with Flask-Migrate:

   flask db init
   flask db migrate -m "Initial migration."
   flask db upgrade
   

Start the Backend Server

Run python run.py in the ALEP directory.

Setup and Run the Frontend

1. Navigate to the frontend directory: 'cd alep_frontend'
2. Install npm packages: 'npm install'
3. Start the React application: 'npm start'