Client Contract
Client:
Lars Nyland
Contractors:
Eric Baker
Mave Houston
Benjamin Lok
Adam Seeger
Andy Wilson
General Description
Of interest to meteorologists is the structure of lightning channels (the path of the bolt). Several
researchers have developed methods of reconstructing the meso structure (1-5m resolution) of
lightning, using audio information (thunder) from multiple disparate points with good success. The
goal of this project is to create an end-to-end system that reconstructs and displays lightning from a
recording of a complete storm. There are three major parts of this project:
Thunder data acquisition. At least 3 (perhaps as many as 6) waterproof microphones with
preamplifiers will be set up with known positions on the roof of Sitterson Hall to record the thunder.
The microphones will be attached to a sound card in 1 PC where the audio data can be digitized
for further analysis. The software will allow a person to start the recording of a storm, and data
formats will be designed that incorporate the synchronization of the information from the distributed
recording of audio information.
Thunder data analysis. The data will be processed to yield the physical structure of the lightning
channel, along with the time that it occurred.
Storm visualization. Finally, the physical and temporal data will be displayed using a visualization
environment implemented using OpenGL. Additionally, models and texture maps of the
surrounding landscape will add interesting features to the display. Not only will the user be able to
move through the storm spatially, but also temporally, replaying the storm as it develops and
declines.
Contractor Obligations
The party of Eric Baker, Mave Houston, Benjamin Lok, Adam Seeger, and Andy Wilson shall
hereafter be collectively referred to as the contractor. The contractor hereby agrees to provide the
client with functional software that meets the specifications defined under the heading “Primary
Requirements”. The contractor further agrees that this software shall be delivered to the client no
later than May 8, 1999.
The contractor further agrees to provide the client with detailed documentation regarding the
design and use of all software developed. This documentation will be delivered in both hard copy
and softcopy (via the Internet) form to the client no later than May 8, 1999.
Primary Requirements
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Remote startup of thunder data acquisition application via the Internet
Programming in C++ for thunder data analysis
Programming in OpenGL for data visualization
Modeling landmarks and buildings in Maya or 3D Studio
The recording of audio data will occur on a MS WinNT platform
The data analysis and storm visualization will occur on a SGI platform
Easy installation and setup feature for new users
Implement the following components
1. Thunder Data Acquisition
 Remote startup (via Internet) of thunder data acquisition system
 Optimal placement of microphones to gain sufficient audio data for analysis
 Ability to automatically begin recording at initial lightning pulse
 Synchronization of audio data from multiple microphones
2. Thunder Data Analysis
 Gunshot simulator to test the analysis module
 Analysis of audio data, yielding x,y,z coordinates w.r.t. time
3. Storm Visualization
 Movie player interface
 Locomotion in display environment
 Exaggerated display in “z”- direction
 Open GL display
 Presenting the camera as a character (auto angle)
 Jump to next bolt feature
 Build a composite map by overlaying lightning visualization with USGS maps
 Topological information
 Road and Highway Information
 Body of water information
 Let Lightning bolts fade out slowly
 A “You are Here” feature
Secondary Requirements
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Using data received from a thermometer in the data analysis
Using satellite and Doppler information to create weather maps
Using satellite imagery (Aerial photos) for the display
Modeling buildings that represent landmarks (i.e. points of reference).
Real Time Visualization
Tertiary Requirements
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Modeling clouds
Immersive display using HMDs
Client Obligations
The party of Lars Nyland shall hereafter be referred to as the client. The client agrees to provide
the contractor with reasonable access to hardware, software, and services defined under the
heading “Resources”. If the client is unable to provide access to hardware and software required,
the suite of tools may not be available for demonstration purposes, if at all. The client further
agrees to respond quickly to design proposals and questions posed by the contractor, and to offer
moral support and candy when the stress level reaches a dangerously high level.
Resources
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1 486 PC with WinNT and whose HW supports 7400 kB/s
3 to 4 waterproof microphones
Cables
Access to the roof
1 Midiman “Dman” 4 input Soundcard
Lightning sensor
Noise reduction materials
Development and webspace with the ability to run Java servlets
Preamplifiers
Surge Protectors
9 volt batteries
Risks
The following events or situations could adversely affect the success of the project:
1. It might not thunder!! --- If it does not thunder, then we will not be able to guarantee accurate
visualization of lightning from prerecorded thunderstorms in real-time. Instead we may have to
simulate the storms, thus users will navigate through recorded storms. There may also not be
enough information available to simulate the storms accurately.
2. Analysis may not run automatically --- The segmentation of audio information is hard. The
brute-force approach may not work, and automatic segmentation of sound is way beyond the
scope of this course.
3. Real time visualization may include unforeseen delays in information updates --- There may be
some unpredictable delays in information transfer, which could cause the visualization to be
behind by some small amount.
Definitions
The following clearly defines any terms that may be unclear:
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Java servlet - a java applet with access to server resources
Signatures
Lars Nyland -- Client
Eric Baker -- Contractor
Mave Houston -- Contractor
Benjamin Lok -- Contractor
Adam Seeger -- Contractor
Andy Wilson -- Contractor