TechnoLion

Taoyuan | Turning STEM into STEAM

ETONES

High-Level Project Summary

NASA’s Earth Observing System has satellites that are constantly gathering more scientific data, allowing NASA to have one of the biggest open source scientific research databases. However, hunting through such a large database to gather information and data could be difficult or boring for the general public. ETONES compares two different images of the same location in different time periods, then contrasts their difference in color, and outputs different percussion instruments if red, green or blue is increased or decreased. This allows users to create and listen to the unique music in an fun and interactive way, at the same time, educate them on the severe changes our planet is undergoing

Link to Final Project

https://felisl.github.io/technolion/NASA_hackathon/index.html

Link to Project "Demo"

https://youtu.be/92JCS5gg2Ng

Detailed Project Description

HOW DOES IT WORK?

ETONES compares the RGB values of the before and after image provided by the NASA database or by the user and emphasizes the change that is undergoing in the pictures. Each color is represented by different types of instruments. ETONES uses 6 percussion instruments to stress and emphasize the change between the images. For the color red, it’s represented by the Crash Cymbal and Open Hi-Hat. Both instruments give the listener a sense of urgency or surprise, just like the color itself. When there’s an increase in red compared to the “before” image, it usually means that there appears to be a forest fire or there are more appearances of the land surface due to deforestation, which will be represented in the music piece by our loud Crash Cymbal. When there’s a decrease in red compared to the “before” image, it means that the condition of the land is getting better, but there is still room for improvement, so we use an open Hi-Hat that doesn’t really give the user a shock but still alarms the user about there needs to be more trees in the area. For the color green, it’s represented by a triangle and snare drum. The instrument triangle in music sounds more joyful while the snare drum in music sounds less energetic. When there’s an increase in green compared to the “before” image, it means that there are more trees appearing on the land, which benefits the planet, therefore is represented in the music piece by the sound of a triangle. When there’s a decrease in green compared to the “before” image, it means the amount of trees in this region is declining, therefore we need to give the user a less energetic sound, to make them understand and relate to how the land in that region is feeling. For the color blue, it’s represented by a cowbell and low tabla. Both instruments sound more deep and depressing. When there’s an increase in blue, it means that the ocean level is rising, which implies the effects of global warming on our planet due to the melting of icebergs. When there’s a decrease in blue, it represents that the lake is shrinking, which also implies the effects of global warming due to droughts. By expressing the undergoing transformation and representing the important messages sent from Earth itself through music, it achieves the main purpose of transforming STEM into STEAM.

WHAT BENEFIT DOES IT HAVE AND WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE?

As the challenge stated, we need to identify a new method to share and explain the design, process, or results of a NASA scientific research project through art, literature, or music. NASA is the biggest and most active space agency in the world, constantly gathering data from space, allowing us to understand the planet that we live in from a different perspective; a god’s eye view. With NASA’s enormous database, it’s very difficult for the general public to absorb all the information through reading lengthy descriptions, which is where our project will come in handy. Our project focuses on combining Science with Art, sharing the importance of these scientific results through a simple and pragmatic way, in the form of music. We considered all kinds of races on this planet and how to explain the scientific result made by NASA through the long-term observations on the transformation of different regions on Earth with unique music styles that represent different races. We hope that through our project, the general public will be able to be more globally aware about what’s happening around us such as climate change and deforestation, and think of innovative solutions on how to contribute to humanity like NASA.

WHAT TOOLS, CODING LANGUAGES, HARDWARE, AND SOFTWARE DID YOU USE TO DEVELOP YOUR PROJECT?

We used the WPF application in the .NET framework to create ETONES. WPF is a common framework in C# responsible for UI designs to create desktop applications. Lucidchart was used to draw the blueplan of our UI/UX and used HTML/CSS/Javascript to create our website. Our website is hosted by Github, an open source platform that allows users to make separate changes to our webpage simultaneously. For transforming indexes into music notations(dynamics, pitch, clef…etc.), we use our own algorithm and combine it with MusicXML to produce the music sheet. MusicXML is a file format/coding language that allows us to create syntax for music softwares to understand and produce the music notation. In order to see the results of our project, you’ll need to use Musescore3 and upload the MusicXML that you previously downloaded from our app: ETONES. Musescore3 is another open source software that allows musicians to create and play music sheets.

Open Source link: https://github.com/FelisL?tab=repositories

Space Agency Data

HOW WE USED SPACE AGENCY DATA IN THIS PROJECT?

ETONES, uses satellite images provided by NASA’s Earth Observing system, specifically the ones that showcase ongoing transformations our planet is undergoing. These images are of the same location or region but taken in different time periods, in order to demonstrate the transformations that are happening on Earth. Using NASA’s research database allows users to access seemingly limitless images of the same region due to NASA’s constant gathering of data. These transformations are often caused by climate change, deforestation or human land expansions, which through a god’s eye view, allows users to see through a different perspective, something that people don’t usually see in their everyday lives.

Hackathon Journey

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SPACE APPS EXPERIENCE?

Our Space Apps experience was fun and challenging. During this journey, we faced many obstacles and challenges, nonetheless, with the dedication of bringing new ideas to the table and shooting our best shot, we managed to overcome our challenges and obstacles. Not only will our project ETONES help the general public grow awareness of current climate issues, it also helped us grow internally. Throughout the project development process, we learned the importance of time management and how to work as a team instead of an individual. Lions travel in packs, and so did we.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

We learn the importance of transforming STEM into STEAM. By turning STEM into STEAM, we are making this so-called “scientific” area more accessible to the public. We have seen multiple communities that don't promote STEM enough even though everyone knows that technology is around us and there is no way that we can avoid it. The importance of STEM is way more significant than how everyone thinks, without people studying in STEM, there will never be technological advancement. Moreover, we notice the importance of preserving the environment and looking after nature. From the pictures we obtained through the NASA Earth Observatory database, we noticed that some conditions are getting even worse than we expected, and we would like to urgently show and share this information to the general public. Natural resources like icebergs, water and trees are rapidly declining in the whole world. Our project aims to encourage people to be more interested in STEM because of the variety of things that it can be connected with and also can be more aware about our surroundings as well as to understand its importance.

WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TEAM TO CHOOSE THIS CHALLENGE?

We chose the topic “Turning STEM into Steam” because we are all familiar with music but we had never imagined how we can connect music with other areas before. We also had never seen anyone connecting music with data either, so we decided to take the risk of stepping out of our comfort zone and challenging ourselves.

WHAT WAS YOUR APPROACH TO DEVELOPING THIS PROJECT?

The project has two main categories: Website and Application. By setting goals, checkpoints and also separate tasks to each team member, we are able to assist each other and introduce ETONES to the world.

HOW DID YOUR TEAM RESOLVE SETBACKS AND CHALLENGES?

Our team resolves setbacks and challenges by covering each other’s backs and continuing to believe in ourselves. The persistence and dedication of wanting to contribute to humanity is the fuel that allows us to crush all obstacles standing in our way.

IS THERE ANYONE YOU'D LIKE TO THANK AND WHY?

We want to thank our family for supporting us throughout the competition. We also want to thank NASA for providing us with this wonderful opportunity to push us to our limits in order for us to achieve our full potential.

WHAT PROBLEMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS DID YOUR TEAM HAVE?

One of the biggest challenges we faced during this NASA space apps challenge was that our first proposed version of the software doesn’t really fit the prompt. Luckily, after hours and hours of brainstorming, we find an alternative solution, which allows us to get back on track.