Ear2Earth User Guide

1. Getting Started

1.1 Data Selection Menu

The data selection menu is represented by all options within the top menu's left area. Users can select database presets, choose between packet options, retrieve data, and view metadata.

1.2 Playback Menu

The playback menu is represented by all options within the top menu's right area. Users can play tracks, pause/stop tracks, and modify the BPM.

1.3 Sound Module Selection

Users can select from a variety of sound options to personalize their musical experience. These options include the tonic, instrumentation, scale, and tessitura.

1.4 Tracks

Users can view their data in the form of a line graph. Each data point is associated with an individual note. As the the data jumps "higher" in the y-axis, so does the notation. The same idea applies to lowering data.

2. Selecting Data

2.1 Selecting Presets

Ear2Earth provides users with several pre-determined database presets. These presets are pairs of databases and associated devices. These presets retrieve information from a variety of sensors, each measuring different kinds of environmental data.

Presets are selected from the following dropdown menu:

2.2 Selecting Most Recent Packets

In the context of Ear2Earth, a "packet" refers to one collection of retrieved data corresponding to a preset. This collection is representative of a single time frame. For example, a packet retrieved from the "Cascade Creek" preset provides the user with measurements for climate, light, hydrostatic pressure, atmospheric pressure, rainfall gauge, and soil moisture, all collected within a single second.

There are two methods of packet retrieval. The first method is selection of the 'x' most recent packets. The user decides on a value, and Ear2Earth will retrieve that many packets, beginning from packet 'n - x,' where 'n' is the overall number of packets.

The following radio selection allows users to choose this packet retrieval option:

Users can enter their desired number of retrieved packets in the following textbox:

2.3 Selecting a Time Range

The second packet retrieval option is the selection of a time range. First, users must select the 'Time Range' radio option:

2.4 Choosing the Number of Packets to Skip

Lastly, users have a choice to skip a number of packets after each retrieval. By default, no packets are skipped. Assume, for example, a user selects to 'Use 1 of every 2 packets.' For every packet retrieved, the following packet will be ignored. If the user selects to 'Use 1 of every 3 packets,' every retrieved packet is followed by two ignored packets.

Users can select the number of packets to skip in the following number input box:

Now, all data retrieval options have been examined. When the user is satisfied with their selections, they can click 'Retrieve Data' to generate their track:

We will explore the track and understanding its data points in Section 4.

3. Retrieving Metadata

3.1 Fetching Metadata

Databases may have a metadata packet that provides information on the sensor's deployment data, latitude and longitude data, and the owner of the sensor. To determine if a preset has metadata associated with it, select a preset in the top menu. The 'Retrieve Metadata' button will appear to be loading:

After the loading process, the button will indicate whether or not it has retrieved metadata, as pictured below:

If metadata is available, select 'View Metadata' to view the information.

3.2 Interpreting Metadata

The retrieved metadata will present the user with the following four categories:

• Deployment Date
• Latitude
• Longitude
• Owner

The deployment date is representative of when the database was first placed and began to retrieve data. The latitude and longitude values represent the physical coordinates of each dataset. Finally, the Owner attribute represents the team or individual that created the sensor.

4. Interpreting Tracks

4.1 Understanding the Axes

The retrieved environmental data is interpreted as line graphs. As the trends in data increase, and the line gets visually higher, the notation will also become musically higher. For data trends that decrease, the visual line and notation simultaneously get lower. Users can add multiple tracks coinciding with the selected dataset. All tracks share the same x-axis, which is above all graphs. The x-axis represents time stamps, which will be universal across all data points in the dataset.

Each track will have a unique y-axis consisting of measurements relevant to its sensor and reading. For example, in the 'Cascade Creek' dataset, when a user selects 'Climate' as their sensor and 'Humidity' as their reading, the y-axis will display humidity percentages.

5. Setting Playback Options

5.1 Playing and Pausing Tracks

After data has been retrieved and a track is displayed, users can begin to play music by selecting the 'play' button in the top menu:

Music will begin playing and a visible progress bar will move from left to right, through the graph. The music will loop back to the beginning if it reaches the end point of the graph. In order to stop a track from playing, press the 'stop' button:

5.2 Modifying the BPM

Users can control the speed of the music by making changes to the number of beats-per-minute, or BPM. There are two ways to change the BPM. First, select the following slider in the top menu:

With a minimum of 50 BPM and a maximum of 200 BPM, users can set exact values with the slider. Secondly, users can select from four different speed modifiers:

Each button will multiply the current BPM by its specified value. For example, if the BPM is 100, selecting '2x' will increase the BPM to 200.

6. Selecting Sensors and Readings

6.1 Understanding Sensors and Readings

When a user selects a data preset and retrieves its data, they have the option to select a sensor and a reading:

Each sensor is unique, tracking data that is relevant to its focus. For example, under the 'Cascade Creek' preset, the 'Climate' sensor tracks 'Temperature' and 'Humidity.' In this example, the temperature and humidity represent the sensor's readings. Readings measure an environmental variable and contain a unique y-axis. Note that sensors can measure the same type of reading. However, the data will differ, as its measurements are in relation to its associated sensor. For example, both 'Climate' and 'Hydrostatic Pressure' sensors have 'Temperature' readings. While they both measure the same type of data, the sensors measure the climate temperature and hydrostatic pressure temperatures respectively.

6.2 Connecting Different Tracks

Users can create new tracks by selecting 'Add Track' below the most recently-selected one:

Users can select different sensors and readings for new tracks. All of the data will follow the timestamps represented by the universal x-axis. This allows users to see correlations in data between different environmental variables, seeing how data trends work alongside one another under specific conditions.

7. Choosing Sound Module Options

7.1 Selecting the Tonic

There are a variety of sound options a user can choose from. Firstly, the 'Tonic' option denotes the first note of the scale being played:

7.2 Selecting the Scale

The 'Scale' option is the type of scale being played, with examples such as 'Pentatonic' and 'Harmonic Major':

7.3 Selecting the Tessitura

The 'Tessitura' represents the musical range that will be played. The options range from as high as soprano to as low as bass.

7.4 Selecting the Sound Type

Finally, the 'Sound Type' is a wide selection of instruments for users to fully personalize their musical experience.

8. Miscellaneous Features

8.1 Zoom and Autoscale

After retrieving data, users can select a specific area of the graph to view in more detail. To do this, first hover the cursor over the graph. A selection menu should appear. From there, select 'Zoom':

The Zoom tool allows users to drag their cursor to create a rectangle. Whatever is highlighted within this rectangle will become the new graph:

To retreive the original, full graph, hover over the track once again. Select 'Autoscale':

8.2 Zoom Out/Zoom In

The tracks also allow users to zoom-in and zoom-out from the center of the graph. Hover over the graph to view the selection menu and select 'Zoom In':

Hover over the graph again. From the selection menu, select 'Zoom Out':

8.3 Panning

Users can hover over the graph and select 'Pan.' This features allows users to move their graph freely around its environment by holding down Left Click and dragging:

8.4 Refreshing Packets

New packets may be added to the database after a user retrieves the data. To retrieve these new packets, users can select 'Refresh Packets' from the top menu:

9. Troubleshooting

9.1 Data Retrieval Failure

Sometimes, data retrieval will fail and the user will receive an error message. This is a bug we are actively working to fix. After retrieving the data again or refreshing the page, the data will most likely be retrieved without issue.

9.2 Clearing the Workspace

If a user would like to remove all items and tracks, they can do so by selecting 'Clear Workspace' from the top menu:

10. FAQs

TBA