Data Sonification Weather Chimes

The current state involves traditional wind chimes that produce sound solely based on wind activity, lacking any integration with real-time weather data. The desired state for the project is to develop an innovative set of wind chimes capable of dynamically altering their musical scales, harmonies, and other parameters in response to various weather data points such as wind speed, direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, air quality index (AQI), and UV index. This system aims to enhance the auditory perception of weather patterns and provide an accessible means for individuals with visual impairments to understand weather conditions. Data sonification is a powerful tool that translates data into sound, providing an intuitive way to understand complex information. It enables the simultaneous perception of multiple parameters and offers accessibility advantages for individuals with visual impairments. Our proposed project, "Data Sonification Weather Chimes," aims to build a set of wind chimes that dynamically alter their musical parameters based on real-time weather data, including wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, air quality index (AQI), and UV index. This innovative approach not only enhances our ability to perceive weather patterns but also fosters inclusivity by making weather data accessible to those without vision. The final product of the wind chimes will include an active and a passive mode which describes which clapper will be used to hit the chimes. Active mode uses individual clappers to hit each chime to have a controlled sound when playing songs. Passive mode will compare to the experience of regular wind chimes by using a wind sail clapper that only uses the power of the wind. Dampening is another function that is used to control the sounds of the chimes, which is only used in passive mode. Due to the control that is accessible in active mode, dampening is unnecessary. Since passive mode is using the wind to power the clapper, there is little control on which notes will be hit, that is why dampening will be implemented. The passive clapper will have various materials to alter the timbre of the chimes as an added level to inform people of the current weather. The strikers that are used in active mode will be used to press the chime into a dampening ring, which will cause the prevent the chimes from ringing if they are hit by the wind sail clapper. When weather conditions change, the chimes will adapt to the configuration that is most recent. From an on-ground screen, users will be able to control what plays on the chimes. Different uses of the terminal include seeing the current weather data, selecting a song to play in active mode, and creating a configuration to play in passive mode. When the user chooses to play a song, the chimes will automatically enter active mode and play the song for up to a minute and a half. If the user selects either a custom-made configuration or a pre-save option, the chimes will first enter active mode to play through all the melodies and then enter passive mode.