- Data collection
- Data compilation
- Combining data and visuals
- Creating a live feed of visuals
Data Collection
Vinotion- a camera system that can recognise cars and pedestrians, as well as differentiate between the two. The system would allow traffic data to be collected both on and below the bridge.
http://www.vinotion.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=58&lang=en
There shall be two Vinotion rigs set up. One for monitoring traffic on the bridge and another below the bridge tracking boats and wildlife.
Data being collected from the Vinotion includes:
- On road
- Cars
- Pedestrians
- Large vehicles (lorries, coaches, buses etc)
- Cyclists
- Under Bridge
- Motor Boats
- Rowing Boats
- Wildlife
Depending on funding weather can be monitored two ways. The more costly and accurate data collection system would be to install a weather station on Lendal Bridge. This could monitor a verity of forces acting on the bridge throughout the project.
The other form of collecting weather data would be to go to an external source and use in css weather feed.
Weather Data:
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Light Metre
Data Compilation
Database, MySQL 'the world's most popular open source database' shall be used to organise the collected data.
To administrate MySQL, Navicat shall be used. The software allows the data to be viewed and compiled in a usable form. By setting up the project for an indefinite period of time it is important to consider file management before the amount of data becomes unmanageable.
The non commercial version, Navicat Light is available of free from http://www.navicat.com/en/download/download.html
The combining of the data and visuals can be broken into some basic groups making the process as simple as possible
Javascript, MySQL & PHP
Due to the nature of live feed, PHP coding shall used. Graphics shall be developed using Javascript then linked with MySQL using PHP. This then shall be linked to the website in PHP format.
http://sixrevisions.com/javascript/20-fresh-javascript-data-visualization-libraries/ Accessed 18/05/10
This tutorial site offers a number of javascript data visualization advice. A particularly relevant link is to a download called Protovis which 'composes custom views of data with simple marks'. Combining something simple like this to an image like the graphic rigs would be achievable with the appropriate coding in PHP.