[Sketching15] Sketching 2015 update #4: Hackathon background

[Mike Kuniavsky]

I would like the hackathon to focus on the needs of the environment of 
Biosphere 2, which is one of the world's unique scientific facilities.

I asked our hosts at Biosphere 2 to describe their organization's goals 
and challenges that we could use to guide our hackathon exploration. 
Attached is an email with that description.

Thanks to our sponsors at Sparkfun we are also putting together packages 
of hardware we'll be using during the hackathon. If you have a favorite 
Sparkfun sensor or actuator--or one that you think would be particularly 
appropriate to Biosphere 2's goals--that you'd like to make sure is 
included in the hackathon hardware pack, please let me know ASAP.

Thanks!

-- 
Mike Kuniavsky
mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2015 18:03:08 +0000
From: "Adams, John R - (jadamsb2)" <jadamsb2 at email.arizona.edu>
To: Mike Kuniavsky <mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com>
Cc: Richard Neter <rneter at bio2.com>
Subject: Re: Sketching in Hardware hackathon description

Good Morning Mike,

We are looking forward to your groups visit. Below is a brief overview
about B2 as well as a few ideas that could be of interest to the
participants. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like
to discuss this via a phone conversation.

The U of A is building a science program to bridge the gap between
modeling and observations within the hierarchical context of
spatiotemporal scales by utilizing the unique infrastructure of Biosphere
2 (B2)‹the world¹s largest controlled growth facility. B2 is a large-scale
earth science facility near Tucson, Arizona, that encompasses about 3.15
acres of land and houses five synthetic ecosystems encased in a glass and
metal shell. These communities have been in place for nearly 20 years and
include analogues of rainforest, desert, savanna, marsh and ocean
ecosystems. Sealed off from the outside world, B2 allows scientists to
exert precise climate and mass balance control at large scales in these
ecosystems. For instance, researchers can make long-term and accurate
measurements following the establishment of initial explicitly-defined
conditions of precipitation, temperature, atmospheric CO2 concentration,
soil composition, spatial distribution of plants and microbial
communities, and hillslope inclination and surface topography. Then,
time-dependent trajectories can be determined for surface and sub-surface
moisture redistribution patterns, nutrient movement across the landscape,
dynamics in microbial community composition and mineralization of soil
organic matter, partitioning of energy budget components, and energy
harvesting and photon-use efficiencies for ecosystems. Models of each of
these ecosystem component processes can be tested, and specific portions
of the hillslope ecosystems can be isolated to focus on
specifically-modeled processes. At B2, we have the capability to measure
land surface processes at multiple scales (ranging from plant tissues and
soil particles to entire ecosystems, and from seconds to years) while
controlling environmental conditions. This dual dimension of B2¹s research
capabilities has been referred to as the Œcuvette within the cuvette¹ due
to the ability to control and measure ecosystem processes at different
scales. By controlling and measuring simultaneously, B2 can also provide
cohesion between field and laboratory data, since scaling down experiments
can help elucidate processes and mechanisms. Finally, we will be able to
quantitatively calibrate the coefficients that determine the transfer of
mass and energy across scales within the ecosystem. While the absolute
values for many of these Œtransfer coefficients¹ will be system dependent,
their relative sensitivities to climate and atmospheric forcing (e.g.,
temperature, precipitation, CO2 concentration) and their temporal and
spatial scale dependencies are likely to be conserved across systems and
amenable to discovery using the B2 facility.

1. Displaying realtime data in each of the biomes for the visitor to view
is a challenge because of the adverse environmental conditions.
2. A way to monitor and record a visitors response as they enter each of
the respective areas of Biosphere 2, I.E. heart rate
3. From an experimental stand point it is critical to know how any
visitors enter the rainforest for example, currently we manually record
this but if this was automated the process this would improve accuracy.
4. Live underwater footage of the Ocean biome on a regular basis would be
a great feature to offer the visitor.


Thank you

John




On 7/12/15, 7:09 AM, "Rick Neter" <rneter at bio2.com> wrote:

>Good morning Mike, thank-you for the background and chance for us at
>Biosphere 2 to have projects / ideas generated from your groups visit.  B2
>Deputy Director John Adams will put some brief descriptions together and
>send them your way.  We will also reach out to staff regarding
>participating
>in the August 3rd effort. We look forward to it.  Thx Rick
>
>
>On 7/11/15 5:53 PM, "Mike Kuniavsky" <mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com>
>wrote:
>
>> Hi. When we spoke in June I mentioned the hackathon we're doing, and
>> promised to send you a little background and context for our plan to
>>focus
>> the hackathon in Biosphere 2, and how we'd like some guidance from you
>>and
>> your staff. Here's a quick sketch of what we're doing and the kind of
>> guidance we'd like from you. Let me know if you have any thoughts or
>> questions, and thank you again:
>>
>> Sketching in Hardware focuses on tools for reducing the barrier to entry
>> into working with connected, embedded, sensing computers (aka Internet
>>of
>> Things). Most of the event is people's presentations on a wide variety
>>of
>> topics, so this year we're having a hackathon to explore in practice
>>some
>> of the ideas that were discussed in theory.
>>
>> To help hackathon participants focus and connect to the amazing
>>location,
>> we plan to ask them to create projects that relate to the goals and
>>needs
>> of Biosphere 2. We can't predict what ideas will be generated, but it
>> could be everything from novel sensors placed in areas around the
>> facility, to automated drone photography, to new ideas for how visitors
>> and scientists can use the environment.
>>
>> If you and your colleagues can provide us with a brief description of
>>the
>> challenges you're facing, problems you'd like to address and goals you
>> have for Biosphere, we will ask hackathon participants to focus on
>>those.
>> We'll document all the ideas with photos and descriptions. We have a
>> hardware donation from Sparkfun Electronics, so whatever devices are
>> working at the end of the hackathon we'll also leave with you, if you'd
>> like. Of course you and your staff are encouraged to come by and
>> participate on August 3, if you'd like. We expect that somewhere between
>> 15-20 people will participate in 3-5 teams.
>>
>> THANK YOU
>
>--
>Richard W. Neter
>
>PO Box 689
>32540 S. Biosphere Road
>Oracle, AZ 85623
>
>(520) 838-6136 PHONE
>(520) 838-6129 FAX
>
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