Ear2Earth

A web-based tool that retrieves environmental sensor data from a database and sonifies it using sound synthesis. This project integrates MongoDB, Node.js, Express, and Tone.js to generate soundscapes based on real-world data.

Website Link

https://ear2earth.com/

Table of Contents

• Features
• Setup
• Usage
• File Structure
• Contributing
• Future Enhancements

Features

• Fetch sensor data from a MongoDB database.
• Choose between different sound synthesis modules.
• Select musical scales, tonalities, and tempo for sonification using Tone.js.
• Visualize sensor data in real-time with Plotly.js.
• Flexible playback options including tempo adjustment.

Setup

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js
• MongoDB

Development Setup

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/OPEnSLab-OSU/WeatherChimesWeb.git

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create the .env (secrets) file At the root of the repository, create a file called ".env". The Node.js server will use the credentials you place in this file to connect to the MongoDB database. In this file, create a secret variable called URI like so:

   URI="<MonogoDB connection string goes here>"

4. Run the server:

   node server.js

5. Open http://localhost:3000 in a web browser.

Usage

1. Select a Database: Choose an available MongoDB database.
2. Select a Device: Pick a sensor from the database.
3. Configure Sound Settings:
   • Choose a sensor reading to map to sound.
   • Select a tonic note, scale, and tessitura (vocal range).
   • Adjust playback BPM and speed.
4. Playback: Press the Play button to generate sound.

File Structure

/weatherchimes
│── index.html      # Main frontend UI
│── style.css       # Styling for UI elements
│── index.js        # Frontend logic, Tone.js integration
│── server.js       # Express.js backend, MongoDB interactions
│── .env            # MongoDB connection string (not included in repo)
│── package.json    # Dependencies

Contributing

Where to Start?

If you’re new to this project, start by understanding the following:

1. Backend (server.js)

   • How MongoDB databases and collections are retrieved.
   • API endpoints (/databases, /collections, /data).
   • Express.js static file serving.
   • Pushes to main automatically forwards the changes to the web server, causing it to restart with the new content

2. Frontend (index.js)

   • How sound modules are created dynamically.
   • Tone.js integration and how sensor data maps to pitch.
   • How UI events trigger data retrieval and playback.

3. Data Flow

   • How sensor data is normalized and mapped to MIDI pitches.
   • The relationship between sensor readings and musical scales.

Future Enhancements

• Improve UI with more visual feedback.
• Expand sonification options.