Inspiration
Satellites were a nice connection to the theme 'Launch'. Our skillset (a geographer and a mathematician) also lent well to looking at geological data sets and phenomena. We already had an interest in geographical modelling so this was a good opportunity to explore and experiment within that field.
What it does
Visually represents a sample of data regarding mass concentrations (mascons) on Earth as collected by two satellites. The size and colour of each plot point on the plot is representative of the relative mass of each mascon. The colour scale of the points is logarithmic as there are more mascons of similar mass at the lower end of the scale of relative masses. The data is obtained by the varying distance between the two satellites as they are subjected to different gravitational pulls by mascon below.
How we built it
We used Python and the Matplotlib library to plot data read from a text file containing the data. The points were plotted in 3D reflecting the position of the mascon on Earth hence why the plot is spherical.
Challenges we ran into
We wanted to projected an image of the outline of landmasses on Earth to relate the positions of the mascons to real Earth landmarks. However projecting 2D images onto 3D surfaces proved to be a bit of a challenge to say the least.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
A spinning graph is a winning graph. Having the graph be animated adds a certain flair and allows us to better present the datapoints as the viewer gets a quick overview of our plot.
What we learned
How to program and use Matplotlib for 3D graphs. We have never plotted a 3D graph in Python before, let alone an animated one. We have also learnt how to read and organise data measured by other people to serve our purposes.
What's next for Mascons as Measured by GRACE
A projected image of the outlines of landmasses on Earth for starters to relate the data to reality and things that viewers might already have a pre conceptual knowledge of. We can also use it to analyse the gravitational field of the Earth.
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