THE WORK PROCESS
We believe in transparency and therefore provide you with a glimpse into our work process, outlining the steps we take to ensure the project's execution and delivery. Explore each stage of our work process to gain insights into our methods or to give us tips on how to improve. Scroll down to delve into our work process or click here to download the full logbook.
WEEK 1
The work this week focused on getting familiar with the project. We started with a guided tour of the FUSE Lab, where we had the opportunity to become acquainted with the facilities and tools available to us. A coaching session on conducting interviews was attended to equip us with the necessary skills for upcoming interviews. The team also engaged in a brainstorming session to explore the task further and generate ideas on what type of data to measure and what type of industry to focus on. We extensively researched various focus areas and niches related to the project, aiming to determine the most suitable direction for the team. The work resulted in a document that listed different areas for further research, to help us make an informed decision regarding our sensor's focus area. We created a group contract which outlined rules, responsibilities, and expectations that the group members deemed essential for the project, covering areas such as meeting attendance, work effort, respectful communication, accountability, and academic integrity.
WEEK 2
This week, the team decided on an industry and an area to focus on. Recreational sailboats were chosen as the industry to focus on, while the data is intended to be captured with a buoy, and used by other researchers (i.e. not marine biologists). The work this week focused on getting familiar with the Revere Lab, contacting interview candidates, and gaining knowledge about Raspberry Pi. The team attended a guided tour of the Revere Lab at Lindholmen, and were introduced to the facility and the various tools available for the project, such as 3D printers and soldering irons. Additionally, we received a Raspberry Pi start kit, which included components like a Raspberry Pi board, SD card, SD card adapter, USB cable, breadboard, and cables. We attended a coaching session with teacher Ida to seek guidance and ask questions regarding the project, helping us gain clarity on our next steps. We also focused on booking interviews, reaching out to potential participants and conducting research for our chosen industry. In order to prepare for the sensor building involving Raspberry Pi, we familiarised ourselves with the Raspberry Pi kit received from the Revere Lab, and supplemented our knowledge by watching YouTube videos and reading articles to understand how Raspberry Pi functions and any limitations associated with it.
WEEK 3
This week, the team decided on what type of sensor to build. After two weeks of conducting research, we decided to build a sensor that measures underwater sound pollution with a hydrophone, as it seemed to be an understudied area with a major data gap to fill. The work this week focused on several objectives, including learning more about our chosen industry, producing an initial idea worksheet, a first pitch video, and a website. Additionally, we aimed to prepare ourselves for upcoming interviews and also explored data collection tools. In the first pitch video, we highlighted our sensor, its target users, and the need for our innovation. We emphasized the issue of sound pollution in the ocean and how our sensor could address this problem. The initial idea worksheet followed Babson's Entrepreneurial Thought & Action and IDEO's design methodology and covered various aspects of our idea, such as use case, description, resources, stakeholders, and challenges/risks. Time and money constraints were identified as the most significant challenges/risks with the project. ​For the interviews, we divided the team into pairs, and assigned two categories per pair from the PESTEL framework, which included Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors. We created a general draft with a greeting, introduction, conclusion, and most importantly, the specific questions we wanted to ask. Each pair then modified the general draft to align with their assigned categories, ensuring the interviews would be relevant to different interviewees.
We conducted research on sensor types, exploring various websites for ordering sensors, reading about different hydrophone models, and learning about optimal usage practices. As a result, we ordered a hydrophone from France for approximately 600 SEK.
WEEK 4
During this week, the team focused on conducting interviews and working on the first pitch for our project. We conducted two interviews with people in various fields related to maritime law and environmental specialists, thus completing our environmental and legal interviews. They provided valuable insights into the challenges and potential solutions regarding marine sound pollution. We finalised preparations for our upcoming political and economical interviews, researched potential interviewees, and reached out to relevant individuals. We also dedicated time to creating a script and PowerPoint presentation for the first pitch. Furthermore, we engaged in research related to the project, and delved into topics such as ocean sound pollution data gaps, possible measures to prevent sound pollution, and the impact of recreational boats on the environment. The research aimed to deepen our understanding and provide a strong foundation for the project's development. Practical tasks were also accomplished. We sourced and purchased parts for the sensor, ensuring that it met the project's budget constraints. We also worked on creating a CAD model to visualize the feasibility and realistic aspects of our project.
WEEK 5
Throughout the week, we made significant progress on multiple fronts. We conducted interviews, engaged in research, and presented our project. We conducted our third interview, which focused on the political aspect, with a regional coordinator at VGR, who worked specifically with maritime industries. He provided us with great insight into his work and the political aspect of the marine industry. He also gave us some tips on people to contact for our upcoming interviews. We continued our work with the sensor, and began building it. As we were still waiting some parts, the building wasn't completed. The website was designed and structured, adding some pages and filling them with information. The team presented our first pitch to the class, receiving positive feedback overall. We were encouraged by Torsten's comment that our project had no apparent problems. Constructive feedback was provided and noted, primarily related to the presentation style and the citizen science aspect (i.e. how to involve citizen scientists). We continued our research activities related to hydrophone calibration, sensor construction, and industry deep dive. We made progress in understanding the hydrophone's functionality and calibration process.
WEEK 6
This week focused on collaborating with external organisations, engaging in research and working on the website and sensor. We continued our work with the website and sensor, particularly focusing on integrating the two with each other. We successfully established an internet connection between the two, built a database, and managed to send messages from the sensor to the website. We visited IVL (Svenska miljöinstitutet) for a project visit, where we received technical support and a guided tour. We had discussions with two co-workers at IVL who work on underwater noise pollution, which provided us with great advice, as well as pitfalls to avoid. IVL also offered us the opportunity to borrow a hydrophone for calibration purposes.
WEEK 7
This week we conducted extensive research for the industry deep dive. Our aim was to gather relevant information and academic papers related to the research areas we are focusing on, which involved scanning through numerous sources and compiling a list of potentially useful papers for our report. Furthermore, we dedicated time to other aspects of our project. This included working on the website design and layout, specifically focusing on the section where our data will be presented. We aimed to make the data visually appealing, interesting, and engaging, in the hope that it would inspire others to contribute to our cause. Additionally, we conducted our last interviews with industry professionals, more precisely the economic, sociological and research interviews. These interviews improved our understanding of the industry and provided us with great insight on topics such as economic contributions, environmental concerns, sustainable solutions, technological advancements, the regulatory landscape and future outlook.
WEEK 8
This week, the primary focus was on finalising the construction of the sensor and addressing the issues we encountered. We spent a substantial amount of time troubleshooting and trying to solve the problems related to the sensor. One of the key challenges was the disturbance signal in the output data from the hydrophone, which we attempted to filter out using both hardware and software filters. As a team, we had discussions on how to interpret the data from the hydrophone and calibrate it effectively. However this proved to be more complex than anticipated and we were unable to completely eliminate this signal. We reached out to IVL regarding the sensor problems for expertise and guidance on how to overcome the challenges with the sensor.
WEEK 9
During this week, our main focus was on conducting sensor tests and showcasing the resulting data on our website. After experiencing difficulties with the sensor last week, we received valuable assistance from Ola at the Revere Lab, which enabled us to proceed with practical testing. Additionally, we dedicated our time to writing tasks, mainly our industry deep-dive, but also more concise texts such as terms of use, ethical considerations, challenges, and building instructions.
Furthermore, we had the opportunity to present our second pitch to the class and received predominantly positive feedback. One aspect that stood out was the recognition that sound, as the subject we are measuring, is highly relevant. However, some audience members expressed a desire for more technical details and clarification about our stakeholders. Additionally, there were concerns raised about the high cost of our sensor.
WEEK 10
Throughout this week, our focus was on finalising the project. Firstly, we recorded our final pitch, ensuring that our presentation encapsulated all the essential elements of our sensor as well as incorporating the feedback we received during our two previous pitches. We also printed our poster. Lastly, we dedicated time to finalising our project website and ensuring that all relevant information was presented on the website. Finally, we are going to present our project at a mini conference hosted at the FUSE lab. We hope that the event will allow us to receive valuable feedback and insights.
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