SNAPstronomer

Take a photo and snap your satellites and share it with your friends!

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Inspired by Snapchat stickers and satellites

What it does

Creates Elegant Snapchat stickers for satellites overhead

How we built it

  • Created a python script that
    • Receives GPS Data
    • Creates an observation point based on user location and time
    • Calculates satellite rise and set time
    • Determines if user is within rise and set time
    • For each satellite within view, calculates the azimuth and elevation
    • Find the satellites with the five highest elevations
    • For each of those five satellites, creates a unique sticker
    • Saves the sticker to the local directory
  • Created a website that
    • Demonstrates the capabilities of the app
    • Immerses the user into the vision of the app
    • Allows the user to directly download the .SDK to their android device
    • Encourages the user to provide feedback to the developers
    • Allows dedicated users to stay informed by joining a mailing list
  • Created an android app that
    • Demonstrates a classic user interface
    • Provides the opportunity to incorporate python scripts into Snapchat stickers
    • Proves that an application with this purpose can be implemented

Challenges we ran into

  • Read / Write permissions in android
  • Importing relevant python libraries

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Finds the 5 highest satellites in the sky based on latitude, longitude, and elevation
  • Creates images for each of those five satellites that gives information about them
  • Creating and updating a project seamlessly using git
  • The "branding" of the product to
    • Be unique
    • Complement the Snapchat brand
    • Show off the vision of and potential of the SNAPstronomer application

What we learned

  • Ensure that the api you use can fully accomplish the goals of the program
  • Integrating Python scripts in Android applications is possible, but has limited feasibility
  • A website can be bought and published in under two hours
  • This concept would be better implemented
  • Photoediting in Python
  • The power of a diverse team
  • Libraries do not play nice
  • "Sleep deprivation is a state of mind"

What's next for SNAPstronomer

  • An android UI that better matches the SNAPstronomer brand
  • Add support for planets (and Pluto) along other celestial objects
  • An implementation that uses an API hosted on snapsats.space to avoid issues with running python on android devices
  • An ios app
  • Integrate concept directly into the Snapchat app

Note for potential employers

  • Every member of this group has NO binding agreement to the United States Government, job opportunities are not only welcome, but encouraged!
  • ALL members of the team currently posses SECRET clearances
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