Spectrum Launch Vehicle Data Visualization

Overview

This project is a Next.js application developed as part of a technical assessment for a position at Isar Aerospace. It is designed to visualize various parameters of the "Spectrum" launch vehicle, providing real-time insights into the vehicle's velocity, altitude, temperature, and other critical metrics through an intuitive and interactive UI.

Live Preview

The latest version of this application can be previewed here.

Features

• Real-Time Data Visualization: View the current state of the Spectrum vehicle, including velocity, altitude, and temperature.
• Dynamic Theming: Utilizes styled-components for consistent and customizable theming across the application.
• Responsive Design: Ensures usability across different devices and screen sizes.
• Customizable Vehicle Configuration: Easily modify the vehicle's expected and projected parameter ranges.

Project Structure

• components/: Contains reusable UI components like the Widgets, Button, etc., for visualizing vehicle data.
• config/: Includes configuration files such as vehicleConfig for setting up vehicle parameters.
• hooks/: Custom React hooks like useVehicleValue and useVehicleValueColor for fetching and interpreting vehicle data.
• types/: Type definitions used across the application.
• pages/: Next.js pages that compose the application's layout and entry points.

Vehicle Configuration

The vehicle's parameters can be configured in vehicleConfig located in the config/ directory. This file allows setting expected and projected ranges for various metrics like velocity, altitude, and temperature. It enables easy adjustments to thresholds for warnings and danger alerts.

Note on Altitude Configuration

As a developer, I encountered some uncertainties regarding the exact behavior of the 'altitude' parameter. Consequently, I'm not entirely sure if the current setup in vehicleConfig is perfectly accurate. However, the altitude configuration can be easily adjusted using the altitude properties in vehicleConfig to better match the expected behavior of the Spectrum vehicle.

Using SWR for Data Fetching with WebSocket

In the latest iteration, we've upgraded our data fetching strategy by integrating useSWRSubscription from SWR, shifting our focus to real-time data through WebSocket connections. This approach ensures that we receive instant updates about the Spectrum vehicle's status, directly streamed from the server.

Key Advantages of useSWRSubscription with WebSocket:

• Real-Time Data Updates: The WebSocket connection provides immediate data updates, allowing us to visualize the vehicle's status as it happens.
• Efficient Data Management: useSWRSubscription manages the incoming data stream and errors, ensuring the data displayed is always current and reliable.
• Deduplication of Subscriptions: The hook deduplicates subscriptions using the same key, reducing network traffic and server load. It maintains a single subscription per key, shared across multiple components.
• Seamless Error Handling: The hook handles any errors during the subscription, resetting the error status upon the receipt of new data.

Visualizations Using SVGs and Framer Motion

The visualizations in this application are primarily built using SVGs (Scalable Vector Graphics) and animated with Framer Motion.

SVGs for Visualization

SVGs offer the advantage of creating intricate and aesthetically pleasing visualizations. They can be easily crafted by designers using tools like Adobe Illustrator or other graphic design software. This approach allows for rapid iteration and collaboration between developers and designers. The use of SVGs ensures that the visualizations are scalable and retain high quality at any resolution.

Framer Motion

Framer Motion is a powerful library for React that simplifies complex animations and transitions. It provides an intuitive API for creating realistic and performant animations, enhancing the interactivity and visual appeal of SVG elements in the application.

Considerations

While SVGs and Framer Motion provide a strong foundation for building beautiful and interactive visualizations, it's important to note that this approach might have limitations as the frontend scales. Particularly for applications requiring a vast number of dynamic elements or complex interactivity, alternative methods or additional optimizations may be necessary to maintain performance and scalability.

Environment Configuration

To successfully run API queries within the application, specific environment variables need to be set. These variables allow the application to connect to the appropriate API endpoints for fetching vehicle data.

Required Environment Variables:

• NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_WS_URL (Vehicle WebSocket API URL): This variable specifies the base URL for the WebSocket connection. It is used by the useSWRSubscription hook for subscribing to real-time updates from the Spectrum vehicle via WebSocket.

• NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL (Vehicle REST API URL): This variable sets the base URL for REST API queries. It's essential for endpoints where REST API calls are made, allowing the application to fetch and send data to the Spectrum vehicle's backend services.

Setting up Local Environment Variables:

1. Create a file named .env.local in the root of your project.
2. Add the environment variables with their respective URLs:

   NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_WS_URL=your_vehicle_ws_api_url_here
   NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL=your_vehicle_api_url_here
   

3. Save the file and restart your development server. The application will now use these URLs for API connections.

Ensure that these environment variables are correctly set to allow the application to communicate with the Spectrum vehicle's data sources and services.

Running the Project

1. Clone the repository.
2. Install dependencies: npm install.
3. Run the development server: npm run dev.
4. Open http://localhost:3000 to view the application.

This is a Next.js project bootstrapped with create-next-app.

Recruiting specific section

Recruiting Assignments

The project includes various assignments, each tagged with a specific version in the GitHub repository. The commit associated with each tag contains the code relevant to that particular assignment.

Accessing Assignments:

• Assignment A: For details and the codebase related to Assignment A, visit Assignment A Tag.

• Assignment B: For details and the codebase related to Assignment B, visit Assignment B Tag.

• Assignment C: For details and the codebase related to Assignment C. The potential API improvements for Assignment C can be found in the README section titled Potential API Improvements.

These tags help in navigating through different phases of the project and understanding the progress and modifications made during each assignment.

Assignment C: Potential API Improvements

During my work with the provided API, I have identified some areas for potential improvements:

GET Request on ActOnSpectrum Endpoint

It seems unusual that the ActOnSpectrum endpoint only accepts a GET request. In this scenario, where an action is expected to alter the state of the vehicle, one would typically anticipate the endpoint to accept a PATCH or POST request. My tests have consistently shown that only a GET request returns a 200 status, while other methods like POST or PATCH result in a 405 error. This behavior deviates from standard RESTful practices where state-changing actions should ideally use POST or PATCH for better clarity and adherence to standards.

Inconsistency in Property Naming Between REST API and WebSocket

There is a noticeable inconsistency in the naming convention of properties returned by the REST API and WebSocket. In the REST API responses, properties are in lowercase, whereas, in the WebSocket responses, they are capitalized. A consistent naming convention across both REST API and WebSocket would be expected to avoid confusion.

Provision of API Documentation

An obvious non-technical improvement would be to provide comprehensive API documentation. This would make working with the API more efficient and help clarify certain values and their behaviors for those unfamiliar with spaceflight terminology and operations, such as the behavior of the 'altitude' property.

Data Realism in Simulation

Another valuable enhancement would be to ensure that the simulated data closely mirrors the expected real-world data. This would allow for more accurate visualization and testing.