This one is just for fun -- extending some more data auralization/sonification work from my original Visualizing Riffle-ito Data post.

Once again inspired by Jeff Walker's kayak deployment of the Riffle-ito (Riffle + GPS shield) back in early August, I set out to use the water sensor data in a different way. This time, I took a DIY music box kit and mapped the Riffle-ito temperature data onto it.

Here's the original data visualized on Tableau, which shows temperature data broken down by minute:

I mapped the bar graph onto a music box strip, using the higher F as around 22 degrees Celsius. I punched holes where the tops of each bar would be, then added some color via some markers. Essentially, we are creating a musical code based on the data. The music box reads this code as notes, which sound ascend with temperature increase and descend into lower tones with temperature decrease.

This is similar to the idea behind the Coqui, which is a kit based on the conductivity circuit of the Riffle. Sonic signals could be a different way of perceiving data, making it more legible, and bringing data closer to the body and sensorial experience.

Once I ran the music strip through the music box, here's how the Riffle-ito data sounded. You can hear the data!

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In case you want to know more about how music boxes work, here is an excellent explanation from The Curiosity Show: