Lab · civic and environmental sensing
The Lab
The Digital Sidewalk Lab's field-test console, 2026 prototype sensor rig, and Clemson ice-storm dataset (collected; public release pending).
The Lab's sensing program has four parts: a field-test console, a phone-based sensor rig, a dataset collected during the January 2026 Clemson ice storm, and an open-source platform prepared for release. Each is described below with its current status.
The console
The field-test console is live. It shows a layered map with weather overlays, a camera wall with source health, a form for community observations that expire after twelve hours and are marked unverified by default, and a status ticker of official advisories. It was deployed in January 2026 under the working name StormNet and remains at its original address while it is moved to this domain. It renders in the browser from JavaScript.
The console is a research instrument. It is not an emergency service, a rescue coordination board, or a substitute for official weather information, and it says so on every screen.
The rig
The 2026 prototype used a phone or tablet as a sensor node: barometer, accelerometer, and microphone, with audio summary features computed on the device. The same collection method will be tested across multiple devices in the 2027 season before any claim is made about a public network.
The first field rig was a two-device differential: one unit outdoors, one indoors, so that the difference between them, not either alone, is the measurement. It recorded an ice storm in Clemson, South Carolina, on January 24–25, 2026.
The dataset
The ice-storm file contains 23,451 samples over about 17.5 hours, as reported in the working analysis. The microphones were not calibrated against a reference; levels are relative. Public release is pending, intended under CC BY 4.0. The journal entry on the rig lists the dataset's limitations.
Open source
Code — the platform, sensor app, ingest service, console, schema, and reference detector — is intended for release under Apache 2.0. The dataset is intended for release under CC BY 4.0. Both are subject to the license files that accompany the release. The Lab's own detection engine, THRML, is proprietary, plugs into the same interface, and is not required to run the platform. Repository and download addresses will be added at public release.
A public node program is planned for the 2027 season.
Demonstrations
A Starlink constellation visualization built with D3 force simulation and React is available as a standalone demonstration.