3rd Pro Project Progress Report Project Title: Treetap Android Phone Interface Supervisor: Michael Hayes Student

Name: Joel Koh Student ID Number: 17236631 Student Email: jmk35@uclive.ac.nz

Abstract This project is the development of an Android application that controls a TreeTap device from a Smartphone via Bluetooth. The Android application shall be able to run scans to sample data from the TreeTap device, download data from the TreeTap device to the phone, view information from the stored data, and edit various settings of the TreeTap device. At this stage, the basic user interface designs have been made. Examples of Android applications are being looked at before the TreeTap Android application is implemented.

Project Overview TreeTap is a device developed in the University of Canterbury to measure the stiffness of trees using acoustic signals through the trees. The aim of TreeTap is only to sample and store these acoustic signals while processing of the signals is done externally on a PC [1]. Examples of uses of TreeTap include measuring the elasticity of pine trees [2]. Smartphone applications have been rapidly growing in the recent years, such as using an Android phone as a wireless control head for terminal radios [3]. In this project, an Android application is to be developed to control the TreeTap device via Bluetooth. The application will be able to control all the existing functionalities of the TreeTap device as well as having extra functionalities such as storing the GPS location of the measurements as well as being able to view the stored acoustic signals.

Progress to Date The design of the system is shown in Figure 1. The TreeTap device is connected to a Bluetooth module via a UART interface. An Android phone is able to connect to the Bluetooth module via Bluetooth. An application on the Android phone provides a user interface to control the TreeTap device via this link. User Android Phone

Bluetooth Link Bluetooth Module UART Treetap Device

Figure 1. Block diagram of the system. The design of the user interface of the TreeTap Android application is as follows: The main screen of the TreeTap Android application is shown in Figure 2. From the main screen, the phone can be connected or disconnected to or from a TreeTap device, run a scan to sample the data of the acoustic waves from the TreeTap device, download the data already stored on the device, view saved data stored on the phone, and edit the settings of the TreeTap device. If the phone is not connected to a TreeTap device, the option to run the scan and to download data from the device will not be available and will be grayed out. Treetap Status: Not connected Connect Run scan Download data from device View saved data Settings Treetap Status: Connected to device ID 15 Disconnect Run scan Download data from device View saved data Settings

Figure 2. Android application main screen when (a) not connected to a TreeTap device; (b) connected to a TreeTap device.

From the main screen, pressing on the Connect button will bring up the Bluetooth settings menu. From here, Bluetooth devices can be scanned for, paired and connected to. However, this menu will show all Bluetooth devices and the user will have to connect to a TreeTap device that can be recognized by the TreeTap Android application. Bluetooth Settings Scan for Devices Bluetooth Devices Treetap Device 15 Treetap Device 6 Bluetooth Headset

Figure 3. Built in Android Bluetooth Settings menu. Running a scan from the TreeTap Android application will begin to sample data from the TreeTap device and the data will be automatically stored on the phone along with the time and GPS location determined by the phone. A pop up box will prompt the user to either save or discard this data. The user can also download all the data that is stored in the memory of the TreeTap device onto the phone. However, this data will not have the time and GPS location stored. This functionality can be deprecated if the TreeTap device uses a model that does not require internal memory but all scans must go through the Android application. Data stored on the phone can be viewed. Data stored will be arranged in folders according to the date, then according to the time within the folders shown in Figure 4. Individual data can be viewed, displaying the waveform of the stored signal, the time and date it was taken along with its GPS location, shown in Figure 5. Other information of the waveform shall be displayed as well but has not been looked into at this stage.

Treetap - Saved Data 2011-5-8 2011-5-7 2011-5-4 2011-4-30

Treetap - Saved Data 2011-5-8 18:56:36 18:55:21 18:54:59 09:01:39 08:58:44

Figure 4. Arrangement of data stored by the TreeTap Android application. Treetap - Saved Data 2011-5-8 18:56:36

Latitude : -43.520936 Longitude : 172.583064

Figure 5. Viewing data stored by the TreeTap Android application Various settings of the TreeTap device can be viewed and changed as well from the TreeTap Android application such as the number of acoustic waves to generate and sample. Again however, these settings have not been looked into at this stage. Developing Android applications is done in Eclipse IDE and written in Java. An Android emulator can be used to run and test the applications; however this lacks various capabilities of an actual phone such as Bluetooth capabilities. At this stage, the design described above has been made. I am still looking at some examples of Android applications and API demos to try to implement the user interface design for the TreeTap Android application.

Remaining Tasks Most of the remaining work is to implement the Android application as described above. More information on the functionalities of the user interface is also required. Work also needs to be done in configuring the TreeTap device and its Bluetooth module, such as determining the data that is transferred via the UART.

References [1] S. Woods, Acoustic Inspection of Timber, University of Canterbury, Master of Engineering Thesis, Dec. 2006. [2] A. Bascun, et al., Variations in the dynamic modulus of elasticity with proximity to the stand edge in radiata pine stands on the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand, NZ Journal of Forestry, Nov. 2006. [3] T. Bhola, Smart Device Communications Interface, University of Canterbury ENCE 427 Project Report, 2011.