NEESit MacBook Accelerometer and Video Sensor Platform (iSeismograph) for education and research

Current Macintosh laptop computers are equipped with a 3-axis accelerometer that detects sudden shock and impact and enables the hard drive to “freeze” and save its contents. In addition, the newer Intel-based MacBook and MacBookPro laptops have built-in iSight video cameras for use in video conferencing communications. The Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Cyberinfrastructure Center (NEESit) has exploited these capabilities and has developed an educational and research platform for measurement and recording of vibrations and dynamic response. The system employs the NEESit Real-time data Viewer (RDV) that enables the real-time streaming of acceleration data synchronized with video, and automatically saves data into a database repository (NEEScentral). Through NEEScentral, earthquake engineering students and research collaborators worldwide can access the recorded data online and engage in joint projects, potentially at a worldwide scale. The following paper provides an overview of the information technology framework for the NEESit MacBook Accelerometer and Video Sensor Platform (iSeismograph) and its capabilities, and provides an example of its potential for collaboration through a classroom application for undergraduate education in earthquake engineering.