SpectraSearch

SpectraSearch is a full-stack web application that seeks to develop a database of spectral data and a searchable interface for spectral data/lights to help lighting professionals evaluate lighting products against current and future requirements. The interface will primarily allow users to search for lighting instruments by name or by spectral data, have access to spectral power distribution graphs, calculated values of metrics of interest such as CIE chromacity coordinates, CCT (correlated color temperature), response spectra convolution, and CRI (Color Rendering Index) General/Extended, and general information such as application, type, and manufacturer. The interface will also allow users to upload spectral and corresponding data to be approved by an administrator before being uploaded into the database; this feature includes a log-in function and admin page.

The open-source project was created by a small team of Software Engineering students at American University working with scientists at the Department of Energy’s Advanced Lighting Program as a primary stakeholder. The proof-of-concept software was debuted in a presentation to the DOE stakeholders for AU's Software Engineering final and includes a working front-end, with primary requirements such as search and scroll, connected to a SQL database, two color math backend functions (CCT and CRI), and Spectral Power Distribution graph display. The software primarily uses NodeJS, react.JS, D3.js, and SQL.

During the proof-of-concept run, Lily secured the stakeholders (see below) and remained the client liaison for the duration of the project, led and managed a team of six software engineering students including timeline design and sprint management, and served as the Scrum Master, the Database/Backend Engineer, and as a stand-in lighting SME.

During the Spring 2020 semester, the current team members continued to work with DOE stakeholders to put the proof-of-concept software into production as part of their Computer Science Senior Capstone course at American University. Plans for production include: populating the database, simplifying the spectral data column of the database, adding more color math functions, and a general production quality cleanup.

Lily was also invited to present a poster on the project at the 2020 DOE Lighting R&D Workshop co-sponsored by the Illuminating Engineering Society January 28–30, 2020.

2020 Team Members
Lily Donaldson | Client Liaison, Database/Backend Engineer, Scrum Master
Elisabetta Gabriele | Front-end Software Engineer
Rebecca Sakaguchi | UI/UX Engineer
Matthew Fields | Software Engineer (floating)

Faculty Advisor
Alex Godwin, Ph. D. | Software Engineering professor, Capstone Faculty Advisor

Stakeholders
Brian Walker, Ph. D. | DOE Lighting R&D Manager
Wyatt Miller, Ph. D. | AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow (DOE Lighting R&D Program)
Morgan Pattison | Senior Technical Advisor to DOE and principal of SSLS, Inc.
Arthur Shapiro, Ph. D. | American University Computer Science and Psychology Professor, Vision Scientist

Former Team Members
Anthony Baron, Chuyan Cheng, Yuhao Li, Zhiqi Lu