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Computer Software UI Role Plan For 5EID0

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Computer Software UI Role Plan For 5EID0

Decision

Vipin decided to take the computer software and user interface role for the 5EID0 Venus project.

Project Repository

  • GitHub: appleweiping/venus-basestation
  • Local path: D:/Undergraduate_project_netherlands/Venus basestation
  • Archive shape: team-project/ contains the Team 28 GitLab main-branch snapshot, team-project/module-branches/ contains source-focused snapshots of module branches, and user-interface-module/ contains Vipin’s computer software/UI module.
  • Current UI module status: Python base-station scaffold plus simulated data, JSONL replay, message parsing, map state, MQTT wrapper, status tracking, SVG snapshot export, Tkinter/dashboard support, examples, and tests.
  • Validation: the UI module test suite passed after the archive migration with 28 passed.

Why This Role Can Be Good

This role is valuable because the course mission explicitly requires a computer-side system that:

  • receives robot messages
  • uses the MQTT server data
  • develops or updates a graphical map
  • visualizes rocks, cliffs, mountains, and explored terrain

This makes the role highly visible in:

  • the final demo
  • the demonstration video
  • screenshots in the final report
  • the system-level explanation

What To Own

Vipin should try to own these parts clearly:

  • base-station software
  • MQTT data receiver
  • data format agreement with robot-side members
  • map state model
  • graphical visualization
  • UI/dashboard
  • screenshots and demo scenes for the report/video

Suggested Implementation Language

The default recommendation is to use Python for the first working version.

Reasons:

  • the course manual already includes Python MQTT material
  • Python is fast for prototyping, simulation, plotting, and replay tests
  • it keeps the base-station software easier to finish before the demo

See 2026-04-22-what-language-for-5eid0-computer-software-ui.

Most Important Interface

The biggest dependency is the interface with robot-side software.

The team should agree early on:

  • MQTT topics
  • message format
  • coordinate representation
  • object types
  • rock sample fields
  • event timestamps or sequence numbers
  • how uncertain or partial robot observations are represented

Example message fields:

robot_id
event_type
x
y
object_type
color
size
temperature
confidence
timestamp

How To Make The Role Look Strong

Do not frame the role as “just UI”.

Frame it as:

  • base-station software
  • data integration
  • real-time mapping
  • system visualization
  • testable software component

This sounds more engineering-oriented and better matches the course grading.

Suggested Message To Teammates

I'll take the computer software / UI role. I can focus on the base-station program, receiving MQTT data from the robots, defining the data format together with the robot-side team, and building the map/visualization for the demo. I think this can make our final demo and report much clearer, as long as we agree early on the message format and coordinates.

Testing Plan Ideas

Vipin can test this component even before the robots are ready by using simulated MQTT messages.

Useful tests:

  • receive a rock-sample message and display it on the map
  • receive cliff/boundary/mountain events and update the map
  • handle multiple robots
  • handle repeated or conflicting observations
  • export a state summary and SVG snapshot from replayed data
  • replay a scripted exploration path
  • verify that screenshots match the reported system behavior

Report Evidence To Collect

For the final report and individual reflection, collect:

  • UI screenshots over time
  • data-flow diagram
  • MQTT topic/message specification
  • map state model
  • test cases and expected outcomes
  • notes on integration issues with robot-side software

Counterpoints and Gaps

  • this role is more visible but may be perceived as less hardware-deep unless it includes real data integration and testing
  • it depends on robot-side members sending usable MQTT data
  • coordinate mapping and uncertainty can become difficult if the robots do not track position consistently

Graph View

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