INTERCEPT: The Sol-Terrestrial Risk Engine

"Space weather is usually silent. It's also expensive."

The Mission • Capabilities • Architecture • Getting Started

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🛰️ The Mission

INTERCEPT is a real-time "Thick Client" receiver that transforms invisible space weather telemetry from NASA and NOAA into a visceral audio-visual experience and a financial risk monitoring system.

Space weather is a multi-billion dollar variable that most organizations treat as a static chart. INTERCEPT wires live solar wind data directly to an economic impact engine, bridging the gap between raw astrophysics and operational reality.

⚡ The Challenge

Current space weather monitoring tools are often passive, academic dashboards that fail to communicate the immediate severity of solar events to non-specialists.

• The Visibility Gap: It is difficult to "feel" the mounting risk of a G5 Geomagnetic Storm through a standard data table.
• The Economic Gap: There is a lack of real-time visualization tools that translate K-Index intensity into global grid stress and potential economic impact.

🛠️ Core Capabilities

INTERCEPT was developed to move beyond simple data visualization into a functional risk assessment protocol.

1. Geo-Risk Analytics: Real-time calculation of the NOAA Auroral Oval relative to the user's specific geographic coordinates. The system identifies when a user is within the "Critical Risk" zone of the auroral boundary.
2. Economic Ticker: A live estimation engine that calculates Global Grid Stress ($/hr) based on geomagnetic intensity.
   • Nominal Conditions: ~$0/hr
   • Extreme Events: Estimated stress exceeding $45,000,000/hr during major storms.
3. Integrated Flight Recorder: A native .webm capture system using the MediaRecorder API to document telemetry anomalies as they occur, providing verifiable visual evidence of signal drift and solar events.
4. Temporal Archives: Access to historical super-storm telemetry (such as the 2003 "Halloween Event") is restricted to specific temporal windows, ensuring the focus remains on the rare and significant nature of extreme solar phenomena.

🧠 System Architecture

Developed with a focus on high-frequency telemetry processing and procedural audio synthesis.

graph TD
    User((User))
    NASA[NASA DONKI API]
    
    subgraph "INTERCEPT Engine"
        API[API Gateway / Cache]
        
        subgraph "Client Core"
            Store[State Manager]
            Risk[Geo-Risk Calculator]
            Detector[Event Detector]
        end
        
        subgraph "Audio Synthesis"
            Tone[Tone.js Engine]
            Layers[4-Layer Synth]
        end
        
        subgraph "Interface"
            UI[React UI / HUD]
            Canvas[Canvas Visualizer]
            Recorder[Media Recorder]
        end
    end
    
    NASA -->|Telemetry| API
    API -->|JSON| Store
    
    Store -->|Kp Index / Lat| Risk
    Store -->|Solar Data| Detector
    Store -->|Parameters| Tone
    
    Risk --> UI
    Detector --> UI
    Tone --> Layers
    Layers -->|Audio| Recorder
    
    UI -->|Interaction| Store
    User <-->|Visuals & Audio| UI

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Layer	Technology	Function
Interface	React / Tailwind CSS	High-contrast HUD / "Cassette Futurism" aesthetic
Audio Engine	Tone.js	4-Layer procedural synthesis (Telemetry sonification)
State Management	Zustand	High-frequency telemetry store (60fps reactive updates)
Visualization	Canvas API	Real-time waveform rendering and particle dynamics
Data Ingress	NASA DONKI API	Live Solar Flare (FLR) and Geomagnetic (GST) feeds

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites: Node.js v18+

1. Install Dependencies:

   npm install

2. Initialize System:

   npm run dev

3. Calibration:

   • Access the interface via http://localhost:3000.
   • Note: You must grant Microphone/Audio permissions to allow the procedural audio engine to initialize.

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📂 Project Evolution

• View Architectural Evidence - Documentation regarding the transition from concept to risk engine.

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Submitted for the AWS <> Devfolio Hackathon (Kiro Track).