What we do
Strategy team is in charge of writing algorithms and models that help Midnight Sun race in a more efficient manner. These models take into account both vehicle and environmental factors to make real-time decisions, such as what speed the vehicle should be travelling at while taking into account the upcoming terrain, predicted sun, and current battery level.
The Team
We are an entirely remote team, working through our Github as a repository for all our code.
Strategy General Weekly Meeting: Saturdays 2:30pm EST (see #gen-strategy for the Google Meets link)
Skills
You will develop knowledge of:
Git, Git commands
Python coding
Data science libraries (Matplotlib, Pandas)
Optimization techniques
Dashboarding
You do not need to have any of the above to join the team! However, with the tasks this term a working of knowledge would be critical to quickly get on board to work on some tasks.
Term Projects
These are the models and projects that will be worked on during F23:
RouteModel - accurate modelling the various real-world elements of the race route
Loops Optimization - supporting decision-making for optional loops to maximize distance within energy constraints
Elevation Optimization - Investigate the potential impacts of elevation changes on the vehicle optimize performance based on readings
Wind - Investigate the potential impacts of wind on the vehicle and determine how to accurately model directional wind against MSXV
RouteModel Dashboard Prototype - interactive tool to display the race route and update our models
Optimization Model - Determine the optimal speed the car should be travelling at based on inputs from all other models
Solar Array Testing - Testing solar cell efficiency under different conditions to predict power and energy input
Solar Model - use of APIs to predict the amount of solar irradiance along the race route and how much energy this will contribute to the battery
Weather Model - use of APIs to predict the upcoming weather and temperature of the race route, and how this will affect our race decisions
State of Charge (SoC) - calculating the amount of energy in the battery pack and predicting the future efficiency
Database - storage of all data that passes through our models, both inputs and outputs
Support Projects - Automating functions among the Strategy team to support operations
e.g. Finance Dashboard - Creation of a dashboard to graph the team financial information for better reporting
Future Term Projects
State of Vehicle (SoV)
State of Charge (SoC) - calculating the amount of energy in the battery pack and predicting the future efficiency
Telemetry Data - ETL on the car KPI’s to track performance across components of the vehicle
Dashboards
Strategy Dashboard - creation of a dashboard using DASH to visualize and graph results from our models
Telemetry Dashboard - Creation of the dashboard to receive and model Telemetry data from MSXV for monitoring purposes
RouteModel Dashboard - interactive tool to display the race route and update our models
Support Projects - Automating functions among the Strategy team to support operations
e.g. Finance Dashboard - Creation of a dashboard to graph the team financial information for better reporting
Leads
Leads: Rodrigo Tiscareno, Kenneth Ruan, Ryan Lam
Project Manager: Prabhav Khera
Team Advisor: Emma Wai
Onboarding
Tasks:
Get Python set up on your computer.
Attend Strategy General meetings.
Contact Prabhav Khera for a task!