Gamelan score typesetting system
| Curriculums offered to: | CSIS, CogSc, CE (self-proposed) |
| Maximum number of students: | 2 |
| Collaborator | Department of Music, HKU |
Introduction
The Indonesian gamelan is a set of gong-chime type of percussion instruments. The department of music has devised a way to transcribe Balinese gamelan music into a "box" (table-like) notation to help nonmusicians to learn the music. Currently, the transcriptions are typeset using LaTeX+MusiXTeX typesetting system. Yet, it is expected that sheet music using Western music notation, and possibly other forms, are needed in the future. A system that can run on Windows and Macintosh platforms is needed to enter, store, and typeset those music.
How does Balinese gamelan look like? Here are some of the instruments:
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| CengCeng | Jegog | Kantil | Kendang | Kempur | Suling |
A photo (courtesy Dorothy Cheung) of a recent performance shows how they look like when they're put together.
| How does it sound like? Here it is a page containing some information and a Quicktime movie on a performance in Bali. More information about gamelan can be obtained at a website for the courses MUSI2004 and MUSI3008 |
Here it is the sheet music (PDF format) for the box notation of one of the pieces, and here it is the Western music notation of the same piece. The LaTeX source for the box notation and that for the Western music notation are here. (Don't bother to compile it though, a number of other support files are needed.)
This is mainly an system implementation project. Students taking this project are expected to be fluent in programming. To understand the notation we have developed, students are expected to have learnt, or will learn the basics of Balinese gamelan music. Though not required, those who have enrolled, or will enrol, the following courses are highly preferred:
| MUSI1012 | Ensemble Music Performance (Gamelan) | (3 credits) |
| MUSI2004 | University Gamelan 1 | (3 credits) |
| MUSI2033 | Music and Culture in Bali: an Overseas Fieldtrip | (6 credits) |
| MUSI3008 | University Gamelan 2 | (3 credits) |
XML-based non-Western music editor
| Curriculums offered to: | CSIS, CogSc, CE (self-proposed), Music |
| Maximum number of students: | 2 |
| Collaborator | Department of Music, HKU |
Administration
This project is offered as CSIS0801 Final Year Project of the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, and also MUSI3013 Directed Study of the Department of Music.
The supervisors of this project are YIP Chi Lap [Beta] from the department of Computer Science and Information System, and Manolete MORA from the department of Music. The main supervisor for CSIS, CogSc and CE students is Beta. Mano will be the main supervisor for Music students.
Introduction
Most music notation systems are designed with Western music in mind. Support for non-Western music is rather limited. The aim of the project is to develop a music editor that supports a number of non-Western music, such as those for Indonesian Gamelan, cecak, or Chinese guqin. XML should be used to represent the music.
There are design elements in the project: the student should study a number of non-Western music genres to see how they are notated, review critically how the notations can be supported by a computer system, identify the common elements of these notation systems, suggest new methods of notations if needed, and write a music editor supporting the editing of these notations. Expert advice on non-Western music will be given by the music department.
CSIS, CogSc and CE students taking the project are expected to have a basic understanding of music. For example, able to read scores in Western music notation or cipher notation:
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Western music notation:
- Cipher notation: 1 1 5 5 6 6 5- 4 4 3 3 2 2 1- 5 5 4 4 3 3 2- 5 5 4 4 3 3 2- 1 1 5 5 6 6 5- 4 4 3 3 2 2 1-
Music department students taking it as a MUSI3013 Directed Study project should have a basic understanding of programming and preferably HTML. Advice regarding computer-related issues will be given by the supervisor in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.
Resources
- A guqin transcription at http://www.silkqin.com/07play/xwctrns.htm (A local copy)
- Box notation of Indonesian Gamelan
Integrated Information System for HKBWS
| Curriculums offered to: | CSIS (preferred), CogSc, CE (self-proposed) |
| Maximum number of students: | 3 |
| Collaborator | Hong Kong Bird Watching Society |
Introduction
Students taking this project are to develop a web-based integrated information system for the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, is a charitable society with expertise in ornithology. Functionalities include, but is not limited to:
- Web-based membership management system
- Mailing list manager
- Web-based media database for photos and bird calls
- Web and PDA-based bird record submission and review systems
- PDA-based bird count system
- Web-based voting system
- Bulletin Board message archiver and search system
- Homepage administration management system
Students taking this project are expected to be strong in database management and web development.
Websites for online bird record submission:
- http://www.wwfchina.org/bbs/guanniao.htm
- http://wildbird.e-land.gov.tw/wildbird/%ACd%AC%DD%B0O%BF%FD.asp?key=date%3Edate()-60&order=f_id&page=60
- http://wildbird.e-land.gov.tw/wildbird/個人賞鳥資料庫.htm
Acoustics and psychoacoustics
| Curriculums offered to: | CogSc |
| Maximum number of students: | 2 |
Introduction
The study of human perception bring recent advances of multimedia. Audio compression techniques such as MP3, ATRAC and Ogg Vorbis all exploit psychoacoustic effects. Some of the psychoacoustic effects include spectral masking, temporal masking. Study of sound, or acoustics, also played a role from the beginning in audio processing. For example, the understanding of how sounds "add up" is useful in some modern noise reduction methods. Study of methods for sound source location also contributes to computer-based audio processing.
Students taking project is to carry out an extensive study on acoustics and psychoacoustic effects and their applications. They are also expected to implement or modify existing audio compression methods that exploits psychoacoustics, or find and implement new applications that makes use of specific areas in acoustics and psychoacoustics.
Graphical representation of weather forecasts
| Curriculums offered to: | SE |
| Maximum number of students: | 4 |
| Collaborator | The Hong Kong Observatory |
Introduction
The group of students should develop a system for displaying weather forecast information for the Hong Kong Observatory. The display includes various 2D displays similar to the weather maps in BBC weather reports site, and the design of a 3D way to present the weather information. The 3D model includes modeling of landscape and clouds.
Since the developed product would be used by the Hong Kong Observatory for actual TV weather reports, students with a high calibre are expected. Meetings with the people in charge from the Observatory will be expected.
Administration
Since this is an SE project, there are supervisors for different aspects of the project. They are assigned as follows:
| George MITCHESON | SE supervisor | Oversees the software engineering side of the project, making sure that the unified process is followed. |
| TSANG Wai Wan | Technical supervisor | Coaches students on graphics modeling techniques and implementation issues |
| YIP Chi Lap [Beta] | SQA supervisor | Liaise with the Hong Kong Observatory and make sure that the product matches the expectations from the Observatory |
Forcasting the Wind in Tropical Cyclone Situation in Hong Kong
| Curriculums offered to: | CSIS |
| Maximum number of students: | 3-4 |
| Collaborator | The Hong Kong Observatory |
This project is supervised by Dr. Nikos MAMOULIS, please contact him for details. Below is the project description written by him.
Introduction
One important consideration in the issuing of tropical cyclone warning signal in Hong Kong is the probability of occurrence of high winds in relation to the forecast track and intensity of the impending storm. Nowadays, forecasts from numerical models, climatology- statistical methods, and other subjective forecasting techniques are commonly used to predict tropical cyclone tracks and intensity and the resulting wind strength at a specific place/area during the passage of tropical cyclones. However, all these deterministic forecasts are subject to uncertainties which may vary from case to case. These uncertainties would unavoidably jeopardize the accuracy of the subjective forecasts and the consequent warning decision.
Once the subjective tropical cyclone track and intensity forecast are available, it is possible, by taking into account all sources of uncertainty (e.g. forecast track, intensity, tropical cyclone size, etc) and incorporating the latest data mining and computing technologies, to devise an optimized method and develop a software tool which can provide a quantitative probability forecast for occurrence of strong winds, gale or even hurricane force winds in Hong Kong. This objective tool will facilitate different sectors of the community to make use of the probability information to carry out their own risk assessment and to determine whether or not an operation should be continued.
Objective
To develop an objective method and the corresponding software tool to forecast the probability of occurrence of high winds in Hong Kong during tropical cyclone scenarios.
Administration
This project is supervised by Dr. Nikos MAMOULIS, please contact him for details.
| Nikos MAMOULIS | Supervisor | Supervises students on the project |
| YIP Chi Lap [Beta] | Second examiner | Liaise with the Hong Kong Observatory and make sure that the product matches the expectations from the Observatory |