We at Praescient would like to wish you all a safe and enjoyable Independence Day! Tomorrow is a day filled with backyard barbecues, baseball games, and above all, fireworks. The fiery displays will delight audiences across our country, but how do organizers pull off these elaborate presentations? The answer is data-driven technology.
Modern fireworks themselves haven’t changed much in the past dozen decades, and fireworks of some kind have been in existence since the 7th century. What has changed is the technology behind the planning and execution of pyrotechnic displays; presenters can achieve simply stunning shows that combine tightly coordinated visuals, synchronized music, and failure-proof firing mechanisms. Organizers use software systems to catalog each firework product into a massive database, accounting for characteristics like size, weight, duration of flight, color, and explosive force.
This wealth of information allows organizers to conduct accurate 3D modeling and create amazing shows for rapt crowds. Clients can greatly benefit from the capabilities of such modeling and preview software by seeing what the show will look like in advance. This powerful software also helps television crews plan their coverage of a pyrotechnic event.
The data that power fireworks displays is another great example of how effectively harnessing information can achieve results. Below, find a video of a professional fireworks show conducted in San Francisco in 2012 that demonstrates the results of a highly coordinated planning effort. Have a great holiday tomorrow!
video credit: SandD2012 via YouTube
Praescient Analytics is a Veteran-Owned Small Business that delivers training, data integration, platform customization, and embedded analytical services in partnership with leading technology providers. Praescient’s teams of analysts and engineers provide comprehensive solutions to federal and commercial clients engaged in critical defense, law enforcement, intelligence, cyber security, financial, investigative, and legal analytics missions.
Charlotte Stasio is Praescient’s Communications Specialist.