*Personal Information* Name: Daniel Paul Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Email: danielpaul1...@gmail.com University: University of Manitoba Degree Program: B.Sc. in Data Science (minor: Chemistry), expected April 2025 GSoC Project Duration: Full-time, 350 hours over 12 weeks
*GNU Radio Companion Video Creation Toolkit (GSoC idea)* So the idea I have is to develop a GNU Radio Video Creation Toolkit that streamlines the process of creating high-quality YouTube videos and tutorials demonstrating GNU Radio flowgraphs, SDR experiments, and signal processing concepts. This toolkit will integrate flowgraph exporting components, visualization, screen recording, dynamic annotations, and video post-processing to provide a more seamless content creation experience. So quick about me: I’m a data science student and I have my HAM advanced and basic radio licenses. I also have a RTL-SDR and a HackRF One dongle. Finally, I also have created videos for my youtube channel related to SDR stuff that you can see below. *https://www.youtube.com/@agarauproductions* <https://www.youtube.com/@agarauproductions> Also, one point I’ll make, this isn’t an SRS so if you’re going to ask about specific implementation details, while I might have ideas, I haven’t fleshed them out just yet -- but I've given general directions I hope to go in. Now back to the idea. *Deliverables (to be discussed with mentor on how many to focus – all would be amazing though):* *1. **High-Quality Flowgraph Exporting* · *Generate formatted screenshots and animated sequences of GNU Radio flowgraphs.* · So, imagine if you can extract high quality images of each component you’re building out, ie. extract each block and arrow. Each part without the background associated with it, so you can just pick out the parts you want to export, and you can keep those in the highest quality so no more of those pesky screenshots if you don’t want them. And give an option to be more colourful than just white/back when you export. 2. *Screen Recording with Interactive Overlays* · Capture screen activity with real-time annotations (e.g., highlighting, text pop-ups, guided steps). Of course, existing tech allows you to draw on top of anything on your screen, but if this was embedded in GNU that would be super useful for tutorials. 3. *Signal Visualization Recording* · Capture real-time spectrograms, FFTs, and time-domain plots directly from GNU Radio. Again just export them directly, in fact I saw the CyberEther project, maybe they could embed some of those useful features here too, overall just making the lives of tutorial makers easier. 4. *Automated Narration & Voice-over Syncing* · Enable voice recording and auto-align narration with flowgraph execution steps. Again, this is possible but if you treat this as step 2a then you don’t have to worry about manual synchronization anymore. 5. **Template-Based Scripted Video Creation* · Offer reusable templates for common tutorial structures, including recorded steps and visual aids. *I haven’t really worked this one out yet, but sort of implementation of this would be useful though. I hope I can talk more about this with someone. 6. * Export Features* · A way to export the things I previously mentioned with Youtube and existing major products that are free to use. The idea being support the open source community while also making these steps easier overall for everyone. *Benefits to the Community* Creating tutorials and educational content for GNU Radio currently requires so much manual effort, including taking screenshots, editing videos, and syncing voiceovers. This toolkit will significantly reduce the time and complexity here. If we make video creation more accessible, it will encourage more people to share their expertise and increase the adoption of GNU Radio and just support the community in general. *Tech stack (most likely): *Python, OpenCV, FFmpeg, PyQt. What the ideal schedule looks like: *Phase 1 (Week 3-6)* Implement flowgraph exporting features and initial screen recording capabilities. *Phase 2 (Week 7-10)* Develop automated narration, voice-over syncing, and visualization recording. *Final Phase (Week 11-12)* Complete template-based video creation, finalize documentation, and test stability. *Background & Coding Experience* I am a Data Science student at the University of Manitoba with a strong background in machine learning, software development, and signal processing. I hold an Advanced Amateur Radio Certification and have hands-on experience with RTL-SDR and HackRF One. Additionally, I create SDR-related educational content on my YouTube channel: Agarau Productions <https://www.youtube.com/@agarauproductions>. Relevant Projects - Machine Learning for MRI Classification: Developed a CNN-based model for early-onset Alzheimer’s detection. - Biometric AI (Displaid): Applied signal processing techniques to analyze raw voltage signals. - SSIS Data Pipeline Development: Built an automated data migration and processing pipeline in SQL and Python. I have read and understood the three strikes rule and GNU Radio’s guidelines Secret Code Word: Cyberspectrum is the best spectrum. Hope to talk with someone about this! Thank you, Daniel
