explosion-distance-estimator 1.0.6

Estimate the distance to an explosion from video and audio analysis

Explosion Distance Estimator

Install this package with:

pip install explosion_distance_estimator

Then run:

explosion-distance-estimator --help

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Overview

The Explosion Distance Estimator is a Python tool that estimates the distance to an explosion in a video. It calculates the distance based on the delay between the visible flash and the sound of the blast, using video and audio analysis, real-world temperature data from Open-Meteo, and basic physics principles.

Features:

• Video Analysis: Extracts frames from the video to detect the moment of the explosion (flash).
• Audio Analysis: Extracts the audio and detects the peak of the explosion's sound.
• Temperature Data: Fetches temperature data from Open-Meteo for the given date and location.
• Distance Calculation: Uses basic physics to estimate the distance to the explosion:

  v = 331 + 0.6 × T
  distance = (sound_time - flash_time) × v
  

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Basic run

explosion_distance_estimator

Uses:

• Default video: test_explosion.mp4
• Today’s date
• Kyiv coordinates (lat: 50.4501, lon: 30.5234)

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Full CLI options

explosion_distance_estimator   --video explosion.mp4   --lat 47.0951   --lon 37.5496   --temp 1   --plot   --keep   --outdir output

Options:

Flag	Description
--video	Path to the video file (MP4 with audio)
--temp	Weather date: either a day offset (0 = today, 1 = yesterday) or exact date (2024-03-27)
--lat	Latitude of the explosion location
--lon	Longitude of the explosion location
--plot	Generate 3 plots: brightness, audio spectrogram, and combined view
--keep	Keep extracted frames and audio after analysis
--outdir	Output folder for logs, plots, and CSV (default: output)

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Output

• Plots: brightness_plot.png, audio_spectrogram.png, combined_plot.png (if --plot is set)
• Run log: output/run_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log
• CSV log: output/log.csv
• Temporary frames and audio (only if --keep is used)

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Example Plot Output

Brightness Plot

Audio Spectrogram

Combined Timeline

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Example Scenarios

# Detect explosion from a video recorded yesterday in Mariupol
explosion_distance_estimator   --video mariupol_blast.mp4   --temp 1   --lat 47.0951   --lon 37.5496   --plot

# Estimate using a historical date and keep all intermediate files
explosion_distance_estimator   --temp 26.03.2025   --keep

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How It Works

1. Extract frames from the video and analyze brightness
2. Detect the flash moment (spike in brightness)
3. Extract audio and detect the sound peak (blast)
4. Fetch temperature for the provided date/location via Open-Meteo
5. Estimate the distance using basic physics:

   v = 331 + 0.6 × T
   distance = (sound_time - flash_time) × v
   

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Requirements

🔧 FFmpeg Required

This tool uses ffmpeg under the hood to extract audio from video files. You must have the FFmpeg binary installed and accessible in your system’s PATH.

🛠️ How to install FFmpeg:

macOS

1. With Homebrew (recommended):

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   brew install ffmpeg
   

2. Manual download:

   • Download from: https://evermeet.cx/ffmpeg/
   • Move the downloaded ffmpeg binary to /usr/local/bin/:

     sudo mv ~/Downloads/ffmpeg /usr/local/bin/
     chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg
     

Windows

1. Download FFmpeg from: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html
2. Extract and move the bin/ directory to a known location (e.g., C:\ffmpeg\bin)
3. Add that location to your system PATH:
   • Open Start Menu → search “Environment Variables”
   • Edit PATH and add C:\ffmpeg\bin

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpeg

Check installation

After installing, confirm ffmpeg is available:

ffmpeg -version

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Credits

• The core logic for estimating the distance between flash and sound is based on an approach shared by @Dmojavensis. Follow him, please. He has done some incredible geolocations.