I figured a great place to start would be to list out what I will be using to work on this project. This is my list as of now, but it could possibly grow along the way. If that is the case there will be new posts explaining what will be added.

First lets start with the GIS software. I'll be using ESRI's ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1 to handle all of the spatial and tabular data, calculations and map products. ESRI is pretty much the standard for the industry when it comes to GIS.

All of the spatial data used in this project will be coming directly from my own work. I will be creating the data for tracks along with in-car data logging which will come from my own hardware. Tabular data will come along with that and I will be doing all calculations whether it be simple math or physics equations.

In-car data logging will be acquired using a Kiwi ODB-II with Wifi (Made by PLX Devices) which will send the data to an Apple Iphone with the "REV" App running. To learn more about the application I will be using for logging in-car data you can click here. The Iphone uses its accelerometer to log acceleration, braking and lateral G force and its GPS unit records your location every fifth of a second. The wifi reads the cars data and in the end you come out with a .CSV file that can be brought into GIS.

So thats a quick rundown of the tools. Obviously if this project makes some real progress in the right direction, I will upgrade the data logging hardware to something more professional, but for now the accuracy of the Iphone and Rev application is great for this study.

The "Perfect Lap Project" was an idea I began tinkering with months ago and it didn't start with a race track. Originally I was just playing around with a datalogger system in my car. I would drive through canyon roads while my car's ECU data was tagged with GPS coordinates and an accelerometer. Afterwards the data was spit out in a .CSV file which I could bring into GIS to create some decent little maps. The first map I created you can see here:

It was a good first small step. From there I made more elaborate maps of the data and began to wonder if I could use GIS to predetermine the maximum speed through the turns of the canyon road. It seemed pretty easy to do and eventually it came down to knowing a turns radius. From there I figured it could be expanded with braking distances, acceleration and some standard car attributes to create a perfect lap around a track (or still a canyon if need be). 

That is where this project begins. I will be calculating turn radii, cornering speed, braking, acceleration, and many other aspects into a hypothetical perfect lap for my 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. From there I will test them in the car to see just how accurate they are.

I will be starting out small scale, with a go-kart track in Riverside, CA. Twice a week they have track nights where regular cars use the track. Its small, relatively slow and will be a good first test. From there I will move to Willow Springs Raceway near Mojave, CA. And from there I plan to try the test out at Laguna Seca near Monterey, CA. Check back often for updates!