Sunspot

Sunspot is a small React/Vite experiment for exploring rough 3D solar exposure on building facades.

The basic idea is simple: search for an address, geocode it, load nearby building footprints, render the area in Three.js, then sample a selected facade to estimate how much direct sun reaches it through the day.

This is a tinkering/prototype project, not a validated solar, energy, or urban-planning model. The results are approximate and are meant for exploration and demos only.

What It Does

• Searches addresses using Géoplateforme first, then BAN as a fallback.
• Loads nearby OpenStreetMap building footprints through Overpass.
• Renders extruded buildings in a Three.js scene.
• Lets you select a facade and floor band.
• Estimates direct exposure by sampling facade points and raycasting toward the sun position.
• Includes best-effort enrichment paths for French building/address data such as BD TOPO, RNB, and BDNB where available.

Local Setup

npm install
npm run dev

For a production build:

npm run build
npm run preview

Useful check:

npm run lint

Current Limits

• Exposure estimates are approximate raycast samples, not a scientific or regulatory calculation.
• Building footprints, heights, floors, and addresses depend on public data coverage and can be incomplete or wrong.
• The live data flow depends on public geocoding and Overpass services, so requests can fail or be rate-limited.
• Geometry is simplified: no terrain, vegetation, balconies, roof details, window geometry, reflected light, or material modeling.
• The data assumptions are mostly France-oriented, especially for address and building enrichment.