---
title: "Demo Mode"
description: "Generate synthetic sonar data to explore the UI without real sonar files"
---

## Why Demo Mode?

If you don't have sonar files handy but want to explore the web UI, globe visualization, or test the CLI, the demo command generates realistic synthetic data.

## Generate Demo Data

```bash
# Initialize first
sonar-catalog init

# Generate 100 synthetic files
sonar-catalog demo --num-files 100

# Use a specific random seed for reproducible results
sonar-catalog demo --num-files 50 --seed 12345
```

## What Gets Generated

The demo generates:

- **Synthetic files** with realistic sizes (100MB - 2GB), names, and sonar formats
- **Multiple NFS servers** (4 simulated: `sonar-nas-01` through `sonar-nas-04`)
- **Duplicate locations** — some files appear on multiple servers to demonstrate deduplication
- **Navigation tracks** — zigzag survey patterns across 8 global regions
- **Host records** — simulated discovered hosts with SSH status

### Survey Regions

| Region | Center | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf of Mexico | 28.0N, 90.0W | Coastal survey |
| North Sea | 56.0N, 3.0E | Offshore energy |
| Norwegian Coast | 62.0N, 6.0E | Fjord mapping |
| US East Coast | 37.5N, 76.0W | Continental shelf |
| Mediterranean | 36.0N, 15.0E | Seabed survey |
| Great Barrier Reef | -18.0S, 147.0E | Reef mapping |
| Persian Gulf | 26.0N, 52.0E | Subsea pipeline |
| South China Sea | 15.0N, 115.0E | Hydrographic |

### Sonar Formats

Generated files use real sonar format extensions and types: XTF, JSF, S7K, KMALL, ALL, BAG, RAW, and DB.

## Exploring After Demo

```bash
# Statistics
sonar-catalog stats

# Search
sonar-catalog search "line"

# Duplicates
sonar-catalog dupes

# Start the web UI
sonar-catalog web --port 8080
# Visit http://localhost:8080 for search
# Visit http://localhost:8080/globe for the 3D globe
```

## Deterministic Generation

With the same `--seed`, demo always generates the same data. This is useful for testing or reproducible demos:

```bash
sonar-catalog demo --num-files 100 --seed 42
# Always produces the exact same files, locations, and tracks
```
