Mapping urban soundscapes via citygram

Abstract

In this paper we summarize efforts in exploring non-ocular spatio-temporal energies through strategies that focus on the collection, analysis, mapping, and visualization of soundscapes. Our research aims to contribute to multimodal geospatial research by embracing the idea of time-variant, poly-sensory cartography to better understand urban ecological questions. In particular, we report on our work on scalable infrastructural technologies critical for capturing urban soundscapes and creating what can be viewed as dynamic soundmaps. The research presented in this paper is developed under the Citygram project umbrella (Proceedings of the conference on digital humanities, Hamburg, 2012; International computer music conference proceedings (ICMC), Perth, pp 11–17, 2013; International computer music conference proceedings, Athens, Greece, 2014b; Workshop on mining urban data, 2014c; International computer music conference proceedings (ICMC), Athens, Greece, 2014d; INTER-NOISE and NOISE-CON congress and conference proceedings, Institute of Noise Control Engineering, pp 2634–2640, 2014) and includes a cost-effective prototype sensor network, remote sensing hardware and software, database interaction APIs, soundscape analysis software, and visualization formats. Noise pollution, which is the New Yorkers’ number one complaint as quantified by the city’s 311 non-emergency hotline, is also discussed as one of the focal research areas.