data sonification
{{Short description|Presentation of data as sound}}
Data sonification is the presentation of data as sound using sonification. It is the auditory equivalent of the more established practice of data visualization.
Process
The usual process for data sonification is directing digital media of a dataset through a software synthesizer and into a digital-to-analog converter to produce sound for humans to experience.{{cite journal |last1=Kaper |first1=H.G. |last2=Wiebel |first2=E. |last3=Tipei |first3=S. |title=Data sonification and sound visualization |journal=Computing in Science & Engineering |pages=48–58 |doi=10.1109/5992.774840 |date=1999|volume=1 |issue=4 |arxiv=cs/0007007 |bibcode=1999CSE.....1d..48K |s2cid=8087002 }}{{Cite journal |last1=Madhyastha |first1=Tara |last2=Reed |first2=Daniel |date=1995 |title=Data sonification: Do you see what I hear |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=b0238f0064ac380e6891093d70c3d9d86bb788cf |journal=IEEE Software|volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=45–56 |doi=10.1109/52.368264 |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite book |last=Scaletti |first=Carla |url=https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/28278/chapter/214422754 |title=Sonification ≠ Music |date=2018-02-05 |publisher=Oxford University Press |editor-last=Dean |editor-first=Roger T. |volume=1 |language=en |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190226992.013.9 |isbn=978-0-19-022699-2 |editor-last2=McLean |editor-first2=Alex}} Benefits to interpreting data through sonification include accessibility, pattern recognition, education, and artistic expression.
Applications
Applications of data sonification include astronomy studies of star creation,{{cite web |last1=Guglielmi |first1=Giorgia |title=Meet the scientist who turns data into music—and listen to the sound of a neutron star |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/meet-scientist-who-turns-data-music-and-listen-sound-neutron-star |website=Science |language=en |date=21 July 2017}} interpreting cluster analysis,{{cite book |last1=Hermann |first1=T |last2=Ritter |first2=H |title=Advances in intelligent computation and multimedia systems |publisher=International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics |isbn=0-921836-80-5 |chapter=Listen to your Data: Model-Based Sonification for Data Analysis|year=1999 }} and geoscience.{{cite magazine |last1=Romans |first1=Brian |title=Data Sonification |url=https://www.wired.com/2007/04/data-sonification/ |magazine=Wired |date=11 April 2007}} Various projects describe the production of sonifications as a collaboration between scientists and musicians.{{cite journal |last1=Beans |first1=Carolyn |title=Science and Culture: Musicians join scientists to explore data through sound |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=1 May 2017 |volume=114 |issue=18 |pages=4563–4565 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1705325114|pmid=28461386 |pmc=5422826 |bibcode=2017PNAS..114.4563B |doi-access=free }}{{Cite web |last=Maroune |first=Dr Manil Maskey and Abdelhak |date=2023-04-28 |title=From Data to Melody: Data Sonification and Its Role in Open Science {{!}} Earthdata |url=https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/blog/data-sonification-open-science |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=www.earthdata.nasa.gov |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last1=Middleton |first1=Jonathan |last2=Hakulinen |first2=Jaakko |last3=Tiitinen |first3=Katariina |last4=Hella |first4=Juho |last5=Keskinen |first5=Tuuli |last6=Huuskonen |first6=Pertti |last7=Culver |first7=Jeffrey |last8=Linna |first8=Juhani |last9=Turunen |first9=Markku |last10=Ziat |first10=Mounia |last11=Raisamo |first11=Roope |date=2023-08-10 |title=Data-to-music sonification and user engagement |journal=Frontiers in Big Data |volume=6 |doi=10.3389/fdata.2023.1206081 |doi-access=free |issn=2624-909X |pmc=10448511 |pmid=37636320}}
A target demographic for using data sonification is the blind community because of the inaccessibility of data visualizations.{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Haixia |last2=Plaisant |first2=Catherine |last3=Shneiderman |first3=Ben |last4=Lazar |first4=Jonathan |title=Data Sonification for Users with Visual Impairment |journal=ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction |date=1 May 2008 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=1–28 |doi=10.1145/1352782.1352786|s2cid=17199537 }}
One of the earliest examples of data sonification is the Geiger counter, which measures ionizing radiation through sound.{{Cite web |title=What is Sonification - Accessible Oceans |url=https://accessibleoceans.whoi.edu/what-is-sonification/ |access-date=May 30, 2024 |website=Accessible Oceans - what is sonification |language=en-US}} Another notable example of data sonification is NASA's processing of images from space telescopes into sounds.{{Cite web |title=Sonifications - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/multimedia/sonifications/ |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=science.nasa.gov |language=en-US}}
See also
- Geiger counter
- Sonification - communication with sound, especially including machine-generated non-verbal sound
- Auditory display - equivalent of a computer monitor, except with sound
- Audification - subset of sonification which is the auditory equivalent of visual design, including data sonification within the broad field of design
References
{{reflist}}
Further media
- {{cite book |editor1-last=Kramer |editor1-first=Gregory |title=Auditory display : sonification, audification, and auditory interfaces |url=https://archive.org/details/auditorydisplays00greg |url-access=registration |date=1994 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |isbn=978-0201626049}}
External links
- [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/hear-sounds-of-the-sea-in-sonifications Sounds of the Sea] at NASA.gov
- [https://sonification.design/ Data sonification archive] - See (and hear) several examples of data sonification
- [https://www.icad.org/websiteV2.0/Conferences/ICAD96/proc96/lodha.htm Data sonification toolkit] from the University of Santa Cruz
Category:Data and information visualization