The noisy din of New York City has caused many sleepless nights, for visitors and longtime residents alike. According to the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, nine out of ten New Yorkers experience noise levels above those considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fortunately, CDS’ Juan Bello and Claudio Silva are harnessing the city’s racket as a vast soundscape of data so that we can monitor the acoustic environments in different neighborhoods. By gathering sound data, Bello and Silva’s “Sounds of New York City,” or SONYC, hopes to help the city manage its noise.
“Noise pollution is one of the topmost quality of life issues for urban residents in the U.S. with proven effects on health, education, the economy, and the environment,” Bello explained in an interview with NYU’s Steinhardt school.
The first phase of SONYC has recently been put into action. Having installed microphones and sensors outside several NYU buildings, they are currently recording audio snippets at random intervals to capture the soundscape of the Washington Square Park.
The project’s next phase is to analyze the audio snippets with machine-listening software to identify particular sounds, such as sirens or barks. After learning how to distinguish different sounds, the microphones will then be able to recognize the same sounds when they occur elsewhere in the city. An interdisciplinary research team of experts in acoustics, machine listening, digital media, machine learning, data analysis and visualization will also use the sound data to produce aural maps and statistical reports on sound levels, types, patterns, and variations across time.
SONYC’s end goal is to become a “noise mission control” that can assist government officials and city agencies to combat noise pollution. For example, the system could assist in confirming 311 noise complaints, or identify hotspots of noise pollution that require more urgent intervention.
You can learn more about exciting work that our CDS experts are doing with SONYC for our city and its people in The New York Times and The Economist.