This page is an archive of acoustic data used in testing soundscape_IR — an open-source Python toolbox dedicated to soundscape information retrieval. Two datasets, one is associated with tropical forest soundscape and another one is associated with subtropical estuarine soundscape, are provided.
Tropical Forest Soundscape
Recorder deployment and configuration
This dataset is a collection of tropical forest recordings that contain the rutting vocalizations of sika deer (Cervus nippon) and sounds produced by diverse soniferous species. Rutting vocalizations play a crucial role in the breeding behavior of sika deer and vary among individuals. To monitor the population status and behavior of sika deer at Sheding Nature Park, Pingtung, Taiwan (21°58′02.7′′N, 120°49′02.4′′E), one Song Meter SM4 acoustic recorder (Wildlife Acoustics Inc., Maynard, MA, USA) was fixed on a tree at 1.5 m above the ground on November 18, 2017. The recorder was scheduled to run one 5-min recording every 15 min, with a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz.
Data structure
The SM4 recorder generated uncompressed audio files (WAV format) with two channels. The file name contains information associated with recording site and beginning time of each recording (site_yyyymmdd_HHMMSS.wav). For example, KT08_20171118_011500.wav represents the recording obtained from the site KT08, the beginning time is November 18, 2017 at 01:15. Audio recordings were collected by Shih-Ching Yen and Tzu-Hao Lin.
Subtropical Estuary Soundscape
Recorder deployment and configuration
This dataset features the underwater recordings of a subtropical estuary in western Taiwan waters. Estuaries support diverse marine species, including many soniferous fish and marine mammals. Listening to estuary soundscapes can help assess soniferous communities and anthropogenic activities. From August 26 to August 27, 2018, two recording sites were established in Chunggang River Estuary, Taiwan. The first site was located in shallow water where the mean depth was 9 m (24°40′48.4′′N, 120°49′07.1′′E), whereas the second site was located in relatively deep water where the mean water depth was 17.5 m (24°41′32.3′′N 120°48′48.8′′E). The distance between the two sites was approximately 1.5 km. At each site, one SoundTrap ST300 HF recorder (Ocean Instruments, Auckland, New Zealand) was bottom-mounted 1 m above the seafloor and scheduled to record sounds every 5 min using a sampling frequency of 192 kHz.
Data structure
Two folders were provided, one for the audio recordings collected from the inshore site and another one for those collected from the offshore site. The SoundTrap recorder generated lossless compressed single-channel audio files (SUD format). SUD files were transformed into uncompressed WAV files by using the Soundtrap Host software (Ocean Instruments, NZ). The file name contains information associated with the serial number of a recorder and beginning time of each recording (SN.yymmddHHMMSS.wav). For example, 1208791070.180826091503.wav represents the recording obtained by using the Soundtrap #1208791070, the beginning time is August 26, 2018 at 09:15:03. The sensitivity is -179.2 dB re 1V/μPa for SoundTrap #1208791070, and -178.6 dB re 1V/μPa for SoundTrap #1207963682. Audio recordings were collected by Observer Ecological Consultant.
Associated Publication
Sun, Y.-J., Yen, S.-C., Lin, T.-H. (2022) soundscape_IR: A source separation toolbox for exploring acoustic diversity in soundscapes. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 13: 2347-2355.
