Acoustic sensors enable efficient and non-invasive monitoring of a wide range of species, including many that are difficult to monitor in other ways. Although they were initially limited in application scope largely due to cost and hardware constraints, the development of low-cost, open-source models like the Audiomoth in recent years has increased access immensely and opened up new avenues of research. For example, some teams are using them to identify illicit human activities through the detection of associated sounds, like gunshots, vehicles, or chainsaws (e.g. OpenEars).
With this relatively novel dimension of wildlife monitoring rapidly advancing in both marine and terrestrial systems, it is crucial that we identify and share information about the utility and constraints of these sensors to inform efforts. A recent study identified advancements in hardware and machine learning applications, as well as early development of acoustic biodiversity indicators, as factors facilitating progress in the field. In terms of limitations, the authors highlight insufficient reference sound libraries, a lack of open-source audio processing tools, and a need for standardization of survey and analysis protocols. They also stress the importance of collaboration in moving forward, which is precisely what this group will aim to facilitate.
If you're new to acoustic monitoring and want to get up to speed on the basics, check out these beginner's resources and conversations from across the WILDLABS platform:
Three Resources for Beginners:
- Listening to Nature: The Emerging Field of Bioacoustics, Adam Welz
- Ecoacoustics and Biodiversity Monitoring, RSEC Journal
- Monitoring Ecosystems through Sound: The Present and Future of Passive Acoustics, Ella Browning and Rory Gibb
Three Forum Threads for Beginners:
- AudioMoth user guide | Tessa Rhinehart
- Audiomoth and Natterjack Monitoring (UK) | Stuart Newson
- Help with analysing bat recordings from Audiomoth | Carlos Abrahams
Three Tutorials for Beginners:
- "How do I perform automated recordings of bird assemblages?" | Carlos Abrahams, Tech Tutors
- "How do I scale up acoustic surveys with Audiomoths and automated processing?" | Tessa Rhinehart, Tech Tutors
- Acoustic Monitoring | David Watson, Ruby Lee, Andy Hill, and Dimitri Ponirakis, Virtual Meetups
Want to know more about acoustic monitoring and learn from experts in the WILDLABS community? Jump into the discussion in our Acoustic Monitoring group!
Header image: Carly Batist
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Building a community of AI professionals working on the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Frontier Labs
Creators of seriously good bioacoustic recorders. Celebrating 10 years of excellence in bioacoustic tech in 2021
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- @Antonio.A.Ferraz
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Scientist interested in integrating remotely sensed habitat characterization with animal movement and acoustics datasets for conservation applications. Working at JPL and UCLA-IoES affliated
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Conservationist with a focus restoration ecology/rewilding and botany, a keen birder and at the moment exploring the wonders of Papua New Guinea
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Zoological Society London (ZSL)
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Wildlife Logistics
Ecologist / Business Management
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Leveraging big data to solve hard, open ended and socially impactful problems| Ex - Palantir
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Professor. Ecological Risk Assessment.
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- @PhilAtkin
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Embedded software developer of 40+ years experience, hardware designer.
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- @ana-alcantara
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Postgraduate Biology student interested in bioacoustics, conservation biology and biodiversity
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Hi everyone, I am currently working on the vocal repertoire of an Amazon turtle species and would appreciate if someone would be open... |
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Acoustics | 2 months 2 weeks ago | |
Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our conversation, and I truly appreciate your support in spreading the word about my survey... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation | 2 months 3 weeks ago | |
I heard it through industry chatter but can't find a news release on it yet. |
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Acoustics | 2 months 3 weeks ago | |
Hi everyone,I posted this mystery recording to Twitter already, but perhaps this forum will have more ideas... Over the years, my lab... |
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Acoustics | 2 months 3 weeks ago | |
Hi Danilo. you seem very passionate about this initiative which is a good start.It is an interesting coincidence that I am starting another project for the coral reefs in the... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Biologging, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Community Base, Connectivity, Drones, Emerging Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Sensors, Software and Mobile Apps, Wildlife Crime | 3 months 2 weeks ago | |
Hi Teresa, Thanks for your interest in Arbimon! The platform has a couple different analysis tools that range from unsupervised (like audio event detection & clustering,... |
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Acoustics | 3 months 3 weeks ago | |
Hi Francesca! Did you managed this problem somehow? Can you post the workflow or the solution that worked for you? |
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Acoustics | 3 months 3 weeks ago | |
Real nice video. I'll have another look in the weekend in detail. |
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Acoustics, Community Base, Protected Area Management Tools, Remote Sensing & GIS, Sensors | 3 months 3 weeks ago | |
When it comes to long-range communication in the jungle, it can be challenging due to the dense vegetation that can obstruct radio waves.... |
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Acoustics, Connectivity | 3 months 4 weeks ago | |
I would recommend going with Ubiquity 2.4Ghz devices which have performed relatively well in dense foliage of the California Redwood forests. It took a lot of tweaking to... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Connectivity, Open Source Solutions | 3 months 4 weeks ago | |
Thank you @carlybatist |
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Acoustics | 3 months 4 weeks ago | |
Let me introduce my Citibats Cambodia project (inaturalist.org/projects/citibats-cambodia) hosted on iNaturalist. At the moment we have... |
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Acoustics | 3 months 4 weeks ago |