The British Library is initiating an interactive survey, UK SoundMap, launching as a regional trial in Sheffield. The survey will map the sounds of the acoustic landscape ('soundscape') and preserve the sounds of 2010 for the future. In collaboration with the Noise Futures Network and Audioboo, the British Library is embarking on a mass observation exercise to create a significant body of audio data for environment researchers.
The technology employed by the Audioboo recording application for smart phones gives the general public a chance to get involved with this innovative research project just by recording their surroundings and then describing them with simple tags and comments. The recordings and data will be retained permanently and made accessible to everyone for generations to come.
The recordings are generated as high quality audio files with GPS data embedded. These files will then be made available almost instantly on Audioboo FM as MP3 versions, which are also referenced on the Google map displayed on the British Library website.
With a pilot survey launching in July 2010, in the Sheffield area, extending to Barnsley, Doncaster, Chesterfield and the eastern margins of the Peak District National Park, the public are invited to record their surroundings and track what the UK really sounds like. Recordings will be studied by experts from the Noise Futures Network and stored in the British Library to create a permanent archive of everyday sounds for study. According to the experts, this type of database will be extremely valuable in understanding the type and distribution of various sounds in the environment. This survey launches with a view to expanding to a full national study later in the year.
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