We are very happy to introduce the first EcoHacK – a free 3-day hands-on workshop on ecological sound recording analysis that will be held at the University of Stirling, Scotland.
With the advent of low-cost passive detectors and the recent development of new acoustic sampling methods, the collection of ecological sounds in the field has gained momentum amongst researchers and practitioners worldwide to answer key ecological questions. The analysis of sound recordings was traditionally done manually but quickly became a time-consuming process. To overcome this issue, acoustic indices have recently been developed to summarize the sonic environment. Furthermore, the use of sound recognition algorithms based on machine learning now allows to discriminate with high confidence specific sounds of interest. As these modern techniques are evolving rapidly, this workshop will provide an opportunity to work collaboratively on projects (hackathon format), learn, discuss, and exchange on state of the art methods in eco-acoustics.
The main objectives of EcoHacK are to:
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bring together students, early-career, postdoctoral and senior researchers as well as key stakeholders (e.g. charities and private sector bodies) interested in sound recognition, bioacoustic, and soundscape ecology,
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foster links and collaboration between institutions and across disciplines, as well as encouraging dialogue between the academic and private sector,
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discuss, exchange, and share experiences and best practices in sound recording analysis,
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explore novel ways of linking acoustic data with environmental variables at different spatiotemporal scales.
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work collaboratively on eco-acoustics projects in an intensive, focused three days long “hackathon” format.
There are two ways to participate to EcoHacK :
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Propose a project idea at registration (see examples below) and find your teammates during Day 1.
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Join a project during Day 1.
All projects will be introduced during the “Project Pitch” session during Day 1, and on the afternoon on Day 3, all projects will present the work done during EcoHacK. Moreover, there will be opportunities to talk about any ecoacoustic-related topics during Blitz talks.
Examples of projects / themes :
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Using ecoacoustic indices to characterize biodiversity in field recordings
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Machine learning datasets and models for species identification using sound
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Visualization of large ecoacoustics recordings databases
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Statistics and machine learning in ecoacoustics
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Work on specific datasets / research questions
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Create a tutorial on specific methods / toolboxes / …
Feel free to propose your own idea!
Dr Jeremy Froidevaux, University of Stirling, UK. Jeremy is a Leverhulme early-career research fellow at the University of Stirling, Scotland. He is a conservation biologist with broad interests in wildlife ecology and conservation. Using emergent bioacoustic methods, his research focuses on assessing the impacts of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity, especially bats, birds, and recently bees.
Dr Nicolas Farrugia, IMT Atlantique, France. Nicolas is an assistant professor at IMT Atlantique, an elite technical university in France. His research interests include developing innovative methods to better understand Sounds and the Brain using modern machine learning and deep learning.