Sound4All

The concept of soundscape, first introduced in the late 1960s, has evolved into an interdisciplinary field spanning acoustic ecology, engineering, and environmental psychology, among others. While the ISO 12913-1 standard defines soundscape as the acoustic environment as perceived by individuals in context, alternative use of the term from bioacoustics and ecoacoustics emphasize non-human sound sources, such as biophony and geophony. These separate tracks tackle the analyses of complex acoustic environments in different ways, missing out on the potential of synergy. Recent studies suggest that bridging these fields could enhance our understanding of soundscapes, particularly in natural environments, where sound contributes to both human well-being and biodiversity assessments. Soundscape for All aims to develop an integrated framework combining human-centered soundscape methodologies with bioacoustic and ecoacoustic approaches. The project focuses on the Italian Alps, leveraging ongoing biodiversity monitoring, human soundscape research, and state-of-the-art audiovisual testing facilities at University College London. Key objectives include assessing how psychoacoustic indices inform biodiversity insights, exploring how bioacoustic measures complement ISO/TS 12913-2 methods in visitor perception studies, and developing a unified framework for characterizing human and non-human soundscapes. The 36-month work plan includes a literature review (WP1), field monitoring via soundwalks in biomonitored mountain areas (WP2), data analysis (WP3), immersive listening tests at UCL (WP4), and framework development (WP5). Project dissemination and management are covered in WP6. The expected outcome is a globally applicable framework enhancing the characterization of soundscapes for human and ecological well-being in natural areas, aligning with the mission of the HEAD-Genuit Foundation to improve environmental noise analysis and public health.