Evolving from xSonify: a new digital platform for sonorization

Abstract

In general, Space Sciences data exploration is thought to be suitable for people who do not have Neurological Disorders (ND) that may impair reading (RI), and are not blind or visually impaired (BVI). Data exploration methods used in these fields are generally visual, and do not provide the accessibility to allow full participation of blind and visually impaired individuals in the field. This has been the case even after evidence that sound increases the sensitivity to events in data that would otherwise be undetected. A set of tools that guarantees a thorough data inspection, and assures the access to the same amount and quality of information to all, is useful for everyone. The present project, devoted to design a new user centered software to produce audio-visual outputs from astrophysical data, integrates multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary astronomers, engineers, computer specialists, software designers, educators, disability specialists, bioengineers, neurobiologists, and sociologists, both blind and sighted, and addresses the topics of accessibility to astronomical data, The possibility of exploring the bibliographic databases (ADSABS, among others), creation of a new multimodal access prototype, creation of an accessible, user-centered (from back end to front end), human-computer interface suitable for collection, sonification and analysis of astrophysical data, and the efficiency, utility and effectiveness of the resource in different cultural environments and at different levels of expertise. In this contribution, we present the first results related to the creation and application of the techniques and tools proposed, taking into account that the focus of this research is on the knowledge in the field of physics and astrophysics, but can be scalable to other areas of human activity so that people with other learning styles can have "equal opportunities". Finally, this project is based on the premises of addressing the technical challenges in basic research to achieve the promised benefits of Big Data, which is of world-wide interest.

Personalised Presentation of Mathematics for Visually Impaired or Dyslexic Students: Challenges and Benefits

“…Other inclusive educational programs that are effective in teaching mathematics to visually impaired and dyslexic students include the Sonification Sandbox and the MathTrax (Garcia et al, 2019). These systems also focus on providing multiple means of representation and engagement to support diverse learners.…”

Kebermanfaat Adanya Sustainable Development Goals (Sdgs)

“…Selama beberapa dekade terakhir, beberapa cendekiawan semakin fokus pada analisis dan penelitian inovatif yang akan mengarah pada pertumbuhan materi di bidang kegiatan akademik ini (Garcia, Diaz-Merced, Casado, & Cancio, 2019). Hal ini sematamata ditunjukkan tidak hanya melalui penelusuran publikasi harian, tetapi juga dengan semakin banyaknya pusat penelitian dan pendidikan yang didirikan.…”

Sonification of TESS Data Validation Timeseries Files

“…Institutional projects like Astronify from the STScI [6], Sound from Around the Milky Way [7] and A Universe of Sound [8] from NASA's Chandra Xray Center, coexist with research teams developing compositions, studies and tools that contribute to establish the current state of the art in this topic. Works like CosMonic from the IAA-CSIC [9], Sonifcation of Dark Matter by Bonet et al [10], Sonifcation of the zCOSMOS Galaxy Dataset by Bardelli et al [11], Sonifcation of Planetary Orbits in Asteroid Belts by Quinton et al [12] and the revision of tools like x-sonify by Garcia et al [13] or Sonifcation Sandbox by Walker [14], leading to Highcharts Sonifcation Studio by Cantrell et al [15], are highlighted examples of what draws the international sonifcation landscape in which the proposal of this article could be framed.…”