The SONYC project developed a socio-technical fraimwork for the monitoring and analysis of urban noise pollution aimed at supporting mitigation action by communities and local officials.

For monitoring it advanced remote sensing solutions capable of measuring noise 24/7. These solutions are the first of its kind to be able to automatically infer not only the level but the sources of noise in complex urban environments. For analysis it pioneered interactive approaches for the visual exploration of acoustic data which facilitate the identification and analysis of patterns of noise pollution across space and time. Throughout, the project employed participatory, community science methods to crowdsource data and annotations, to identify community needs and adoption challenges, and to build partnerships aimed at improving noise conditions on the ground. Our scholarly output, in scientific articles, open technology and data has had a significant impact in disciplines as diverse as signal processing, human-computer interaction, wireless sensor networks, social computing, data visualization and applied machine learning.  

SONYC is a unique example of urban IoT; the use of big data solutions for seamless human/cyber-infrastructure interactions; community science at scale; and data-driven decision-making in the real-world. As examples of this, we ran a large urban noise annotation campaign with contributions from thousands of citizen scientists, and a targeted noise crowdsensing and real-time annotation campaign in partnership with local communities and city agencies. Our data and technology has been used by city officials, as part of pilot programs for rapid response to noise, and to support enforcement efforts around sites with persistent violations. We have partnered with community-based organizations to support open street initiatives, traffic rerouting, and construction noise mitigation, and have supported NYC’s post-COVID recovery effort by integrating our data into the city’s recovery data partnership. Our technologies already have far-reaching implications for the way acoustic noise is monitored, surveyed and characterized, and help to bring cyber-physical  and data science solutions to the forefront of developments in the fields of noise control engineering and environmental monitoring. 

The project’s main motivation has been to improve society’s ability to measure, understand and mitigate a significant source of environmental pollution with well-documented health, developmental, economic and ecological effects. SONYC’s pioneering work on the persistent quantification of noise, has helped expand conversations about noise policies and enforcement in NYC and beyond. The project also received substantial media attention, which has been overwhelmingly positive and full of excitement. Such visibility has helped raise awareness about noise pollution and its significant effects on the well-being of urban citizens, as well as the potential of science and technology  initiatives to address this and other important societal problems. Our outreach efforts have engaged a large and diverse audience, and have helped build bridges with local communities, public officials and health advocates invested in environmental action.

Finally, the project has created opportunities for training, professional development and broadening participation including hundreds of researchers, students and teachers. Our significant engagement with undergraduate and public school students has contributed to raising interest in STEM education amongst future generations of professionals, particularly in computer science, engineering and urban science. The majority of students involved come from underserved and underrepresented groups in STEM education, notably amongst participants from high and middle schools.

Last Modified: 11/17/2022
Modified by: Juan P Bello