dBWav: A software tool for analysing and viewing long-duration hydrophone measurements


Benjamin Lawrence


New Zealand Acoustics, 32(1), pp.4- 11 . (2019).

Abstract
Underwater noise surveys using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) typically involve deploying one or more hydrophones to measure underwater noise levels over periods ranging from several days to multiple weeks. The audio data obtained can often be several terabytes in size, particularly if the measurements contain high-frequency content. A common challenge is analysing and viewing this data quickly and efficiently. To address this issue, a software tool (dBWav) has been developed that pre-processes the raw audio and stores the key information in a much smaller data file, which can then be displayed and analysed in a simple interface. This software is intended to be a screening tool, allowing the user to locate periods/events of interest and export the necessary information in full resolution for reporting or further processing with other software.

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