Methods for automatically analyzing humpback song units

This paper presents mathematical techniques for automatically extracting and analyzing bioacoustic signals. Automatic techniques are described for isolation of target signals from background noise, extraction of features from target signals and unsupervised classification (clustering) of the target...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rickwood, P, Taylor, A
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10453/9314
Description
Summary:This paper presents mathematical techniques for automatically extracting and analyzing bioacoustic signals. Automatic techniques are described for isolation of target signals from background noise, extraction of features from target signals and unsupervised classification (clustering) of the target signals based on these features. The only user-provided inputs, other than raw sound, is an initial set of signal processing and control parameters. Of particular note is that the number of signal categories is determined automatically. The techniques, applied to hydrophone recordings of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), produce promising initial results, suggesting that they may be of use in automated analysis of not only humpbacks, but possibly also in other bioacoustic settings where automated analysis is desirable. © 2008 Acoustical Society of America.