Research Group Projects and Descriptions

The Ecology Media Group explores the potential of computational media as access point to natural systems and global ecology. We work to integrate digital signal processing technologies and networked communication infrastructures in providing a meaningful understanding of nature.

Broadcasting and recording bird vocalizations through cell-phone networks is a simple yet powerful idea with strong repercussions in conservation projects, born out of the need to automate and facilitate bird population surveys. Of concern is the broadcast quality bird-song analysis and synthesis that can leverage the cell channels for transmission. This work aims to extract environmental information from vocalization recordings through cell-phone networks.

Jazz music is difficult to analyze harmonically because it purposefully uses ambiguous harmonies during improvisation. This project aims to understand its harmony from the vantage of three levels: time-frequency analysis beyond the estimation of individual notes, understanding of chord sequences, and knowledge stemming from the broader context of jazz music. One measure of this project's success will be when the harmonic analysis can automatically generate a walking bass accompaniment.