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Project Overview

The “Accessible Oceans” AISL Pilots and Feasibility study aims to inclusively design auditory displays that support perception and understanding of ocean data in informal learning environments (ILEs). In this two-year project, we will leverage existing curated ocean datasets, known as “Data Nuggets”, from the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative to produce and evaluate the feasibility of using integrated auditory displays to communicate tiered learning objectives of oceanographic principles. Displays will be comprised of data sonification and contextual audio supports. Their development will be informed through a user centered design process that will include ocean science experts, visually impaired students and adults (and their teachers), and design-oriented undergraduate and graduate students.

Want to cite the project?

Project Citation
Bower, A., J. Bellona, J. Roberts, and L.M. Smith. 2021. Accessible Oceans: Exploring Ocean Data through Sound. National Science Foundation Grant #2115751. https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2115751&HistoricalAwards=false

Website Citation
Bower, A., J. Bellona, J. Roberts, and L.M. Smith. 2021. Accessible Oceans: Exploring Ocean Data through Sound, Project Website. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and National Science Foundation Grant #2115751. https://accessibleoceans.whoi.edu/

Funding Agencies

The National Science Foundation under grant number 2115751 funded this research.

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Partners/Collaborators

This is a joint project with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Oregon, Georgia Tech, and Your Ocean Consulting, LLC.

Publications

Articles

Smith, L.M., A. Bower, J. Roberts, J. Bellona, and H. Li. 2023. Expanding access to ocean science through inclusively designed data sonifications. Oceanography 36(4), https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.124

Conference Proceedings

Roberts, J., Lowy, R., Li, H., Bellona, J., Smith, L., & Bower, A. (2023). Breaking down the visual barrier: Designing data interactions for the visually impaired in informal learning settings. In Damșa, C., Borge, M., Koh, E., & Worsley, M. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning - CSCL 2023 (pp. 253-256). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://doi.org/10.22318/cscl2023.104721

Huaigu Li, Jon Bellona, Leslie Smith, Amy Bower, and Jessica Roberts. 2023. “Let the Volcano Erupt!”: Designing Sonification to Make Oceanography Accessible for Blind and Low Vision Students in Museum Environment. In Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 79, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1145/3597638.3614482

Conference Presentations

Amy Bower, Leslie Smith, Jon Bellona, Jessica Roberts, Huaigu Li. (2023). Un-visualizing Complex Systems: Making Ocean Data Accessible through Auditory Displays. Gordon Research Conference on Visualization in Science and Education, Bates College, Lewiston, ME.

Amy Bower, Jon Bellona, Jessica Roberts, Leslie Smith (2022). Accessible Oceans: Exploring Ocean Data Through Sound. American Geophysical Union. Chicago, IL.

Project's auditory displays (files for use or citation)

Net flux of CO2 between Ocean and Atmosphere

Bellona J., A. Bower, L.M. Smith, J. Roberts, & H. Li. 2023. Accessible Oceans: Auditory Display. Net flux of CO2 between Ocean and Atmosphere (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8162769

Zooplankton Daily Vertical Migration Gets Eclipsed!

Jon Bellona, Amy Bower, Leslie Smith, Jessica Roberts, & Huaigu Li. (2023, July 21). Accessible Oceans: Auditory Display. Zooplankton Daily Vertical Migration Gets Eclipsed! (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8173914

Ocean Response to Extratropical Storm Hermine

Jon Bellona, Amy Bower, Leslie Smith, Jessica Roberts, & Huaigu Li. (2023, July 21). Accessible Oceans: Auditory Display. Ocean Response to Extratropical Storm Hermine (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8173880

Longterm Axial Seamount Inflation Record

Jon Bellona, Amy Bower, Leslie Smith, Jessica Roberts, & Huaigu Li. (2023, July 21). Accessible Oceans: Auditory Display. Longterm Axial Seamount Inflation Record (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8173859

2015 Axial Seamount Eruption

Jon Bellona, Amy Bower, Leslie Smith, Jessica Roberts, & Huaigu Li. (2023, July 21). Accessible Oceans: Auditory Display. 2015 Axial Seamount Eruption (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8173836

Data Sonification Wrapper Earcons

Jon Bellona, Amy Bower, Leslie Smith, Jessica Roberts, & Huaigu Li. (2022, February 3). Accessible Oceans: Data Sonification Wrapper Earcons (1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8176581

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