Sonophenology: A Tangible Interface for Sonification of Geo-Spatial Phenological Data at Multiple Time-scales

Abstract

Phenology is the study of periodic biological processes, such as when plants flower and birds arrive in the spring. In this paper we sonify phenology data and control the sonification process through a tangible interface consisting of a physical paper map and tracking of fiducial markers. The designed interface enables one or more users to concurrently specify point and range queries in both time and space and receive immediate sonic feedback. This system can be used to study and explore the effects of climate change, both as tool to be used by scientists, and as a way to educate members of the general public.