14 results on '"Diaz-Merced, Wanda"'
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2. A New Approach to Sonification of Astrophysical Data: The User Centred Design of SonoUno
- Author
-
Casado, Johanna, García, Beatriz, Gandhi, Poshak, and Díaz-Merced, Wanda
- Subjects
Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Computer Science - Human-Computer Interaction ,Physics - Physics Education - Abstract
Even when actual technologies present the potential to augment inclusion and the United Nations has been stablished the digital access to information as a human right, people with disabilities continuously faced barriers in their profession. In many cases, in sciences, the lack of accessible and user centred tools left behind researches with disabilities and not facilitate them to conduct front-line research by using their respective strengths. In this contribution, we discuss some hurdles and solutions relevant for using new technology for data analysis, analysing the barriers found by final users. A focus group session was conducted with nine people with and without visual impairment, using the tool sonoUno with one linear function and an astronomical data set downloaded from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. As a result of the focus group study, incorporating data analysis using sonification, we conclude that functionally diverse people require tools to be autonomous, thereby enabling precision, certainty, effectiveness and efficiency in their work, resulting in enhanced equity. This can be achieved by pursuing a user-centred design approach as integral to software development, and by adapting resources according to the research objectives. Development of tools that empower people with wide-ranging abilities to not only access data using multi-sensorial techniques, but also address the current lack of inclusion, is sorely needed., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 1 table
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Citizen Science for All?
- Author
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Unterfrauner, Elisabeth, Fabian, Claudia M., Casado, Johanna, de la Vega, Gonzalo, Garcia, Beatriz, Díaz-Merced, Wanda, Goos, Gerhard, Founding Editor, Hartmanis, Juris, Founding Editor, Bertino, Elisa, Editorial Board Member, Gao, Wen, Editorial Board Member, Steffen, Bernhard, Editorial Board Member, Woeginger, Gerhard, Editorial Board Member, Yung, Moti, Editorial Board Member, Antona, Margherita, editor, and Stephanidis, Constantine, editor
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Sound for the exploration of space physics data
- Author
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Diaz Merced, Wanda Liz
- Subjects
006.4 ,QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science ,QB Astronomy - Abstract
Current analysis techniques for space physics 2D numerical data are based on scruti-nising the data with the eyes. Space physics data sets acquired from the natural lab of the interstellar medium may contain events that may be masked by noise making it difficult to identify. This thesis presents research on the use of sound as an adjunct to current data visualisation techniques to explore, analyse and augment signatures in space physics data. This research presents a new sonification technique to decom-pose a space physics data set into different components (frequency, oscillatory modes, etc…) of interest, and its use as an adjunct to data visualisation to explore and analyse space science data sets which are characterised by non-linearity (a system which does not satisfy the superposition principle, or whose output is not propor-tional to its input). Integrating aspects of multisensory perceptualization, human at tention mechanisms, the question addressed by this dissertation is: Does sound used as an adjunct to current data visualisation, augment the perception of signatures in space physics data masked by noise? To answer this question, the following additional questions had to be answered: a) Is sound used as an adjunct to visualisation effective in increasing sensi-tivity to signals occurring at attended, unattended, unexpected locations, extended in space, when the occurrence of the signal is in presence of a dynamically changing competing cognitive load (noise), that makes the signal visually ambiguous? b) How can multimodal perceptualization (sound as an adjunct to visualisa-tion) and attention control mechanisms, be combined to help allocate at-tention to identify visually ambiguous signals? One aim of these questions is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of sound to-gether with visual display to increase sensitivity to signal detection in presence of visual noise in the data as compared to visual display only. Radio, particle, wave and high energy data is explored using a sonification technique developed as part of this research. The sonification technique developed as part of this research, its application and re-sults are numerically validated and presented. This thesis presents the results of three experiments and results of a training experiment. In all the 4 experiments, the volun-teers were using sound as an adjunct to data visualisation to identify changes in graphical visual and audio representations and these results are compared with those of using audio rendering only and visual rendering only. In the first experiment audio rendering did not result in significant benefits when used alone or with a visual display. With the second and third experiments, the audio as an adjunct to visual rendering became significant when a fourth cue was added to the spectra. The fourth cue con-sisted of a red line sweeping across the visual display at the rate the sound was played, to synchronise the audio and visual present. The results prove that a third congruent multimodal stimulus in synchrony with the sound helps space scientists identify events masked by noise in 2D data. Results of training experiments are reported.
- Published
- 2013
5. Evolving from xSonify: a new digital platform for sonorization
- Author
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Garcia Beatriz, Diaz-Merced Wanda, Casado Johanna, and Cancio Angel
- Subjects
Physics ,QC1-999 - Abstract
In general, Space Sciences data exploration is thought to be suitable for people who do not have Neurological Disorders (ND) that may impair reading (RI), and are not blind or visually impaired (BVI). Data exploration methods used in these fields are generally visual, and do not provide the accessibility to allow full participation of blind and visually impaired individuals in the field. This has been the case even after evidence that sound increases the sensitivity to events in data that would otherwise be undetected. A set of tools that guarantees a thorough data inspection, and assures the access to the same amount and quality of information to all, is useful for everyone. The present project, devoted to design a new user centered software to produce audio-visual outputs from astrophysical data, integrates multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary astronomers, engineers, computer specialists, software designers, educators, disability specialists, bioengineers, neurobiologists, and sociologists, both blind and sighted, and addresses the topics of accessibility to astronomical data, The possibility of exploring the bibliographic databases (ADSABS, among others), creation of a new multimodal access prototype, creation of an accessible, user-centered (from back end to front end), human-computer interface suitable for collection, sonification and analysis of astrophysical data, and the efficiency, utility and effectiveness of the resource in different cultural environments and at different levels of expertise. In this contribution, we present the first results related to the creation and application of the techniques and tools proposed, taking into account that the focus of this research is on the knowledge in the field of physics and astrophysics, but can be scalable to other areas of human activity so that people with other learning styles can have "equal opportunities". Finally, this project is based on the premises of addressing the technical challenges in basic research to achieve the promised benefits of Big Data, which is of world-wide interest.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. LightSound: The Sound of An Eclipse.
- Author
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Bieryla, Allyson, Hyman, Sóley, Garcia, Beatriz, Diaz-Merced, Wanda, Iribarren, Paulina Troncoso, Labbe, Erika, and Davis, Daniel
- Subjects
SOLAR eclipses ,ECLIPSES ,PYTHON programming language ,PEOPLE with visual disabilities ,DATA recorders & recording ,BLIND people - Abstract
LightSound was originally developed as a tool for the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community to experience events, like solar eclipses, live. LightSound is a handheld device, built with Arduino components, that converts light into sound via a light sensor and MIDI board. It has an audio jack to output sound and can connect to a computer to record data via Python scripts. The software and instructions for assembly and use are open source and available online in English and Spanish. Through an IAU100 Special Project Grant, 21 LightSounds were distributed to schools, research centres and museums across Argentina and Chile that hosted events for the July 2019 solar eclipse. These events, which reached tens of thousands of people, were accessible to BVI observers with the help of the LightSound. The devices will also be used for the December 2020 South American eclipse. We discuss the highlights of the project and our future plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
7. Evolving from xSonify: a new digital platform for sonorization.
- Author
-
Deustua, S., Eastwood, K., ten Kate, I.L., Garcia, Beatriz, Diaz-Merced, Wanda, Casado, Johanna, and Cancio, Angel
- Subjects
SPACE sciences ,INTERDISCIPLINARY education ,ASTRONOMERS ,HUMAN-computer interaction - Abstract
In general, Space Sciences data exploration is thought to be suitable for people who do not have Neurological Disorders (ND) that may impair reading (RI), and are not blind or visually impaired (BVI). Data exploration methods used in these fields are generally visual, and do not provide the accessibility to allow full participation of blind and visually impaired individuals in the field. This has been the case even after evidence that sound increases the sensitivity to events in data that would otherwise be undetected. A set of tools that guarantees a thorough data inspection, and assures the access to the same amount and quality of information to all, is useful for everyone. The present project, devoted to design a new user centered software to produce audio-visual outputs from astrophysical data, integrates multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary astronomers, engineers, computer specialists, software designers, educators, disability specialists, bioengineers, neurobiologists, and sociologists, both blind and sighted, and addresses the topics of accessibility to astronomical data, The possibility of exploring the bibliographic databases (ADSABS, among others), creation of a new multimodal access prototype, creation of an accessible, user-centered (from back end to front end), human-computer interface suitable for collection, sonification and analysis of astrophysical data, and the efficiency, utility and effectiveness of the resource in different cultural environments and at different levels of expertise. In this contribution, we present the first results related to the creation and application of the techniques and tools proposed, taking into account that the focus of this research is on the knowledge in the field of physics and astrophysics, but can be scalable to other areas of human activity so that people with other learning styles can have "equal opportunities". Finally, this project is based on the premises of addressing the technical challenges in basic research to achieve the promised benefits of Big Data, which is of world-wide interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Sound for the exploration of space physics data
- Author
-
Diaz Merced, Wanda L.
- Subjects
QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science ,QB Astronomy - Abstract
Current analysis techniques for space physics 2D numerical data are based on scruti-nising the data with the eyes. Space physics data sets acquired from the natural lab of the interstellar medium may contain events that may be masked by noise making it difficult to identify. This thesis presents research on the use of sound as an adjunct to current data visualisation techniques to explore, analyse and augment signatures in space physics data. This research presents a new sonification technique to decom-pose a space physics data set into different components (frequency, oscillatory modes, etc…) of interest, and its use as an adjunct to data visualisation to explore and analyse space science data sets which are characterised by non-linearity (a system which does not satisfy the superposition principle, or whose output is not propor-tional to its input). Integrating aspects of multisensory perceptualization, human at tention mechanisms, the question addressed by this dissertation is: Does sound used as an adjunct to current data visualisation, augment the perception of signatures in space physics data masked by noise? To answer this question, the following additional questions had to be answered: a) Is sound used as an adjunct to visualisation effective in increasing sensi-tivity to signals occurring at attended, unattended, unexpected locations, extended in space, when the occurrence of the signal is in presence of a dynamically changing competing cognitive load (noise), that makes the signal visually ambiguous? b) How can multimodal perceptualization (sound as an adjunct to visualisa-tion) and attention control mechanisms, be combined to help allocate at-tention to identify visually ambiguous signals? One aim of these questions is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of sound to-gether with visual display to increase sensitivity to signal detection in presence of visual noise in the data as compared to visual display only. Radio, particle, wave and high energy data is explored using a sonification technique developed as part of this research. The sonification technique developed as part of this research, its application and re-sults are numerically validated and presented. This thesis presents the results of three experiments and results of a training experiment. In all the 4 experiments, the volun-teers were using sound as an adjunct to data visualisation to identify changes in graphical visual and audio representations and these results are compared with those of using audio rendering only and visual rendering only. In the first experiment audio rendering did not result in significant benefits when used alone or with a visual display. With the second and third experiments, the audio as an adjunct to visual rendering became significant when a fourth cue was added to the spectra. The fourth cue con-sisted of a red line sweeping across the visual display at the rate the sound was played, to synchronise the audio and visual present. The results prove that a third congruent multimodal stimulus in synchrony with the sound helps space scientists identify events masked by noise in 2D data. Results of training experiments are reported.
- Published
- 2013
9. Sonification of Astronomical Data
- Author
-
Diaz-Merced, Wanda L., primary, Candey, Robert M., additional, Brickhouse, Nancy, additional, Schneps, Matthew, additional, Mannone, John C., additional, Brewster, Stephen, additional, and Kolenberg, Katrien, additional
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. The sounds of science
- Author
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Diaz Merced, Wanda, primary
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. Sound for the exploration of space physics data
- Author
-
Diaz Merced, Wanda L. and Diaz Merced, Wanda L.
- Abstract
Current analysis techniques for space physics 2D numerical data are based on scruti-nising the data with the eyes. Space physics data sets acquired from the natural lab of the interstellar medium may contain events that may be masked by noise making it difficult to identify. This thesis presents research on the use of sound as an adjunct to current data visualisation techniques to explore, analyse and augment signatures in space physics data. This research presents a new sonification technique to decom-pose a space physics data set into different components (frequency, oscillatory modes, etc…) of interest, and its use as an adjunct to data visualisation to explore and analyse space science data sets which are characterised by non-linearity (a system which does not satisfy the superposition principle, or whose output is not propor-tional to its input). Integrating aspects of multisensory perceptualization, human at tention mechanisms, the question addressed by this dissertation is: Does sound used as an adjunct to current data visualisation, augment the perception of signatures in space physics data masked by noise? To answer this question, the following additional questions had to be answered: a) Is sound used as an adjunct to visualisation effective in increasing sensi-tivity to signals occurring at attended, unattended, unexpected locations, extended in space, when the occurrence of the signal is in presence of a dynamically changing competing cognitive load (noise), that makes the signal visually ambiguous? b) How can multimodal perceptualization (sound as an adjunct to visualisa-tion) and attention control mechanisms, be combined to help allocate at-tention to identify visually ambiguous signals? One aim of these questions is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of sound to-gether with visual display to increase sensitivity to signal detection in presence of visual noise in the data as compared to visual display only. Radio, particle, wave and high energy
12. Sound for the exploration of space physics data
- Author
-
Diaz Merced, Wanda L. and Diaz Merced, Wanda L.
- Abstract
Current analysis techniques for space physics 2D numerical data are based on scruti-nising the data with the eyes. Space physics data sets acquired from the natural lab of the interstellar medium may contain events that may be masked by noise making it difficult to identify. This thesis presents research on the use of sound as an adjunct to current data visualisation techniques to explore, analyse and augment signatures in space physics data. This research presents a new sonification technique to decom-pose a space physics data set into different components (frequency, oscillatory modes, etc…) of interest, and its use as an adjunct to data visualisation to explore and analyse space science data sets which are characterised by non-linearity (a system which does not satisfy the superposition principle, or whose output is not propor-tional to its input). Integrating aspects of multisensory perceptualization, human at tention mechanisms, the question addressed by this dissertation is: Does sound used as an adjunct to current data visualisation, augment the perception of signatures in space physics data masked by noise? To answer this question, the following additional questions had to be answered: a) Is sound used as an adjunct to visualisation effective in increasing sensi-tivity to signals occurring at attended, unattended, unexpected locations, extended in space, when the occurrence of the signal is in presence of a dynamically changing competing cognitive load (noise), that makes the signal visually ambiguous? b) How can multimodal perceptualization (sound as an adjunct to visualisa-tion) and attention control mechanisms, be combined to help allocate at-tention to identify visually ambiguous signals? One aim of these questions is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of sound to-gether with visual display to increase sensitivity to signal detection in presence of visual noise in the data as compared to visual display only. Radio, particle, wave and high energy
13. Sound for the exploration of space physics data
- Author
-
Diaz Merced, Wanda L. and Diaz Merced, Wanda L.
- Abstract
Current analysis techniques for space physics 2D numerical data are based on scruti-nising the data with the eyes. Space physics data sets acquired from the natural lab of the interstellar medium may contain events that may be masked by noise making it difficult to identify. This thesis presents research on the use of sound as an adjunct to current data visualisation techniques to explore, analyse and augment signatures in space physics data. This research presents a new sonification technique to decom-pose a space physics data set into different components (frequency, oscillatory modes, etc…) of interest, and its use as an adjunct to data visualisation to explore and analyse space science data sets which are characterised by non-linearity (a system which does not satisfy the superposition principle, or whose output is not propor-tional to its input). Integrating aspects of multisensory perceptualization, human at tention mechanisms, the question addressed by this dissertation is: Does sound used as an adjunct to current data visualisation, augment the perception of signatures in space physics data masked by noise? To answer this question, the following additional questions had to be answered: a) Is sound used as an adjunct to visualisation effective in increasing sensi-tivity to signals occurring at attended, unattended, unexpected locations, extended in space, when the occurrence of the signal is in presence of a dynamically changing competing cognitive load (noise), that makes the signal visually ambiguous? b) How can multimodal perceptualization (sound as an adjunct to visualisa-tion) and attention control mechanisms, be combined to help allocate at-tention to identify visually ambiguous signals? One aim of these questions is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of sound to-gether with visual display to increase sensitivity to signal detection in presence of visual noise in the data as compared to visual display only. Radio, particle, wave and high energy
14. Sound for the exploration of space physics data
- Author
-
Diaz Merced, Wanda L. and Diaz Merced, Wanda L.
- Abstract
Current analysis techniques for space physics 2D numerical data are based on scruti-nising the data with the eyes. Space physics data sets acquired from the natural lab of the interstellar medium may contain events that may be masked by noise making it difficult to identify. This thesis presents research on the use of sound as an adjunct to current data visualisation techniques to explore, analyse and augment signatures in space physics data. This research presents a new sonification technique to decom-pose a space physics data set into different components (frequency, oscillatory modes, etc…) of interest, and its use as an adjunct to data visualisation to explore and analyse space science data sets which are characterised by non-linearity (a system which does not satisfy the superposition principle, or whose output is not propor-tional to its input). Integrating aspects of multisensory perceptualization, human at tention mechanisms, the question addressed by this dissertation is: Does sound used as an adjunct to current data visualisation, augment the perception of signatures in space physics data masked by noise? To answer this question, the following additional questions had to be answered: a) Is sound used as an adjunct to visualisation effective in increasing sensi-tivity to signals occurring at attended, unattended, unexpected locations, extended in space, when the occurrence of the signal is in presence of a dynamically changing competing cognitive load (noise), that makes the signal visually ambiguous? b) How can multimodal perceptualization (sound as an adjunct to visualisa-tion) and attention control mechanisms, be combined to help allocate at-tention to identify visually ambiguous signals? One aim of these questions is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of sound to-gether with visual display to increase sensitivity to signal detection in presence of visual noise in the data as compared to visual display only. Radio, particle, wave and high energy
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