Data governance for soundscape studies

Soundscape research involves a complex array of data types, as soundscapes are defined by how acoustic environments are perceived and experienced by individuals within specific contexts. These studies typically incorporate a variety of data, including acoustic measurements, psychometric evaluations (both qualitative and quantitative), such as assessments of loudness and sharpness, as well as visual data (images and videos), assessments of crowd density (evaluating both the number of individuals and their activities), and geospatial and temporal data (detailing location specifics, environmental conditions like temperature and humidity, and various times of day). The collection, analysis, and presentation of this data are crucial steps in the research process. This paper aims to describe the critical data governance issues and propose solutions for managing data in soundscape studies.