Android-users asked to record din in noisiest Swiss city

The federal technology institute EPFL, a leading Swiss university, asked on Thursday Geneva-based android-users to record the noises around them with a new app so as to create a sound map providing researchers with data on the quality of life in the lakeside canton.

"We are trying to collect as many sound recordings made all over the Canton of Geneva as possible, both pleasant and unpleasant sounds," said Stephane Joost, a geographer at EPFL's Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems (LASIG), in a statement.

"Even nature sounds are useful, as they will help us learn more about the canton's biodiversity," he added.

EPFL explained that when the NoiseCapture app is installed, it calibrates the device's microphone so that all recordings, regardless of the smartphone used, are of a similar standard.

The app's recording function registers the number of decibels, frequencies, date, and time of the recording.

"We'll use an artificial intelligence-based algorithm to crunch the data. The more data people send in from all over the Canton of Geneva, the more accurate and meaningful the sound map will be," Joost explained.

According to studies, noise can be detrimental to people's health, causing heart problems, stress, insomnia, as well as hearing damage.

The Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) revealed in November last year that Geneva was the noisiest city in Switzerland, followed by Basel and Lausanne. Endit