[1] Auditory perception has advantages in temporal, spatial, amplitude, and frequency resolution that open possibilities as an alternative or complement to visualization techniques.
For example, studies show it is difficult, but essential, to provide adequate context for interpreting sonifications of data.
In 1913, Dr. Edmund Fournier d'Albe of University of Birmingham invented the optophone, which used selenium photosensors to detect black print and convert it into an audible output.
In 1970, Nonesuch Records released a new electronic music composition by the American composer Charles Dodge, "The Earth's Magnetic Field."
[7] They augmented a scatterplot using sounds that varied along frequency, spectral content, and amplitude modulation dimensions to use in classification.
In early 1982 Sara Bly of the University of California, Davis, released two publications - with examples - of her work on the use of computer-generated sound to present data.
Among other things, her studies and the accompanying examples compared the properties between visual and aural presentation, demonstrating that "Sound offers and enhancement and an alternative to graphic tools."
ICAD has since become a home for researchers from many different disciplines interested in the use of sound to convey information through its conference and peer-reviewed proceedings.
[14] In May 2022, NASA reported the sonification (converting astronomical data associated with pressure waves into sound) of the black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster.
As the area of sonification is still considered to be in its infancy, current studies are working towards determining the best set of sound components to vary in different situations.