Special Projects

The COVID-19 Sound Map

The COVID-19 Sound Map is a crowd-sourced project where the public is invited to consider everyday aural environments which have changed as a result of restrictions put in place around the world during the various periods of lockdown following the COVID-19 outbreak. The main aim of the project is to capture the sounds of a particular period of time, to document these sounds and preserve them on a Google Earth Web-based sound map which will be available in perpetuity so that these sounds can be (re-)listened to at any point in the future as a sonic memory of this unique period in our history.

Those submitting sounds are required to provide reflective text to accompany their sound which details the change in the soundscape as well as any effects that change has had on the person submitting. This is a crucial part of the project as reflection on sound is not easy and, in these strange, quieter times we are allowed more time for contemplation. The sound map will provide a rich database of captured sound and text from around the world which will be relevant for many years to come.

At December 31 2021, 230 sounds had been submitted from 24 countries with 146 from the UK, 33 from mainland Europe and 51 from the rest of the world.

The map can be accessed on Chrome, Edge or Firefox browsers at: https://tinyurl.com/covid19soundmap or on mobile devices using the Google Earth app. If you want to submit a sound, please do so at: https://tinyurl.com/covid19soundmapsubmission.

• Country: United Kingdom
• Responsible: University of Aberdeen
• Location: Inverurie
• Start date: 26 March 2020
• End date: ongoing
• Contact person: Pete Stollery, p.stollery@abdn.ac.uk
• URL: https://tinyurl.com/covid19soundmap