Sound and the City: Multi-Layer Representation and Navigation of Audio Scenarios

IEEE 1599-2008 is an XML-based standard originally intended for the multi-layer representation of music information. Nevertheless, it is versatile enough to describe also information different from traditional scores written according to the Common Western Notation (CWN) rules. This paper will discuss the application of IEEE 1599-2008 to the audio description of paths and scenarios from the urban life or other landscapes. The standard we adopt allows the multilayer integration of textual, symbolical, structural, graphical, audio and video contents within a unique synchronized environment. Besides, for each kind of media, a number of digital objects is supported. As a consequence, thanks to the features of the format the produced description will be more than a mere audio track, a slideshow made of sonified static images or a movie. Finally, an ad hoc evolution of a standard viewer for IEEE 1599 documents will be presented, in order to enjoy the results of our efforts.