Applications of IHTA's Virtual Acoustics Tools for Soundscape Research

The Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics (IHTA) at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, hosts a variety of software tools and data sets for acoustic virtual reality. In the area of soundscape research, recent projects have focused on the human response to noise in indoor and outdoor built environments. Two examples are used to illustrate the potential of virtual reality technology for soundscape research. The first is a study on the perception of pre-school and school children in classrooms, and the second includes an urban environment with traffic sources, where the user can move freely and assess the noise situation by comparing between a 3D (VR) and a 2D (flat screen) visual representation. Both studies provide insight into the ecological validity of laboratory experiments in soundscape research.