imageomics/thwilds_bioacousticmonitors

Dataset Card for The Wilds Bioacoustics Monitors

This dataset contains passive acoustic recordings collected at The Wilds safari park in Ohio during Summer 2025. Recorders captured ambient soundscapes to support ecological monitoring, animal behavior analysis, and acoustic biodiversity modeling.

Dataset Details

This dataset was created to support multimodal wildlife monitoring research. Bioacoustic data were collected using Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter Mini recorders deployed across multiple field sites. Files are organized by device and deployment window.

Supported Tasks and Leaderboards

[No benchmarks currently available]

Dataset Structure

Data Instances

Each .wav file is a field recording in mono, 16-bit, 48 kHz format. File names follow a consistent timestamped naming scheme. Metadata are stored alongside each recorder folder in Markdown format.

Data Fields

metadata.md Each recorder folder contains a metadata.md file with the following fields:

• Recorder ID: Unique device identifier (e.g., SM01)
• Device Model: Model name (e.g., Song Meter Micro 2)
• Device Serial Number: Manufacturer-assigned serial number
• Site ID: Location code where the device was deployed (e.g., TW05)
• Deployment Location Description: Short text description of exact location and surroundings
• GPS Coordinates: Latitude and longitude in decimal format (e.g., 39.83537, -81.73842)
• Deployment Date and Time: When the recorder was deployed (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM, 24-hour format)
• Retrieval Date and Time: When the recorder was retrieved (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM, 24-hour format)
• Orientation / Microphone Facing: Direction and considerations (e.g., “East, away from wind and road”)
• Mounting Height: Approximate height of microphone from the ground in meters
• Recording Schedule Preset: Schedule or settings used for recording (e.g., “1 hour at sunrise and sunset”)
• Time Zone Set on Device: Local time zone configured on the recorder (e.g., “USA Eastern (UTC-5)”)
• Maintenance Notes: Notes on issues, configuration changes, or deviations from standard settings
• Observer: Name or initials of the person who completed the metadata -->

Data Splits

This dataset has no training/validation/test splits. Data are organized by site and deployment session. Users may define their own splits depending on modeling goals.

Dataset Creation

Curation Rationale

This dataset supports biodiversity monitoring, behavioral ecology research, and the development of species detection and classification models from passive audio recordings.

Source Data

Data Collection and Processing

Recordings were collected at The Wilds safari park using Song Meter Mini devices programmed for scheduled recordings. Devices were mounted on trees or posts and deployed for several weeks. Upon retrieval, audio files were renamed using a standard convention, and basic metadata were recorded. No filtering, audio processing, or annotation was applied.

Who are the source data producers?

The dataset was collected and curated by researchers and students from the Imageomics Institute and Ohio State University in collaboration with conservation staff at The Wilds.

Annotations

Annotation process

No annotations are currently provided. Manual and AI-assisted labeling efforts are planned for future versions.

Who are the annotators?

N/A

Personal and Sensitive Information

The dataset includes GPS coordinates within a public conservation park. Endangered or sensitive species may be present, but the data do not identify them specifically. Spatial redaction has not been applied.

Considerations for Using the Data

Recordings vary in quality due to weather, background noise, and animal activity. Because devices were deployed in a non-random but systematic way, sampling bias may exist.

Bias, Risks, and Limitations

• Species present at The Wilds are non-random and include both native and exotic species.
• Sensor placement followed a non-random, purposive design based on site features such as structural suitability for mounting and the anticipated likelihood of detecting ecologically relevant activity.
• Devices were deployed only during a short summer window and may not capture full seasonal variation.

Recommendations

Use with ecological and methodological context in mind. Future data from different seasons or years may complement these recordings.

Licensing Information

This dataset is dedicated to the public domain under a CC0 license. Users are encouraged to cite the dataset and acknowledge contributors.

Citation

BibTeX: bibtex @misc{thewilds_bioacoustics_2025, author = {Tanishka Wani, Vedant Patil, Rugved Katole, Bharath Pillai, Anirudh Potlapally, Ally Bonney, and Jenna Kline}, title = {The Wilds Bioacoustics Monitors}, year = {2025}, url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/thewilds_bioacousticsmonitors}, publisher = {Hugging Face} }