WideNoise: noise sensor on an iPhone
WideNoise is the iPhone and iPod Touch application that samples decibel noise levels, and displays them on a worldwide interactive map
With WideNoise you can monitor the noise levels around you, everywhere you go. You can also check the online map to see the average sound level of the area around you. Do you live in a “sleeping cat area” or in a more noisy “rock concert area”?
The producers have used a sound meter (±2dB@114dB) to calibrate the microphone against pink noise, that is a form of noise similar to the sounds that our ears perceive the best. After that, they had to compensate for the limits of the physical mic, which is calibrated to filter the human voice against the ambient sound. The result is accurate within the device’s hardware limits, but it shouldn’t be used for dB readings that require high accuracy.
Read more here.
