Acoustic signals have been used for many years to census vocal organisms. For example, the North American Breeding Bird Survey, one of the largest long-term, national-scale avian monitor programs, has been conducted for more than thirty years using human auditory and visual cues. The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program is based on identifying amphibian species primarily by listening for their calls. Recent advances in sensor networks enable large-scale, automated collection of acoustic signals in natural areas. The systematic and synchronous collection of acoustic samples at multiple locations, combined with measurements of ancillary data such as light, temperature, and humidity, can produce an enormous volume of ecologically relevant data. Transmuting this raw data into useful knowledge requires timely and effective processing and analysis.

The potential for automating environmental monitoring using acoustic and other sensor types in conjunction with advanced computational techniques is significant. A holistic solution (sensor-to-user) is required to enable interpretation of the soundscape. Although sound has been used to conduct species specific census of organisms that communicate using acoustics, there is significant work to be done to enable the scientific community to apply acoustics to the task of environmental monitoring. REAL has identified four research areas that are important for implementing an holistic solution: sensor technologies, soundscape interpretation, ecosystem assessment, and data stewardship.