Vandenberghe, T.; Brabant, R.; Brabant, C.; Laurent, Y.; Willems, W. (2026). Digital Animal Sound Archive (DASA): Final report. (BRAIN-be 2.0 - (Belgian Research Action through Interdisciplinary Networks)). Belgian Science Policy Office: Brussels. 18 pp.
Many animal species produce acoustic signals that are in many cases species-specific and that serve as valuable indicators for studying their distribution, behaviour, and ecology. However, bioacoustic datasets are often fragmented across institutions and formats, limiting their scientific reuse. The Digital Animal Sound Archive (DASA) project, launched in 2023, was developed to centralise and safeguard Belgian bioacoustic recordings, initially focusing on bats as a proof of concept. DASA integrates recordings from research and citizen science initiatives within a unified, FAIR-compliant infrastructure. The project established a comprehensive metadata model, a scalable storage system for multi-terabyte datasets, and a web application enabling browsing, visualization, and collaborative validation. The database supports incremental automated and human identifications and ensures interoperability with international standards and biodiversity platforms such as GBIF. Nearly two million bat detections, including about one million linked audio files, were successfully incorporated. By aligning with the FAIR principles and the European Open Data Directive (EU 2019/1024), DASA ensures openness, transparency, and long-term data preservation. Its modular design allows extension to other taxa and acoustic monitoring contexts.
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