Integrating with GIS software
Often the modelling is just the beginning of a project, and inserting your modelling results in a real world context makes them immediately more relevant and easier to interpret.
From dBSea you can export into a range of formats, including .png and ESRI ascii (.asc) raster. The ascii format is very useful because it is geotagged, meaning GIS software will know where to put it, and that all features, such as the raster calculator tool or area calculation, is available to you.
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| Exporting visible levels to ESRI ascii raster to be used in QGIS |
In the below illustration I used the GIS software to assess the extent to which the ferry from Mallorca to Ibiza masks the call of a humpback swimming by. (Masking is the process of making a signal indiscernible by adding noise).
dBSea is not strictly made for assessing masking, so I used the raster calculator in QGIS to find the area where the noise level from the ferry was 6 dB over that of a fictive calling humpback whale heading for Gibraltar. Because levels are exported in ascii format the GIS software is able to alter colours for the sound levels, and I can get creative with the presentation.
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| Two outputs from dBSea combined to indicate masking effect of underwater noise from ferry, exported from dSBea as ESRI ascii grid raster and imported straight into an "Eckert VI" projection of a world map. |
The ability to export directly into GIS software mean that results can be easily and effectively put into context - especially if you're undertaking a large project where noise is just one of many concerns.
Please note that not much in this example is accurate as it is only meant as an example of possibilities.
Resources:
http://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/
https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html
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