Colloquium: Pieter Griffioen (C&O)

This paper evaluates the ReSpeaker Mic Array v2.0, focusing on its efficacy for acoustic beamforming and aircraft tracking at small airports. The research integrates computer simulations and practical tests, which include methods like beamwidth calculation, addressing spectral leakage, and analyzing the impact of varying distance and frequency on beamforming accuracy. Initial tests in an anechoic chamber assessed the system's functionality, with further field tests at Rotterdam The Hague airport. These involved synchronizing data from two points using laser range finders and Google Earth under conditions that introduced background noise. Despite the system's cost-effectiveness and potential in localizing aircraft sound sources, it struggles with accuracy in tracking aircraft trajectories due to the small effective array length, particularly at elevation angles. This limitation produced unreliable results and frequent outliers, highlighting the need for further research into alternative microphone array configurations that might improve the effective array length and overall accuracy.

Supervisor: Mirjam Snellen