FAQ

What does WAH-i mean?

The acronym stands for Widefield Acoustics Heuristic inverse-iterative. It is a continuation of the Array WAH project, where a method is developed to estimate the spatial localisation accuracy of a given microphone array geometry using the time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) method. This work extends it to answer the question: If I need a certain level of accuracy in a given spatial region, what is the best geometric configuration?

Do I need MATLAB to run WAH-i?

No. The deployed application runs using MATLAB Runtime, which is free and does not require a MATLAB licence. The installer will automatically prompt you to install the correct MATLAB Runtime version if it is not already present on your system.

If you intend to modify the code or develop new methods, a full MATLAB installation is required.

Where can I find the research behind WAH-i?

WAH-i is directly associated with peer-reviewed research on microphone-array optimisation and acoustic localisation.

A curated list of related publications is provided here:

Widefield acoustics heuristic: advancing microphone array design for accurate spatial tracking of echolocating bats

WAH-i: Optimising Microphone Array Geometry for Customised Localisation Accuracy

BATSY4-PRO: An Open-Source Multichannel Ultrasound Recorder for Field Bioacoustics

ESPERDYNE: A dual-band heterodyne monitor and ultrasound recorder for bioacoustic field surveys

These publications describe the theoretical background, optimisation heuristics, and evaluation methodology implemented in the software.

Is there a portable recorder or microphone array that can use WAH-i-optimised geometries?

Yes! WAH-i was developed alongside BATSY4-PRO, an open-source, portable multichannel ultrasound recorder designed for field bioacoustics.

Optimised geometries exported from WAH-i (CSV) can be directly adopted or adapted for:

More information on Batsy4-Pro can be found here: BATSY4-PRO Project

Do I need to pay to use WAH-i?

No. WAH-i is free of charge for all users.

The software is released under the GNU GPL v3 licence:

There are no hidden fees, subscriptions, or feature locks.

How can I support this work?

WAH-i is developed and maintained as a self-funded research project.

If you find the tool useful and would like to support continued development of this and all of my other open-source projects, you may:

Hearing how the tool is used in real research contexts is genuinely motivating and helps guide future development.

Where can I find more of your research and tools?

A broader collection of open-source tools, hardware projects, and research outputs is available at: biosonix

This includes:

I have a question that isn’t covered here

If something is unclear, or if you are adapting WAH-i for a new application, feel free to:

Constructive questions and feedback are always welcome.