Work

Software Tools for Passive Acoustic Monitoring in Aquatic and Terrestrial Bio- and Ecoacoustics: A Living Systematic Review

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Biodiversity monitoring is crucial for understanding species trends and their responses to anthropogenic change. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) offers a scalable, non-invasive approach to capture ecological information across large spatial and temporal scales. However, it generates vast amounts of audio recordings, whose management and analysis present technical challenges. To support diverse user needs in ecoacoustic research, a growing number of software tools have emerged, but the landscape remains fragmented and difficult to navigate. We provide a systematic overview of software tools used for soundscape assessment across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. We screened peer-reviewed literature and complemented it with database cross-checking to identify and categorize tools according to four PAM data workflow components: data management, signal pre-processing, visualisation and navigation, and acoustic analysis. We found 221 available tools of which 174 were explicitly designed for PAM. Most tools were freely accessible (83%) with only a smaller fraction being commercial (12%) or limited access (5%). Terrestrial research accounted for most software mentions (476 studies), followed by aquatic (319) and cross-realm (64) studies. Nearly half (45%) were package-based frameworks within R, Python, or MATLAB. Acoustic analysis was the most represented workflow component, while only 40 tools covered all four of them. This diversity illustrates the field's rapid technical growth but also its redundancy and methodological fragmentation: to date, many tools target only a subset of workflow components and replicate similar functionalities. Despite this, the prevalence of PAM-dedicated software indicates increasing specialization and technical maturity within ecoacoustics. Our structured inventory underscores the need for greater collaboration and continuity in software development, promoting the improvement and accessibility of existing tools rather than further proliferation. This living systematic review, provides a practical, biannually updated reference for tool selection and fosters transparency, comparability, and cooperation across bioacoustic and ecoacoustic research communities.

Source: F1000Research

DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.173495.1

Authors: Tara Hanf-Dressler, Rym Nouioua, Karolin Thomisch, Dorian Cazau, Simon de Selys Longchamps, Kevin F.A. Darras