Dentsu Inc. Launches Business for Certifying and Building Environments for Clear Audio Transmission

On May 30, Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab (DDL), Dentsu Inc.'s specialized organization addressing diversity issues, announced an agreement with Smart Sound Design Society*1 (SSDS) to jointly promote the certification of easy-to-hear audio communication and the business of building environments supporting it.

This initiative addresses the challenge that while our society is saturated with diverse "audio information," a significant number of people find this information difficult to hear. In Japan today, compounded by an aging population, an estimated 14.55 million people※2 experience difficulty hearing audio information.

DDL and SSDS recognized the potential that making the vast amount of audio information exchanged in diverse locations and situations—such as "conversational communication" in schools, workplaces, lectures, and restaurants; "audio information in daily life infrastructure" like station and street announcements; and "audio information in entertainment" like stage performances, comedy, musicals, and concerts—more audible could improve people's lives and ultimately contribute to revitalizing society. By merging DDL's expertise in the communication domain with SSDS's specialized know-how in building comfortable and functional sound environments, they aim to pioneer research into unprecedented "audibility" of audio information and develop new services.

Previous improvement measures have often relied on non-audio information support, such as text (subtitles). DDL and SSDS are exploring the possibility of conveying audio information directly, without auxiliary means, to build environments that enhance convenience for many people.

Specifically, DDL and SSDS will advance research on questions such as "What does it mean for speech to be easy to hear?", "How can we create environments where speech is easy to hear?", and "What methods exist to deliver speech information to more people?" They will also jointly establish a "certification system for easy-to-hear speech transmission." The insights and know-how gained from this system will be provided to municipalities and companies that own diverse facilities.

Furthermore, for this joint research, we plan to invite organizations and companies possessing expertise on the "audibility" of audio information to participate, advancing the project through mutual collaboration and cooperation.

※1 Overview of SSDS

・Organization Name: Smart Sound Design Society (General Incorporated Association)

・Address: 3F, Dai-san KK Building, 3-1-9 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

・Representative: Takeshi Toi (Representative Director)

・Established: October 2014

・Business Activities: Promoting the advancement and dissemination of sound design, and advancing initiatives to build comfortable and functional sound environments

※2 People experiencing difficulty hearing

Estimated based on data from the Japan Hearing Aid Manufacturers Association "Japan Trak2015" and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications "Population Estimates" (September 2015 final figures)

Dentsu Inc. News Releasehttp://www.dentsu.co.jp/news/release/2016/0530-008933.html