H00 — Start here (humans)
TUNES = Transit User Noise Experience Survey.
Open passenger programme for measuring noise on ordinary rail journeys — starting with the London Underground — and publishing both a quieter-journey map and a versioned open dataset with an honest methodology.
Not operated, approved, or endorsed by TfL.
Two doc layers:
| Layer | Prefix / folder | For | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | H00…H19 | Reading, decisions, onboarding | Core briefs + linked topic briefs |
| Machine | machine/ | Implementation, tests, deep research, frequent edit | Long · detailed · linked ADRs |
Why this exists
Professional surveys answer engineering and regulatory questions. TUNES adds repeated evidence from ordinary passenger journeys without replacing those surveys or claiming engineering-grade or health-risk authority.
Read the baseline rationale in the README and the deeper scientific and civic case in H19 — Why TUNES exists.
What TUNES does (and does not)
Does: iPhone-first journey measurement · optional perception survey (kept separate) · map with uncertainty/sample size · open methodology + versioned dataset with provenance and quality tiers.
Does not: replace TfL / Class 1 surveys · imply TfL endorsement · claim health risk or engineering-grade accuracy at foundation · silently upload raw audio or collapse into one unexplained “score”.
How the programme works
Passenger records on iPhone
↓
Local processing + journey alignment (user reviews sections)
↓
Consent screen shows exactly what will leave the device
↓
Derived metrics upload (raw audio stays on device by default)
↓
Server inspect → validate → quality-flag → aggregate
↓
Versioned open release + public map
Comparison is usually station-to-station section + duration. Privacy default: record locally → review → consent → upload derived features only.
The three repositories
Not a monorepo — science, capture, and public site change at different speeds.
workspace/
tunes/ ← you are here (programme + open data)
tunes-ios/ ← recorder app
tunes-web/ ← landing, map, pipeline
| Repo | Owns | Does not own |
|---|---|---|
| tunes | Charter, governance, ADRs, research, methodology, schemas, licences, claim language, open releases | App UI, live map runtime |
| tunes-ios | PCM/motion capture, offline local processing, alignment UX, upload client, consent preview | Canonical dataset / charter |
| tunes-web | Landing, map UI, upload intake, pipeline jobs | Native capture; charter / methodology source of truth |
tunes-ios --derived upload--> tunes-web --validated release--> tunes
tunes --schema / methodology / licences--> tunes-ios + tunes-web
Pilot posture
London-first; dense repeated observations over shallow network-wide coverage. Generic railway data model so other cities/modes can be instances later. iPhone-first; Android / wearables / external mics are later expansions.
Core reading order (≈15 min)
| # | Doc | One line |
|---|---|---|
| H01 | What is TUNES | Mission + what we will / won’t claim |
| H02 | Repos | tunes · tunes-ios · tunes-web |
| H03 | Decisions | Accepted ADRs at a glance |
| H04 | How it works | Capture → review → pipeline → open data |
| H05 | Privacy | Derived-only default; raw stays on device |
| H06 | Quality | Tiers A–E · survey-grade honesty |
| H07 | Roadmap | Phases 0–10 |
| H08 | Pilot | London Underground-first |
| H09 | Risks | Top risks only |
| H10 | Glossary | Shared terms |
| H11 | Legal & governance | Entity, legal pack, DPIA / beta gates |
Topic briefs
Use these as references after the core path.
| # | Doc | One line |
|---|---|---|
| H12 | Measurement philosophy | What is measured; repeatability and uncertainty |
| H13 | Public map | Aggregation, confidence, colour and privacy |
| H14 | Recorder | Mobile capture, alignment, metadata and upload |
| H15 | Railway noise taxonomy | Provisional source labels and detectability limits |
| H16 | Schema | Why the data entities and relationships exist |
| H17 | Portability | Generic core versus network configuration |
| H18 | Assumptions | Working assumptions and validation needs |
| H19 | Why TUNES exists | Philosophical and technical centre |
Also at repo root: README (programme baseline and repository overview).