About SOUNDS

An early warning system for society

Where does a debate tip into hatred? When does distrust in institutions grow? Where does language become radicalized?

Democratic societies rarely change suddenly. Usually there are early signs. SOUNDS makes these developments visible.
The Societal Observatory Using Novel Data Sources studies societal change using new data sources and scientific methods. To do this, the observatory uses traces that are already generated in everyday life: satellite imagery, social media posts, search queries, reviews, map services, and other data sources.
Just as a weather service measures changes in the atmosphere, SOUNDS observes societal developments and builds scientific foundations to understand change at an early stage.
SOUNDS is led by Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (Political Science) and Prof. Dr. Ingmar Weber (Societal Computing).

Making societal questions visible

Society leaves digital and analog traces every day. SOUNDS connects these data sources to make visible developments that are difficult to capture continuously using classical methods.

What we observe

Individually, these sources tell only fragments of the story. Connected and viewed over time, they reveal societal developments closer to where they are unfolding.
In doing so, SOUNDS operates within applicable data protection and research regulations and uses new possibilities for regulated data access for research.

Diagram titled 'Everyday data sources, and what they reveal about how we live together', showing six categories: Maps & Places (Maps, Street View, Mobility), Reviews & Ratings (Reviews, Platform Feedback), Satellite Imagery (Land Use, Change over Time), Social Media (X, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit), Search & Web (Search Trends, Web Analysis), and Surveys & Platform Access (classic social data and regulated access to platforms under EU law), each with a guiding research question.

Flow diagram titled 'SOUNDS starts with a societal question and then looks for what fits it', showing three numbered steps: 1. Societal Question (What do we want to understand?), 2. Matching Data Sources (Which data can help answer the question?), 3. Matching Method (Which method delivers the best insights?). Below, a highlighted box reads 'Think-and-Do-Tank: Computer science and social science at the same table from day one.'

The question comes first

SOUNDS does not begin with a method, but with a societal question.
Which data helps to better understand a phenomenon? Which scientific methods fit? These decisions follow the question — not the other way around.

This is how computer science and social science work together from the very start, combining technical possibilities with societal expertise.
SOUNDS thus sees itself as a think-and-do tank that connects research with societal application.

Why this matters for stakeholders

Diagram titled 'Four audiences, one shared benefit: solid knowledge about societal change', showing four columns: For Research (new data, methods, insights), For Policy & Public Administration (detect early, understand better, decide on evidence), For Business & Organizations (understand societal change, shape transformation), and For Society (make changes visible, strengthen dialogue), each with a short explanatory text.

Why this matters for Saarland University

SOUNDS combines two particular strengths of the location: the computer science of the Saarland Informatics Campus and social science research.

With funding of 29 million euros from the Saarland Transformation Fund for Research and Knowledge Transfer, the project runs until August 2032. It strengthens computational social sciences, promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, and underscores the university's profile as a research location with societal impact.

SOUNDS thrives on exchange with science, politics, administration, business, and society.

Do you have a societal question that new data sources and scientific methods could help address?

We look forward to the exchange and to jointly developing new perspectives.