ShotSpotter
Definition
A commercial urban acoustic gunshot detection and localisation network that processes impulsive events from distributed microphone arrays to estimate shooter location and alert law enforcement, typically within 60 seconds of the discharge.
- Detection method
- Acoustic analysis of impulsive gunshot events via microphone arrays
- Typical alert time
- Within 60 seconds of discharge
- Global deployment
- More than 100 cities worldwide
Common questions
What does ShotSpotter actually detect?+
ShotSpotter is a sensor network that listens for gunshots using distributed microphones. When it hears a discharge, it pinpoints the shooter's location using time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) analysis and alerts law enforcement, usually within 60 seconds.
How does ShotSpotter know where the shot came from?+
The system calculates the tiny time differences between when sound reaches different microphones in the array. Those arrival-time gaps reveal the shooter's location in real time.
Where is ShotSpotter deployed?+
The system operates in more than 100 cities worldwide, primarily in urban areas where law enforcement wants rapid gunshot detection and location.
Related terms
- Muzzle Blast
- A broadband impulsive pressure wave generated when high-pressure propellant gases exit the barrel behind the projectile. It radiates roughly omnidirectionally and is...
- TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival)
- The difference in arrival time of a sound at two spatially separated receivers. Each measured TDOA constrains the sound source to lie...
- Ballistic Shockwave
- An N-shaped pressure wave produced when a supersonic projectile displaces air faster than the air can move out of the way. It...
- BSA 2023
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023: the Indian evidence statute that replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872 on 1 July 2024; retains the section...
- Confounder
- A non-gunshot acoustic event that shares characteristics with a firearm discharge: vehicle backfire, fireworks, industrial tools, and tyre bursts are the most...
- ENF (Electrical Network Frequency)
- The instantaneous frequency of the mains electricity supply (nominally 50 or 60 Hz), which drifts continuously and uniquely with time and is...
- ENFSI FSAAWG
- European Network of Forensic Science Institutes Forensic Speech and Audio Analysis Working Group; publishes EU-standard guidelines for audio forensics, speaker comparison, and...
- Impact Transient
- The acoustic energy released when the projectile strikes a surface. Its character depends on the target material (wood, concrete, soft tissue) and...
- Inverse-Square Law
- The principle that acoustic intensity decreases in proportion to the square of the distance from a point source in free-field conditions; used...
- Mach Cone
- The conical shock wave produced by a supersonic projectile; its half-angle is determined by sin(alpha) = c/v where c is the speed...
- Mach Number
- The ratio of a projectile's speed to the ambient speed of sound; a Mach number greater than 1 indicates supersonic flight and...
- Multipath
- The phenomenon in which a sound from a single source reaches a microphone via multiple paths (direct plus multiple reflections), each arriving...
Explained in these topics
- Forensic Acoustics and Gunshot Acoustic AnalysisA commercial multi-sensor acoustic gunshot-detection network that uses TDOA localisation to estimate shooter location in real time; deployed in more than 100 c...
- Gunshot and Event Audio AnalysisA commercial urban acoustic gunshot detection and localisation network that processes impulsive events from distributed microphone arrays to estimate shooter l...