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license: apache-2.0 |
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--- |
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# Dataset Datasheet: NST – Nordic Language Technology Norwegian Speech Corpus |
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## 1. Motivation |
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The NST dataset was created to support the development of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and speech-to-text dictation systems in Norwegian. The dataset provides high-quality, annotated audio recordings for linguistic research and ASR system training. |
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Originally developed by Nordisk Språkteknologi Holding AS (NST), the dataset was later acquired and preserved by a consortium of Norwegian institutions, including University of Oslo, University of Bergen, and the National Library of Norway. |
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## 2. Composition |
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Each example in the dataset includes: |
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- Audio: A 16kHz sampled .mp3 file of spoken Norwegian. |
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- Text: The transcribed content of the speech. |
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- Metadata: Rich speaker and recording metadata, such as age, sex, region of birth/youth, recording session info, and technical parameters. |
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The full dataset contains: |
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- 9 train shards and 3 test shards for Norwegian (no). |
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- Variants for close, distant, and both microphone positions. |
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- Thousands of annotated utterances. |
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What are the data types? |
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- Audio data (MP3) |
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- Structured metadata (JSON) |
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- Text transcription (Norwegian language) |
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No direct personal identifiers are included, but demographic metadata such as age, sex, and region is present. |
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## 3. Collection Process |
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The recordings were originally made by NST using multiple speakers under controlled environments with both close and distant microphone setups. |
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Speakers belong to varying demographics: |
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- Ages: Varies widely (some errors or missing values may exist) |
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- Sex: Male and female |
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- Regional background: Multiple Norwegian dialect regions |
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## 4. Preprocessing and Labeling |
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What preprocessing was done? |
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- WAV files converted to MP3. |
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- Non-standard or corrupted metadata (e.g., ages with “ramslie”) is coerced into a usable format (e.g., defaulted to 0). |
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- Fields such as t0, t1, t2, and number_of_recordings are cast to integers or defaulted. |
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What labeling is provided? |
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- Transcription (text field) in Norwegian |
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- Microphone position (close, distant) |
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- Linguistic and demographic metadata |
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## 5. Uses |
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What are the intended uses? |
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- Training and evaluating ASR systems in Norwegian. |
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- Linguistic research on Norwegian dialects and pronunciation. |
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- Voice-based human-computer interaction studies. |
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What are the out-of-scope uses? |
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- Applications requiring real-time conversational data or informal speech. |
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- Use in sensitive profiling without additional privacy controls. |
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## 6. Distribution |
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The dataset is distributed under the Apache 2.0 License. |
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- Hugging Face Dataset Hub: https://huggingface.co/datasets/NbAiLab/NST |
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- Språkbanken (Norwegian National Library): https://www.nb.no/sprakbanken/en/resource-catalogue/oai-nb-no-sbr-54/ |
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## 7. Maintenance |
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The dataset is hosted by NbAiLab on Hugging Face and curated by the National Library of Norway. |
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Users are encouraged to provide feedback or contribute improved versions by contacting: [email protected] |
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