Blizzard Challenge 2009: Difference between revisions

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For the Blizzard Challenge 2009, we again plan to release databases in UK English and Mandarin. The results will be presented at a satellite event planned for Interspeech 2009.
== This Blizzard Challenge has finished ==
 
* Please do not try to register for this challenge - you are too late!
* The data are no longer available
* The remainder of this page is left as a record of the Challenge


== Read these first ==
== Read these first ==


* Download the [[media:Blizzard_2009_pre.pdf | Preliminary announcement of the Blizzard Challenge 2009]] in PDF format.
* Download the [[media:Blizzard_2009_full.pdf | Final announcement and call for participation for the Blizzard Challenge 2009]] in PDF format. [UPDATED 21 January 2009: correction to number of syllables in Chinese database]
 
* Download the [[media:Blizzard_2009_full.pdf | Final announcement and call for participation for the Blizzard Challenge 2009]] in PDF format.


* Read and agree to the [[Blizzard Challenge 2009 Rules]] before participating.
* Read and agree to the [[Blizzard Challenge 2009 Rules]] before participating.


== Data download and license agreements ==
== Data download and license agreements ==
 
* First, you must register by emailing blizzard@festvox.org
* You must complete license agreements for the data, which can be found here:
* Then, complete license agreements for the data, which can be found here:
** UK English database: NOT YET AVAILABLE
** UK English database:
** Mandarin database: NOT YET AVAILABLE
*** the data license agreement can be completed online: http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/roger_blizzard2009/
*** if you want labels for the data, then you also need to complete the Unisyn lexicon license: http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/unisyn/
** Mandarin database (including labels):
*** download and print the license agreement from http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/iFLYTEK_blizzard2009_license.pdf
*** sign it, then email a scanned copy to blizzard@festvox.org (if that is not possible, fax it to Simon King on +44 131 650 6626)


* Data download: You will be sent a username and password to download the data. These are the same for all downloads, and will be activated for each download after you have returned the corresponding license agreement.
* Data download: You will be sent a username and password to download the data. These are the same for all downloads, and will be activated for each download after you have returned the corresponding license agreement.
** UK English database: NOT YET AVAILABLE
** UK English database: http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/english/roger
** Mandarin database: NOT YET AVAILABLE
** UK English database optional labels: http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/english/roger_festival_utterances
** Mandarin database: http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/chinese


* Development tools:
* Development tools:
** The source code for the telephone channel simulation tool is available from http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-G.191-200509-I/en and the exact pipeline of tools to run is specified in the README included with the data
** The source code for the telephone channel simulation tool is available from http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-G.191-200509-I/en and the exact pipeline of tools to run is specified in http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/development_data.zip  Many thanks to Marcel Waeltermann of Deutsche Telekom and Sebastian Moeller of TU Berlin for their help with this.
** Development data for the ES3 spoke task are included with the UK English database.
** Development data for the ES3 spoke task are provided in http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/development_data.zip and some additional data are available from http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/additional_development_data_ES3


* Questionnaire:
* Questionnaire:
** Download the questionnaire, complete it, and return it by the deadline given in the Timeline: NOT YET AVAILABLE
** Download the questionnaire, complete it, and return it by the deadline given in the Timeline. http://data.cstr.ed.ac.uk/blizzard2009/system_questionnaire.txt


== Mailing list ==
== Mailing list ==
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   Apr  6 2009 Test sentences released
   Apr  6 2009 Test sentences released
   Apr 12 2009 Deadline for submitting synthesized speech  
   Apr 12 2009 Deadline for submitting synthesized speech  
  Apr 17 2009 Deadline for returning the participant questionnaire
   Apr 20 2009 Evaluation system goes live
   Apr 20 2009 Evaluation system goes live
   Jun 15 2009 End of Evaluation
   Jun 15 2009 End of Evaluation
  Jun 19 2009 Deadline for returning the participant questionnaire
   Jun 26 2009 Results distributed to teams
   Jun 26 2009 Results distributed to teams
   Jul 24 2009 Satellite workshop papers due
   Jul 24 2009 Satellite workshop papers due
   Aug 14 2009 Notification of acceptance  
   Aug 14 2009 Notification of acceptance  
   Sep ?? 2009 Presentation of results at the satellite workshop in the UK
   Sep 4 2009 Presentation of results at the satellite workshop in Edinburgh, UK
   Sep 6-10 2009 Interspeech 2009, UK.
   Sep 6-10 2009 Interspeech 2009, UK.


== Workshop ==
== Workshop ==


The Blizzard Challenge 2009 workshop is a satellite of Interspeech 2009. All participants are expected to submit a paper describing their entry (even if they cannot attend the workshop in person).
Information on the workshop is now on a separate page: [[Blizzard Challenge 2009 Workshop]]
 
 
=== Location and date ===
 
Date: ?? September 2008 (all day)
 
Location: somewhere in the UK (possibly Edinburgh).
 
=== Paper instructions ===
 
* Use the [http://interspeech2009.org/ Interspeech 2009 authors' kit], but your paper should be up to SIX pages in length
* Remember that Blizzard is a scientific investigation - we are  all trying to understand why some techniques work better than others.
* With this in mind, please write a detailed, technical paper aimed at a specialist audience. Focus on analysis and evaluation. Try to explain WHY your system performed the way it did, and what makes it different from other systems. Explain why your system is designed in a particular way. For example, report internal evaluations you have done to select certain methods.
* Submit your paper by email to blizzard@festvox.org by the due date (see Timeline)
 
=== Programme ===
 
TBA
 
=== Papers ===
 
[http://festvox.org/blizzard/ The papers will be published on festvox.org]
 


== Any questions? ==
== Any questions? ==

Latest revision as of 14:16, 5 December 2018

This Blizzard Challenge has finished

  • Please do not try to register for this challenge - you are too late!
  • The data are no longer available
  • The remainder of this page is left as a record of the Challenge

Read these first

Data download and license agreements

Mailing list

There is a mailing list for discussion and announcements for the challenge: 

 blizzard-discuss@festvox.org

Participants must join the list by sending a message to majordomo@festvox.org with the following line in the body of the message 

 subscribe blizzard-discuss

Once you a member you will be able to mail messages to blizzard-discuss@festvox.org


Timeline

The timeline shown on this web page is the offical one and supercedes those shown in announcements - it is subject to change, but we will try to follow it as closely as possible. Note that we will not consider any requests from participants to change the synthetic speech submission date or the paper submission date! 

  Feb  2 2009 Databases released?
  Apr  6 2009 Test sentences released
  Apr 12 2009 Deadline for submitting synthesized speech 
  Apr 20 2009 Evaluation system goes live
  Jun 15 2009 End of Evaluation
  Jun 19 2009 Deadline for returning the participant questionnaire
  Jun 26 2009 Results distributed to teams
  Jul 24 2009 Satellite workshop papers due
  Aug 14 2009 Notification of acceptance 
  Sep 4 2009 Presentation of results at the satellite workshop in Edinburgh, UK
  Sep 6-10 2009 Interspeech 2009, UK.

Workshop

Information on the workshop is now on a separate page: Blizzard Challenge 2009 Workshop

Any questions?

  • Please contact blizzard@festvox.org if you have any questions


Previous challenges

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