Ymnodos, responding to the need of worshippers for active participation and a better understanding of liturgical events, as well as to the emerging trend of religious tourism, aims to facilitate their experience through the creation of an anthology (database) of the most important hymns of the Orthodox liturgical tradition.

The objective is to develop a hymn recognition system that provides users—worshippers, visitors, and tourists—with information about the hymns they hear. More specifically, Ymnodos is capable of recognizing the hymn being performed by the user while attending a church service and providing more specific information about it, including historical, musicological, and other relevant details.

This information can also be displayed in English. In cases where a hymn cannot be recognized, the system provides the possibility of enriching its database through the use of artificial intelligence techniques.

The Objective of the Project

The objective of the Ymnodos project is to integrate emerging technologies in artificial intelligence, digital signal processing, and smart mobile devices in order to develop a comprehensive software system for the identification and classification of Byzantine hymns. The system is designed to provide users with easy and intuitive access to information related to each hymn within a place of worship.

To achieve this objective, the Ymnodos project will develop a scalable database of popular Byzantine hymns.

More specifically, the proposed project aims to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and digital audio processing techniques through a series of research and innovation activities focusing on the design, development, operation, and commercial exploitation of relevant software infrastructures and machine learning applications, with anticipated economic, social, and religious impact.

Description of Work Packages and Deliverables

The project implementation methodology is structured around the following five main pillars:

Pillar 1: Creation of a database and processing of popular Byzantine hymns.

Pillar 2: Development of innovative software using digital audio signal processing techniques and spectrograms for the accurate identification and classification of Byzantine hymns.

Pillar 3: Development of innovative software using artificial intelligence methods for the accurate identification and classification of Byzantine hymns.

Pillar 4: Design and implementation of the final software application for the recognition and real-time identification and classification of Byzantine hymns on mobile and desktop devices.

Pillar 5: Integration of project contributions and pilot demonstration in places of religious worship.

Key Objectives of the Project

The main objectives of the project are:

• To study and explore emerging artificial intelligence technologies and their potential to support new applications in vertical markets with socioeconomic impact.
• To create a database of popular Byzantine hymns.
• To develop innovative software incorporating artificial intelligence algorithms for the accurate identification and classification of Byzantine hymns from any chant performance.
• To develop an intelligent support system that will employ digital audio signal processing techniques using spectrograms to enable reliable, fast, accurate, and cost-effective identification and classification of Byzantine hymns.
• To study, design, and develop a software prototype for mobile devices for the recognition and accurate identification and classification of Byzantine hymns.
• To pilot and demonstrate the capabilities of new technological approaches in real-world environments.
• To develop a new scalable model for the recognition and real-time identification and classification of Byzantine hymns, effectively addressing the needs and requirements of the project’s end beneficiaries—worshippers and/or tourists—and society as a whole.