On the use of sensor nodes and mobile phones for the assessment of noise pollution levels in urban environments

Author(s):  
Silvia Santini ◽  
Benedikt Ostermaier ◽  
Robert Adelmann
2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (6) ◽  
pp. 206-214
Author(s):  
David Montes-González ◽  
Juan Miguel Barrigón-Morillas ◽  
Ana Cristina Bejarano-Quintas ◽  
Manuel Parejo-Pizarro ◽  
Guillermo Rey-Gozalo ◽  
...  

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led to the need for drastic control measures around the world to reduce the impact on the health of the population. The confinement of people in their homes resulted in a significant reduction in human activity at every level (economic, social, industrial, etc.), which was reflected in a decrease in environmental pollution levels. Studying the evolution of parameters, such as the level of environmental noise caused by vehicle traffic in urban environments, makes it possible to assess the impact of this type of measure. This paper presents a case study of the acoustic situation in Cáceres (Spain) during the restriction period by means of long-term acoustic measurements at various points of the city.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 2093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyan Luo ◽  
Hongming Qin ◽  
Xiyu Song ◽  
Mei Wang ◽  
Hongbing Qiu ◽  
...  

Nowadays, urban noise emerges as a distinct threat to people’s physiological and psychological health. Previous works mainly focus on the measurement and mapping of the noise by using Wireless Acoustic Sensor Networks (WASNs) and further propose some methods that can effectively reduce the noise pollution in urban environments. In addition, the research on the combination of environmental noise measurement and acoustic events recognition are rapidly progressing. In a real-life application, there still exists the challenges on the hardware design with enough computational capacity, the reduction of data amount with a reasonable method, the acoustic recognition with CNNs, and the deployment for the long-term outdoor monitoring. In this paper, we develop a novel system that utilizes the WASNs to monitor the urban noise and recognize acoustic events with a high performance. Specifically, the proposed system mainly includes the following three stages: (1) We used multiple sensor nodes that are equipped with various hardware devices and performed with assorted signal processing methods to capture noise levels and audio data; (2) the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) take such captured data as inputs and classify them into different labels such as car horn, shout, crash, explosion; (3) we design a monitoring platform to visualize noise maps, acoustic event information, and noise statistics. Most importantly, we consider how to design effective sensor nodes in terms of cost, data transmission, and outdoor deployment. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system can measure the urban noise and recognize acoustic events with a high performance in real-life scenarios.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anirudh Mishra ◽  
Sanhita Das ◽  
Deepesh Singh ◽  
Akhilesh Kumar Maurya

Abstract Noise pollution is an emerging environmental threat, prolonged exposure of which can cause annoyance, sleep disturbance, hypertension, psychiatric disorders and also hormonal dysfunction. Among all the sources of noise pollution, the noise generated by road vehicle traffic significantly affects the quality of urban environments. Concerning the recent imposition of COVID-19 societal lockdown, this study attempts to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on the changes in noise pollution levels before, during and after lockdown phase in different residential, commercial, industrial and silence zones of the city of Kanpur, India. Although a significant reduction in the noise levels was observed during lockdown, except for commercial zone all other monitoring stations had reported sound levels quite higher than the recommended noise limits set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India. Results further indicated that prominent improvements in health benefits could be observed in the lockdown period, much better than the pre-lockdown and unlock phase. Several noise mitigation strategies are also proposed, which may indeed pave the way for devising noise control measures in the local and regional level.


Noise Mapping ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Arana ◽  
Ricardo San Martin ◽  
Juan C. Salinas

AbstractTwo of the main objectives of the European Directive on environmental noise are, firstly, to unify acoustic indices for assessing environmental noise and, secondly, to standardize assessment methodologies. The ultimate goal is to objectively and comparably manage the impact and evolution of environmental noise caused both by urban agglomerations and by traffic infrastructures (roads, rails and airports). The use of common indices and methodologies (together with five-year plan assessment required by the authorities in charge) should show how noise pollution levels are evolving plus the effectiveness of corrective measures implemented in the action plans. In this paper, available results fromnumerous European agglomerations (with particular emphasis on Spanish agglomerations) are compared and analysed. The impact and its evolution are based on the percentage of people exposed to noise. More specifically, it demonstrates the impact caused by road traffic, which proves to be the main noise source in all agglomerations. In many cases, the results are extremely remarkable. In some case, the results are illogical. For such cases, it can be concluded that either assessment methodologies have been signifi- cantly amended or the input variables to the calculation programs have been remarkably changed. The uncertainty associated with the results is such that, in our opinion, no conclusions can be drawn concerning the effectiveness of remedial measures designed within the action plans after the Directive’s first implementation Phase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramyadevi Ravindrane

This article describes the battle with air pollution in two large cities, London and Delhi. Air pollution is a major cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe, particularly affecting those in large, urban environments. Action has been take to reduce pollution levels and some improvement have been seen, but not to a significant enough degree. We as healthcare professionals have a responsibility to advocate for greater change to be made.


Author(s):  
Ehsan Janati ◽  
Mohammad Ali Morowati Sharifabad ◽  
Reza Jafari Noudushan ◽  
Mohamad Javad Zare Sakhvidi ◽  
Sara Jambarsang

Introduction: The body's response to noise pollution is very similar to the way the body responds to stress, which can lead to poor health over time. In this regard, this study was conducted to determine the general health of the elderly and its relationship with traffic noise pollution in Ardakan. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 1399. Participants were 200 elderly people in Ardakan and were included in the study by random sampling. Data were collected through sound measurement with SVANTEK device, General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28). After completing the questionnaires and measurements, the collected data were entered into SPSS-19 software and descriptive statistics as well as analytical statistics including: Chi-square, regression and analysis of variance were used to analyze it. Results: The overall average sound level equivalent in decibels at all measuring stations was within the standard range. There was a significant relationship between noise annoyance and the dimensions of "anxiety symptoms and sleep disorders" and "depressive symptoms" of general health (p <0.001). Conclusion: People with more voice annoyance have more anxiety, sleep disorders and depression. Existence of noise pollution levels in the allowable or standard level can lead to the observation of no significant relationship between traffic noise pollution levels and general health. Reducing anxiety, depression and sleep disorders in the elderly is possible with interventions to reduce voice irritation in them.  


Author(s):  
Augusto Tovar Numpaque

ResumenEsta investigación aporta bases científicas y metodológicas de diagnóstico territorial, relacionadas al efecto causal de las autopistas elevadas sobre su entorno inmediato. Para lograrlo se utilizan antecedentes históricos y normativos, pero también, el procesamiento de datos abiertos y la utilización de herramientas econométricas que dimensionan impacto. Los resultados identifican 11.893 hogares afectados por contaminación sonora, reducción en la edificabilidad, reducción en el valor de las propiedades y aumento en la probabilidad de robo o hurto. La Ciudad de Buenos Aires es la principal centralidad de la región en términos de empleo, producción y servicios del país. Esta condición sustenta la utilidad de las autopistas en términos económicos y de movilidad; sin embargo, enfrenta desafíos de impacto ambiental y calidad de vida, que deben ser priorizados en el marco de la agenda de cambio climático y vulnerabilidad de las poblaciones. En el documento se analiza además la evolución del modelo de ciudad con autopistas, sus transformaciones y las posibilidades futuras de estas infraestructuras en los entornos urbanos. Optimizarlas, reemplazarlas por túneles o derribarlas, son las principales acciones que las ciudades vienen desarrollando, específicamente para la recualificación de zonas céntricas, frentes costeros y entornos barriales.AbstractThis research provides scientific and methodological bases for territorial diagnostics, related to the causal effect of elevated expressways on their immediate surroundings. To achieve this, historical and normative background is used, but also, the open data processing and the use of econometric tools that measure impact. The results identify 11.893 households affected by noise pollution, reduction in buildability, reduction in property value and increase in the probability of larceny or robbery. The city of Buenos Aires is the main centrality of the region in terms of employment, production and services of the country. This condition underpins the usefulness of expressways in terms of economics and mobility; however, it faces challenges of environmental impact and quality of life, which must be prioritized within the framework of climate change and the vulnerability agenda of populations. This document also analyses the evolution of the city model with motorways, their transformations and the future possibilities of these infrastructures in urban environments. Optimizing them, replacing them with tunnels or demolishing them, are the main actions that cities are developing, specifically for the re-qualification of central areas, coastal fronts and neighborhood environments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 2217-2227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay S. Kasimov ◽  
Natalia E. Kosheleva ◽  
Elena M. Nikiforova ◽  
Dmitry V. Vlasov

Abstract. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), particularly benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), are toxic compounds emitted from various anthropogenic sources. Understanding the BaP concentrations, dynamics and decomposition in soil is required to assess the critical loads of BaP in urban environments. This study is the first attempt to evaluate all major input and output components of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) balance and to calculate the permissible load on the urban environment in different land-use zones in the Eastern district of Moscow. BaP contamination of the snow cover in the Eastern district of Moscow was related to daily BaP fallout from the atmosphere. In 2010, the mean content of the pollutant in the snow dust was 1942 ng g−1, whereas the average intensity of its fallout was 7.13 ng m−2 per day. Across the territory, BaP winter fallout intensities varied from 0.3 to 1100 ng m−2 per day. The average BaP content in the surface (0–10 cm) soil horizons was 409 ng g−1, which is 83 times higher than the local background value and 20 times higher than the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) accepted in Russia. The variations in soil and snow BaP concentrations among different land-use zones were examined. A significant contribution of BaP from the atmosphere to urban soils was identified. Based on the measurements of BaP atmospheric fallout and BaP reserves in the soils, the critical loads of BaP for the land-use zones in the Eastern district were calculated for different values of degradation intensity and different exposure times. It was established that at an annual degradation intensity of 1–10 %, ecologically safe BaP levels in the soils of all land-use zones, excluding the agricultural zone, will only be reached after many decades or centuries.


2003 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 2439-2439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Rivas ◽  
Ricardo Hernandez ◽  
Jose Luis Cueto

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