scholarly journals Validating two geospatial models of continental-scale environmental sound levels

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (12) ◽  
pp. 122401
Author(s):  
Katrina Pedersen ◽  
Mark K. Transtrum ◽  
Kent L. Gee ◽  
Shane V. Lympany ◽  
Michael M. James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Sound Levels

COVID-19 AND SOUNDSCAPE CHANGES DUE TO THE LOCKDOWN. THE CASE OF LIMA, PERU

Akustika ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
walter Montano ◽  
Elena Gushiken
Keyword(s):  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Industrial Activities ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Temporary Closure ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way of life of the world’s population, and initially all non-essential commercial and industrial activities in all countries were suspended, as well as the temporary closure of major airports and educational activities. As never before, environmental sound levels were reduced as a result of the quarantine, as the authorities ordered people to remain confined in their homes in order to reduce and prevent the SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Cities became silent and in some cases birds and wildlife “took over” this situation. This change in the soundscape led to sounds that were previously masked, now being heard, i.e. HVAC and other noises. This article presents the case of Lima, Peru, in which the impact and annoyance produced by aircrafts overflights are analyzed (during 2020); as well as the healthy soundscape levels achieved ‘thanks’ to the commercial lockdown and leisure activities.

scholarly journals Towards the Interpretation of Sound Measurements from Smartphones Collected with Mobile Crowdsensing in the Healthcare Domain: An Experiment with Android Devices

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Robin Kraft ◽  
Manfred Reichert ◽  
Rüdiger Pryss
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Mobile Crowdsensing ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Smartphone Sensors ◽  
Ecological Momentary

The ubiquity of mobile devices fosters the combined use of ecological momentary assessments (EMA) and mobile crowdsensing (MCS) in the field of healthcare. This combination not only allows researchers to collect ecologically valid data, but also to use smartphone sensors to capture the context in which these data are collected. The TrackYourTinnitus (TYT) platform uses EMA to track users’ individual subjective tinnitus perception and MCS to capture an objective environmental sound level while the EMA questionnaire is filled in. However, the sound level data cannot be used directly among the different smartphones used by TYT users, since uncalibrated raw values are stored. This work describes an approach towards making these values comparable. In the described setting, the evaluation of sensor measurements from different smartphone users becomes increasingly prevalent. Therefore, the shown approach can be also considered as a more general solution as it not only shows how it helped to interpret TYT sound level data, but may also stimulate other researchers, especially those who need to interpret sensor data in a similar setting. Altogether, the approach will show that measuring sound levels with mobile devices is possible in healthcare scenarios, but there are many challenges to ensuring that the measured values are interpretable.

Firework activity and environmental sound levels: community impacts and solutions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Erica D. Walker ◽  
Nina F. Lee ◽  
Koen F. Tieskens ◽  
Jonathan Jay ◽  
Lorrie J. Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Community Impacts

Montevideo, walkable city: pedestrianization of a large avenue during 2020 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. 1586-1593
Author(s):  
Alice Elizabeth Gonzalez ◽  
Pablo Gianoli Kovar ◽  
Lady Carolina Ramírez ◽  
Micaela Luzardo Rivero
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Acoustic Quality ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels ◽  
The City

On March 13, 2020, the first cases of SARS-COVID19 were detected in Uruguay. During the first weeks of the pandemic, mobility was significantly reduced with the slogan "If you can, stay home"; it was not a mandatory but voluntary confinement. After a couple of months, there was a big drop in the number of people affected by the disease. Thus, the Municipality of Montevideo, betting on a more human and walkable city, defined that the main avenue of the city had a pedestrian section on Saturday afternoons. This resulted in a greater enjoyment of the city by its inhabitants, as they had more space to walk while maintaining safe distances between people. It was also possible to promote trading, since classically Ave. 18 de Julio is also a commercial stroll. Additionally, the sound pressure levels recorded by the Municipality's stationary sound level meters located at three points along the avenue, showed the reduction of environmental sound levels in pedestrian areas, improving the acoustic quality of the walk. In this paper, sound pressure levels on Saturday afternoons at different times of the year before, during and after the initial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are compared and discussed.

scholarly journals Spatial evaluation of environmental noise with the use of participatory sensing system in Singapore

Noise Mapping ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 236-248
Author(s):  
Huey Ting Diong ◽  
Richard Neitzel ◽  
William Hal Martin
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Participatory Sensing ◽  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Community Noise ◽  
Sound Exposure ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Sound Maps

Abstract Existing studies in Singapore on environmental noise are scarce and limited in scale due to the need for expensive equipment and sophisticated modelling expertise. This study presents the approach of using participatory sensing and mobile phones to monitor environmental sound levels around Singapore. iPhones running the AmbiCiti application was adopted to sample equivalent continuous 30-second average outdoor sound levels (LAeq ,30 sec). The aggregated mean of each region was evaluated and the spatial distribution of environmental noise was analysed using noise maps generated from the measurement data. A total of 18,768 LAeq ,30 sec measurements were collected over ten weeks. About 93.6% of the daytime measurements (07:00 – 19:00) exceeded the WHO recommended level of 55 dBA to minimise negative non-auditory health effects due to noise. The results of this study suggest that the population of Singapore is potentially at risk of adverse non-auditory health effects and, to a lesser extent, hearing loss due to community noise levels. However, the measurements exceeding 70 dBA were frequent enough to warrant concern about contributions to the cumulative lifetime sound exposure contributing to hearing loss. The work also demonstrates that sound maps of an area can be efficiently generated using calibrated applications running on smart phones.

scholarly journals Analysis of environmental sound levels in modern rodent housing rooms

Lab Animal ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 154-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Lauer ◽  
Bradford J. May ◽  
Ziwei Judy Hao ◽  
Julie Watson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Sound Levels

scholarly journals Variability of environmental sound levels: An observational study from a general adult intensive care unit in the UK

2021 ◽  
pp. 175114372110221
Author(s):  
Julie L Darbyshire ◽  
J Duncan Young
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Intensive Care Units ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Adult Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
The Individual

Background Intensive care units are significantly louder than WHO guidelines recommend. Patients are disturbed by activities around them and frequently report disrupted sleep. This can lead to slower recovery and long-term health problems. Environmental sound levels are usually reported as LAeq24, a single daily value that reflects mean sound levels over the previous 24-h period. This may not be the most appropriate measure for intensive care units (ICUs) and other similar areas. Humans experience sound in context, and disturbance will vary according to both the individual and acoustic features of the ambient sounds. Loudness is one of a number of measures that approximate the human perception of sound, taking into account tone, duration, and frequency, as well as volume. Typically sounds with higher frequencies, such as alarms, are perceived as louder and more disturbing. Methods Sound level data were collected from a single NHS Trust hospital general adult intensive care unit between October 2016 and May 2018. Summary data (mean sound levels (LAeq) and corresponding Zwicker calculated loudness values) were subsequently analysed by minute, hour, and day. Results The overall mean LAeq24 across the study duration was 47.4 dBA. This varied by microphone location. We identified a clear pattern to sound level fluctuations across the 24-h period. Weekends were significantly quieter than weekdays in statistical terms but this reduction of 0.2 dB is not detectable by human hearing. Peak loudness values over 90 dB were recorded every hour. Conclusions Perception of sound is sensitive to the environment and individual characteristics and sound levels in the ICU are location specific. This has implications for routine environmental monitoring practices. Peak loudness values are consistently between 90 and 100 dB. These may be driven by alarms and other sudden high-frequency sounds, leading to more disturbance than LAeq24 sound levels suggest. Addressing sounds with high loudness values may improve the ICU environment more than an overall reduction in the 24-h mean decibel value.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document