Sound arrival direction and acoustic scene analysis for the monitoring of airport noise

The authors have developed a sound direction detection method based on the cross-correlation method and applied it to automatic monitoring of aircraft noise and identification of sound sources. As aircraft performance improves, noise decreases, and people are interested in and dissatisfied with low-level noise aircraft, especially in urban areas where environmental noise and aircraft noise combine to complicate the acoustic environment. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor and to measure not only aircraft noise but also environmental noise. Since our surveillance is aircraft noise, it is important to analyze noise exposure from acoustic information rather than trucks or images. In this report, we will look back on the development process of this sound direction detection technology, show examples of helicopters and application examples of acoustic scene analysis to high-altitude aircraft, and consider the latest situation realized as acoustic environment monitoring. We believe that this analysis will make it easier to understand the noise exposure situation at the noise monitoring station. It also describes the future outlook for this method.

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Assessing Health Effects and Soundscape Analysis as New Mitigation Actions Concerning the Aircraft Noise Impact in Small- and Middle-Size Urban Areas in Greece

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments6010004 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 4 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Georgia Gerolymatou ◽

Nicolas Rémy ◽

Konstantinos Vogiatzis ◽

Vassiliki Zafiropoulou

Keyword(s):

Health Effects ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Aircraft Noise ◽

Population Exposure ◽

Noise Mapping ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

International Airport ◽

Disability Adjusted Life ◽

The Impact

In 2013 and 2014, two main International Airports in Greece were evaluated through the European directive on noise environment 2002/49/EC: “Nikos Kazantzakis” International Airport of Heraklion Crete and “Ioannis—Kapodistrias” International Airport in Corfu, both located in highly touristic areas of Greece. Acoustic measurement’s campaign, environmental noise mapping simulations and population exposure to noise were implemented in order to produce a complete Strategic Noise Map. Correlated to this acoustic approach, a comprehensive interview campaign and a detailed soundscape analysis were also conducted in both airports’ adjacent areas (Alikarnassos district in Heraklion and the peninsula of Canoni in Corfu City) in order to understand the impact of aircraft movements on both local residents and tourists, and analyze the perception of the soundscapes. A similar evaluation was also executed in order to assess possible health effects by using the WHO’s DALY’s (Disability Adjusted Life Year) metrics for environmental noise in relation to the exposure of the population. This paper presents the main results of these representative case studies, attempting a combined assessment of both health effects and soundscape characteristics to be used as evaluation tools towards the management and the rehabilitation acoustic environment characterized mainly by aircraft noise in touristic areas.

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LIFE+2010 QUADMAP Project: a new methodology to select, analyze and manage Quiet Urban Areas defined by the European Directive 2002/49/EC

Noise Mapping ◽

10.1515/noise-2016-0009 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Itziar Aspuru ◽

Igone Garcia ◽

Chiara Bartalucci ◽

Francesco Borchi ◽

Monica Carfagni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Added Value ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

Health Safety ◽

European Directive ◽

Selection Analysis ◽

Stress Levels ◽

Definition Of

AbstractConcerning quiet areas, the definition provided by the Environmental Noise Directive (END) is intended to preserve the acoustic environment in those areas where it is considered good, according to general indicators and limits. However, the END is not clear enough to allow appropriate assessment and management in urban environments. The aim of QUADMAP project was to deliver a method and guidelines for the identification, delineation, characterization, improvement and management of Quiet Urban Areas (QUAs) as defined by the END. The Project also wanted to help clarify the definition of a QUA, its meaning and its added value for cities in terms of health, safety and lowering stress levels. In this article, after an introduction of the current European scenario on QUAs, the main aspects of the methodology introduced for the selection, analysis and management of QUAs are described. Eventually, the major results achieved by the Project, in terms of the guideline on QUAs, the implemented interventions and the achieved benefits, are reported and discussed.

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Detecting and Correlating Aircraft Noise Events below Ambient Noise Levels Using OpenSky Tracking Data

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2020059013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

Luc Dekoninck

Keyword(s):

Spatial Data ◽

Ambient Noise ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Aircraft Noise ◽

Data Series ◽

Noise Levels ◽

Noise Mapping ◽

High Exposure ◽

Ambient Exposure

Noise annoyance due to aircraft operations extends well beyond the 55 Lden noise contours as calculated according to the Environmental Noise Directive (END). Noise mapping beyond these contours will improve the understanding of the perception, annoyance and health impact of aircraft operations. OpenSky data can provide the spatial data to create an aircraft noise exposure map for lower exposure levels. This work presents the first step of region-wide noise exposure methodology based on open source data: detecting low LAmax aircraft events in ambient noise using spectral noise measurements and correlating the detected noise events to the matching flights retrieved from the OpenSky database. In ISO 20906:2009, the specifications of noise monitoring near airports is standardized, using LAeq,1sec values for event detection. This limits the detection potential due to masking by other noise sources in areas with low maximum levels of aircraft noise and in areas with medium maximum levels of high ambient exposure areas. The typical lower detection limit in airport-based monitoring systems ranges from 55 to 60 LAeq,max, depending on the ambient levels. Using a detection algorithm sensitive to third-octave band levels, aircrafts can be detected down to 40 LAmax in ambient noise levels of a similar magnitude. The measurement approach is opportunistic: aircraft events are detected in available environmental noise data series registered for other applications (e.g., road noise, industrial noise, etc.). Most of the measurement locations are not identified as high-exposure areas for aircraft noise. Detection settings can vary to match ambient noise levels to improve the correlation success.

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Geographic Ecological Momentary Assessment (GEMA) of environmental noise annoyance: the influence of activity context and the daily acoustic environment

International Journal of Health Geographics ◽

10.1186/s12942-020-00246-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xue Zhang ◽

Suhong Zhou ◽

Mei-Po Kwan ◽

Lingling Su ◽

Junwen Lu

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Health Effect ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Sound Level ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

Noise Annoyance ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Abstract Background Noise annoyance is considered to be the most widespread and recognized health effect of environmental noise. Previous research is mostly based on the static study of residential environmental noise, but few studies have focused on the effects of noise exposure in different activity contexts on real-time annoyance. The two deficiency are that they neglect the influence of activity context besides residence and fail to reflect the difference of time-scale effect of noise influence. Methods Using portable noise and air sensors, GPS-equipped mobile phones, questionnaire survey, and geographic ecological momentary assessment (GEMA), this paper measured the environmental noise and real-time noise annoyance of participants at different activity places. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of environmental noise on people’s real-time annoyance. The paper further considered the influence of the geographic context of the activity places and daily acoustic environment on participants’ real-time annoyance. Further, a nonlinear regression model was constructed using Random Forest to further examine the nonlinear relationship between environmental noise and real-time annoyance. Results The results showed that: (1) the average cumulative equivalent sound level during was 55 dB (A) when the participants responded to the EMA surveys; (2) Only the temperature of activity places had an influence on momentary annoyance and the higher the temperature, the more likely participants were annoyed; (3) Participants with higher perception of noise pollution in residential communities were more likely to be annoyed. However, participants with higher daily exposure to noise were less likely to feel annoyed; (4) The threshold value of the effect of noise on real-time annoyance was 58 dB (A) to 78 dB (A). Conclusions These findings can guide the development of urban planning and environmental noise standards and also provide a reference for noise barrier requirements for different activity places.

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1366Environmental noise exposure and mental health: an analysis of a longitudinal survey of Australian households

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/dyab168.378 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Ang Li ◽

Adelle Mansour ◽

Erika Martino ◽

Rebecca Bentley

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Short Form ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Health Benefit ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Persistent exposure to environmental noise in people’s homes has been associated with cardiovascular disease and poor mental health. Many studies conducted on noise and health are based on observational studies and the extent to which findings reflect residual confounding are not known. Methods Using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics survey in Australia, we examine the impact of environmental noise (traffic, airplanes, train, industry) on self-reported mental health measured by the Short Form 36 Health Survey. Fixed-effects longitudinal regression analyses are used to account for differences between people over time, reducing confounding from time-invariant factors and reporting bias. Time-varying factors were adjusted including age, education, equivalised income, employment, household structure, chronic condition, government payment status and tenure type. Results Results show a significant decrease in average mental health as the level of noise increased. Exposure to loud traffic noise ‘fairly commonly’ or ‘very commonly’ negatively impacted mental health (-1.18; 95%CI -1.56, -0.81 and -1.33; 95%CI -1.77, -0.89) and exposure to noise from airplanes, trains or industry ‘fairly commonly’ or ‘very commonly’ negatively impacted mental health (-1.57; 95%CI -1.88, -1.27 and -1.48; 95%CI -1.89, -1.08). Conclusions This provides robust evidence of short-run mental health effects of noise exposure within people’s homes. More research could be done to explore this over a longer-time frame. Key messages With increasing numbers of people living in urban areas, reducing environmental noise near people’s homes or improving the capacity of homes to reduce external sources of noise (e.g. double glazing) may have public health benefit.

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Noise exposure of the residential areas close to urban expressways in a high-rise mountainous city

Environment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science ◽

10.1177/23998083211015249 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 239980832110152

Author(s):

Heng Li ◽

Hui Xie

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Traffic Noise ◽

Road Traffic Noise ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Noise Levels ◽

Night Time ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

High Rise

Urban expressways can generate excessive noise in the surrounding urban areas, and it tends to be more complex in mountainous cities, due to the undulating terrain, dense population and compact urban structures. This article aims to investigate the objective acoustic environment and road traffic noise exposure, including the noisy evaluation, annoyance and effect of roadside apartments in residential areas close to urban expressways in the high-density, high-rise, mountainous city of Chongqing. Three housing estates were selected for a series of field measurements, questionnaire surveys and noise mapping. There was a significant negative correlation between night-time noise levels and the distances to the urban expressway ( p < 0.01). Moreover, the differences between the daytime and night-time noise levels were generally insignificant (0.7 to 3.6 dBA) at the roadside locations. Differences in reaction to noise exposure in a variety of both person-related and housing condition variables were found, especially between roadside and non-roadside locations or residents. In addition, 75.0% of roadside residents identified the traffic noise as ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ annoying, and 66.7% of them regarded the acoustic environment as the priority environmental factor that needs to be improved. Difference in the ‘bedroom-window orientation’ had a significant effect on subjective noise evaluation. Rectangular-shaped apartments along the roadside obtain better noise reduction capacities than tower-blocks through the simulation. The acoustic performance of road cuttings, as an appropriately designed earth embankment, is improved along with deeper vertical alignment, and slope angles of 30° and 75° should be avoided.

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Aircraft Noise Levels, Annoyance and General Health of Residents of Communities contiguous to a Major Airport in Lagos State

TEXILA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH ◽

10.21522/tijph.2013.08.04.art006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 47-59

Author(s):

Iheanyichukwu M. Elechi

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

General Health ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Aircraft Noise ◽

Poor Health ◽

Noise Levels ◽

General Health Status ◽

Lagos State ◽

Distant Location ◽

Self Reported Health Status

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the aircraft noise exposure, annoyance reactions and health status of the residents living within the vicinity of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMA) in Lagos state, Nigeria. Aircraft noise monitoring was conducted in five locations within the vicinity (0-5Km) of MMA, and a sixth distant location (14km away). Levels of aircraft noise for all five locations within the vicinity of the airport exceeded the EPA Victoria threshold of 75 dB LAmax for the residential area (outdoor). A survey on annoyance induced by aircraft noise exposure and general health status was conducted on 450 local residents in the study locations using the International Commission on Biological Effect of Noise question and a single question that has been applied in Dutch national health care surveys since 1983 on self-reported general health status respectively. Percentage of residents within the vicinity of MMA that were highly annoyed (%HA) exceeded 15% guideline limit stipulated by Federal Interagency Committee on Urban Noise while 14.5% reported poor health status. There was a significant association between the annoyance reactions and aircraft noise levels in the study locations while the association between self-reported health status and aircraft noise levels was not significant. Taken together, the residents within the vicinity of the airport are exposed to aircraft noise levels above permissible limit which may be associated with high annoyance reaction but may not be associated with poor health rating. Evidence-based aircraft noise related policies by government are advocated.

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Aircraft Noise Distribution as a Fairness Dilemma—A Review of Aircraft Noise through the Lens of Social Justice Research

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147399 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7399

Author(s):

Dominik Hauptvogel ◽

Susanne Bartels ◽

Dirk Schreckenberg ◽

Tobias Rothmund

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Aircraft Noise ◽

Noise Distribution ◽

Justice Research ◽

Fairness Perceptions ◽

Noise Annoyance ◽

Social Justice Research ◽

The Relationship

Aircraft noise exposure is a health risk and there is evidence that noise annoyance partly mediates the association between noise exposure and stress-related health risks. Thus, approaches to reduce annoyance may be beneficial for health. Annoyance is influenced by manifold non-acoustic factors and perceiving a fair and trustful relationship between the airport and its residents may be one of them. The distribution of aircraft noise exposure can be regarded as a fairness dilemma: while residents living near an airport may seem to have some advantages, the majority of residents living under certain flight routes or in their immediate proximity suffer from the disadvantages of the airport, especially the noise. Moreover, a dilemma exists between the airport’s beneficial economic impact for a region and the physical and psychological integrity of residents. Aircraft noise exposure through the lens of social justice research can help to improve our understanding of noise annoyance. Research indicates that the fairness perceptions of the parties involved can be enhanced by (a) improving individual cost–benefit ratios, (b) providing a fair procedure for deciding upon the noise distribution, and (c) implementing fair social interaction with residents. Based on the review of evidence from social justice research, we derive recommendations on how fairness aspects can be integrated into aircraft noise management with the purpose of improving the relationship between the airport and its residents, to reduce annoyance, and to enhance the acceptance of local aviation and the airport as a neighbor.

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The importance of changing urban scenery in the assessment of citizens’ soundscape perception. On the need for different time-related points of view

Noise Mapping ◽

10.1515/noise-2021-0011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 138-161

Author(s):

Jerónimo Vida Manzano ◽

José Antonio Almagro Pastor ◽

Rafael García Quesada

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Noise Exposure ◽

Noise Control ◽

Action Plan ◽

Heavy Traffic ◽

Legal Protection ◽

Complementary Method ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

The Right ◽

The City

Abstract The city of Granada is experimenting a big urban transformation, attending national and international commitments on clean air, energy efficiency and savings linked to greenhouse gases reduction strategies and sustainable development action plans. This situation constitutes a good scenario for new noise control approaches that take into account the sound variable and citizens empowering in urban design, such as the soundscape assessment of urban territory. In this way, soundscape tools have been used in Granada as a complementary method for environmental noise characterisation where traditional noise control techniques are difficult to be carried out or give limited results. After 2016 strategic noise map and in the preparation of the new noise action plan, the city came across a great acoustic challenge in a new area located outskirts characterised by growing urbanisation, still under development, the greatest legal protection because of sensitive teaching and hospital buildings and the greatest noise exposure from nearby ring-way supporting heavy traffic flow. As quiet urban areas are not characterised by the absence of noise but for the presence of the right noise, this research intended to provide the local administration with results and proposals to transform this conflict area in a pleasant or quiet urban place. Main results came from important and significative differences in morning and evening characterisation, as great differences appear in soundscape assessment over the day and along the soundwalk path, indicating the importance of time and local issues to adequately characterised citizens perception to be considered by administration in the development of strategies and effective noise control actions.

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