Abstract In the issue of expanding noise levels the world over, road traffic noise is main contributor. The investigation of street traffic noise in urban communities is a significant issue. Ample opportunity has already passed to understand the significance of noise appraisal through prediction models with the goal that assurance against street traffic noise can be actualized. Noise predictions models are utilized in an increasing range of decision-making applications. This study’s main objective is to assess ambient noise levels at major arterial roads of Surat city, compare these with prescribed standards, and develop a noise prediction model for arterial roads using an Artificial Neural Network. The feed-forward back propagation method has been used to train the model. Models have been developed using the data of three roads separately, and one final model has also been developed using the data of all three roads. Among the prediction in three arterial roads, the predicted output result from the model of Adajan-Rander showed a better correlation with a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.789 and R2 value of 0.707. But with the combined model, there is a slight deterioration in mean squared value (MSE) 1.550, with R2 not getting changed much significantly, i.e., 0.755. However, the combined model’s prediction can be adopted due to the variety of data used in its training.
{"title":"Development of traffic noise prediction model for major arterial roads of tier-II city of India (Surat) using artificial neural network","authors":"Ramesh B. Ranpise, B. Tandel, Vivek A. Singh","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0013","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In the issue of expanding noise levels the world over, road traffic noise is main contributor. The investigation of street traffic noise in urban communities is a significant issue. Ample opportunity has already passed to understand the significance of noise appraisal through prediction models with the goal that assurance against street traffic noise can be actualized. Noise predictions models are utilized in an increasing range of decision-making applications. This study’s main objective is to assess ambient noise levels at major arterial roads of Surat city, compare these with prescribed standards, and develop a noise prediction model for arterial roads using an Artificial Neural Network. The feed-forward back propagation method has been used to train the model. Models have been developed using the data of three roads separately, and one final model has also been developed using the data of all three roads. Among the prediction in three arterial roads, the predicted output result from the model of Adajan-Rander showed a better correlation with a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.789 and R2 value of 0.707. But with the combined model, there is a slight deterioration in mean squared value (MSE) 1.550, with R2 not getting changed much significantly, i.e., 0.755. However, the combined model’s prediction can be adopted due to the variety of data used in its training.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46833253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arif Susanto, D. Setyawan, Firman Setiabudi, Y. M. Savira, A. Listiarini, E. K. Putro, A. F. Muhamad, J. C. Wilmot, D. Zulfakar, Prayoga Kara, Iting Shofwati, Sodikin Sodikin, M. Tejamaya
Abstract Monitoring workers’ exposure to occupational noise is essential, especially in industrial areas, to protect their health. Therefore, it is necessary to collect information on noise emitted by machines in industries. This research aims to map the noise from mechanized mineral ore industry using the kriging interpolation method, and ArcGIS 10.5.1 to spatially process and analyze data. The experimental calculation result of the semivariogram showed a 0.83 range value, with an essential parameter of 1.75 sill and a spherical total theoretical model. The result shows that the main machines with the highest power consumption and the Leq value are located in the southwest position of the sampled areas with a noise map-projected to assess the workers’ noise exposure level. In conclusion, the study found that the highest noise level was generated ranged from 88 to 97 dBA and contributed to the whole sound pressure level at certain positions.
{"title":"GIS-based mapping of noise from mechanized minerals ore processing industry","authors":"Arif Susanto, D. Setyawan, Firman Setiabudi, Y. M. Savira, A. Listiarini, E. K. Putro, A. F. Muhamad, J. C. Wilmot, D. Zulfakar, Prayoga Kara, Iting Shofwati, Sodikin Sodikin, M. Tejamaya","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Monitoring workers’ exposure to occupational noise is essential, especially in industrial areas, to protect their health. Therefore, it is necessary to collect information on noise emitted by machines in industries. This research aims to map the noise from mechanized mineral ore industry using the kriging interpolation method, and ArcGIS 10.5.1 to spatially process and analyze data. The experimental calculation result of the semivariogram showed a 0.83 range value, with an essential parameter of 1.75 sill and a spherical total theoretical model. The result shows that the main machines with the highest power consumption and the Leq value are located in the southwest position of the sampled areas with a noise map-projected to assess the workers’ noise exposure level. In conclusion, the study found that the highest noise level was generated ranged from 88 to 97 dBA and contributed to the whole sound pressure level at certain positions.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47921260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Campos, Manuel José dos Santos Silva, Agostinho Rui Alves da Fonseca
Abstract Multipath effects occur when receiving a wave near a corner, for example, the noise of an helicopter or an aircraft or a drone or other forms of urban air mobility near a building, or a telecommunications receiver antenna near an obstacle. The total signal received in a corner consists of four parts: (i) a direct signal from source to observer; (ii) a second signal reflected on the ground; (iii) a third signal reflected on the wall; (iv) a fourth signal reflected from both wall and ground. The problem is solved in two-dimensions to specify the total signal, whose ratio to the direct signal specifies the multipath factor. The amplitude and phase of the multipath factor are plotted as functions of the frequency over the audible range, for various relative positions of observer and source, and for several combinations of the reflection coefficients of the ground and wall. It is shown that the received signal consists of a double series of spectral bands, in other words: (i) the interference effects lead to spectral bands with peaks and zeros; (ii) the successive peaks also go through zeros and “peaks of the peaks”. The results apply not only to sound, but also to other waves, e.g., electromagnetic waves using the corresponding frequency band and reflection factors.
{"title":"On the multipath effects due to wall reflections for wave reception in a corner","authors":"L. Campos, Manuel José dos Santos Silva, Agostinho Rui Alves da Fonseca","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Multipath effects occur when receiving a wave near a corner, for example, the noise of an helicopter or an aircraft or a drone or other forms of urban air mobility near a building, or a telecommunications receiver antenna near an obstacle. The total signal received in a corner consists of four parts: (i) a direct signal from source to observer; (ii) a second signal reflected on the ground; (iii) a third signal reflected on the wall; (iv) a fourth signal reflected from both wall and ground. The problem is solved in two-dimensions to specify the total signal, whose ratio to the direct signal specifies the multipath factor. The amplitude and phase of the multipath factor are plotted as functions of the frequency over the audible range, for various relative positions of observer and source, and for several combinations of the reflection coefficients of the ground and wall. It is shown that the received signal consists of a double series of spectral bands, in other words: (i) the interference effects lead to spectral bands with peaks and zeros; (ii) the successive peaks also go through zeros and “peaks of the peaks”. The results apply not only to sound, but also to other waves, e.g., electromagnetic waves using the corresponding frequency band and reflection factors.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47838901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Baldinelli, F. Bianchi, D. Costarelli, F. D’Alessandro, Flavio Scrucca, Marco Seracini, G. Vinti
Abstract An innovative technique based on beamforming is implemented, at the aim of detecting the distances from the observer and the relative positions among the noise sources themselves in multisource noise scenarios. By means of preliminary activities to assess the optical camera focal length and stereoscopic measurements followed by image processing, the geometric information in the source-microphone direction is retrieved, a parameter generally missed in classic beamforming applications. A corollary of the method consists of the possibility of obtaining also the distance among different noise sources which could be present in a multisource environment. A loss of precision is found when the effect of the high acoustic reflectivity ground interferes with the noise source.
{"title":"Innovative techniques for the improvement of industrial noise sources identification by beamforming","authors":"G. Baldinelli, F. Bianchi, D. Costarelli, F. D’Alessandro, Flavio Scrucca, Marco Seracini, G. Vinti","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0010","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract An innovative technique based on beamforming is implemented, at the aim of detecting the distances from the observer and the relative positions among the noise sources themselves in multisource noise scenarios. By means of preliminary activities to assess the optical camera focal length and stereoscopic measurements followed by image processing, the geometric information in the source-microphone direction is retrieved, a parameter generally missed in classic beamforming applications. A corollary of the method consists of the possibility of obtaining also the distance among different noise sources which could be present in a multisource environment. A loss of precision is found when the effect of the high acoustic reflectivity ground interferes with the noise source.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42483607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The term Movida takes its name from the evening and night life of the city for their liveliness and animation. During the Movida, noise is one of the problems in the city centers due to the negative effects on the resident population. This paper reports the effects of noise due to the Movida phenomenon within the city center in southern Italy. Along the roads affected by the Movida phenomenon, the values of sound levels in dBA were measured both with fixed stations with a sound level meter and with mobile stations by wearing a noise dosimeter a participant of Movida. The measured noise levels are between 85 dBA to 90 dBA. The noise levels show that the Movida phenomenon generates disturbing conditions on the resident population with consequent conflict between club managers, patrons and residents.
{"title":"Effects of nightlife noise in a city center","authors":"G. Iannace, A. Trematerra, Ilaria Lombardi","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The term Movida takes its name from the evening and night life of the city for their liveliness and animation. During the Movida, noise is one of the problems in the city centers due to the negative effects on the resident population. This paper reports the effects of noise due to the Movida phenomenon within the city center in southern Italy. Along the roads affected by the Movida phenomenon, the values of sound levels in dBA were measured both with fixed stations with a sound level meter and with mobile stations by wearing a noise dosimeter a participant of Movida. The measured noise levels are between 85 dBA to 90 dBA. The noise levels show that the Movida phenomenon generates disturbing conditions on the resident population with consequent conflict between club managers, patrons and residents.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44824359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
data, observations and soundscape feedback. Two case studies gathered in the latter stage of full lockdown are presented in the paper to illustrate the changes in the environmental noise conditions relative to transport activity.
{"title":"Noise Mapping Special Issue: The noise climate at the time of SARS-CoV-2 Virus/COVID-19 Disease","authors":"F. Asdrubali, G. Brambilla","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0015","url":null,"abstract":"data, observations and soundscape feedback. Two case studies gathered in the latter stage of full lockdown are presented in the paper to illustrate the changes in the environmental noise conditions relative to transport activity.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41648894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jerónimo Vida Manzano, José Antonio Almagro Pastor, R. Quesada
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.
{"title":"The importance of changing urban scenery in the assessment of citizens’ soundscape perception. On the need for different time-related points of view","authors":"Jerónimo Vida Manzano, José Antonio Almagro Pastor, R. Quesada","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0011","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43692985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Electric vehicles (EVs) are progressively entering into the current noisy urban ecosystem. Even though EVs are apparently quieter than traditional Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs), they have an impact on noise maps and road pavement designers should take this into consideration when designing future low-noise road pavements. Consequently, the main objective of this study is to define what are the most important aspects that road pavement designers should take into account. For this reason, in this paper, the noise emitted by EVs was analysed, considering parameters (e.g., speed and frequency) and comparisons, in order to identify crucial characteristics. Results show that EV noise could call for the improvement of pavement acoustic design due to the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), high-frequency peaks, and noise vibration harshness.
{"title":"Electric vehicles diffusion: changing pavement acoustic design?","authors":"F. Praticò, R. Fedele","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Electric vehicles (EVs) are progressively entering into the current noisy urban ecosystem. Even though EVs are apparently quieter than traditional Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs), they have an impact on noise maps and road pavement designers should take this into consideration when designing future low-noise road pavements. Consequently, the main objective of this study is to define what are the most important aspects that road pavement designers should take into account. For this reason, in this paper, the noise emitted by EVs was analysed, considering parameters (e.g., speed and frequency) and comparisons, in order to identify crucial characteristics. Results show that EV noise could call for the improvement of pavement acoustic design due to the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), high-frequency peaks, and noise vibration harshness.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42124299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Alsina-Pagès, G. Ginovart-Panisello, M. Freixes, Antonella Radicchi
Abstract The Poblenou Superblock, in Barcelona, is a crucial element in the development of the new city-planning within the framework of the Superblock (Superilles) concept, whose principal aim is to recover the cultural, economic and social exchanges once produced in streets and squares. People living in urban areas need a lower traffic density, more green spaces and cleaner air in order to restore the previous uses of public spaces in their day-today lives. The urban actions conducted at this Superblock to change its uses were completed about 3 years ago, and neighbours and workers have already taken over the new spaces. In an interdisciplinary work on urban planning and acoustics, we detail the preliminary results of the acoustic events found in the recordings in a soundwalk in the heart of the Poblenou Superblock. Fifteen people evaluate and record sound fragments with the Hush City App application, in order to establish comparisons between the different points of the route, observe the spaces arranged for people and perceive the soundscape. Meanwhile, several acoustic technicians record 5-min long audios in the different stops designed for the soundwalk. The points chosen to make the recordings are very different from each other, some of them in the middle of gardens and others are on pacific streets and finally, we also wanted to include Superblock borders where the traffic is still very present. The results of our study were promising and have encouraged us to further investigate acoustics events in superblocks and include all the perceptual information provided by the Hush City App.
{"title":"A Soundwalk in the heart of Poblenou superblock in Barcelona: Preliminary study of the acoustic events","authors":"R. Alsina-Pagès, G. Ginovart-Panisello, M. Freixes, Antonella Radicchi","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0016","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Poblenou Superblock, in Barcelona, is a crucial element in the development of the new city-planning within the framework of the Superblock (Superilles) concept, whose principal aim is to recover the cultural, economic and social exchanges once produced in streets and squares. People living in urban areas need a lower traffic density, more green spaces and cleaner air in order to restore the previous uses of public spaces in their day-today lives. The urban actions conducted at this Superblock to change its uses were completed about 3 years ago, and neighbours and workers have already taken over the new spaces. In an interdisciplinary work on urban planning and acoustics, we detail the preliminary results of the acoustic events found in the recordings in a soundwalk in the heart of the Poblenou Superblock. Fifteen people evaluate and record sound fragments with the Hush City App application, in order to establish comparisons between the different points of the route, observe the spaces arranged for people and perceive the soundscape. Meanwhile, several acoustic technicians record 5-min long audios in the different stops designed for the soundwalk. The points chosen to make the recordings are very different from each other, some of them in the middle of gardens and others are on pacific streets and finally, we also wanted to include Superblock borders where the traffic is still very present. The results of our study were promising and have encouraged us to further investigate acoustics events in superblocks and include all the perceptual information provided by the Hush City App.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42691985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Zambon, C. Confalonieri, F. Angelini, R. Benocci
Abstract In this paper, we present the results of the noise monitoring in the urban area of Milan, Italy, associated with COVID-19 outbreak. In order to limit the diffusion of the pandemic, Italy adopted growing levels of restrictive measures, which ended with a 41-day lockdown from March 23 to May 3 2020. This action created a new kind of environment including a remarkable reduction of air, water and soil pollutants, together with a partial recovery of the ecosystems otherwise compromised. The presence of a permanent noise monitoring system made of 24 sensors installed in the city of Milan, allowed capturing the changes in the urban sound environment in a pre, during and post-lockdown period (months from February to June 2020). The comparison of the noise levels in terms of both absolute noise levels (Lden) and hourly noise profiles (median over lockdown period) with the same period of 2019, showed a dramatic reduction of the noise levels of approximately 6 dB. Splitting the contribution of all-non-traffic noises or anomalous noise events (ANE) from the recorded noise levels, we observe a greater contribution of the latter during the lockdown period. The use of DYNAMAP noise prediction system over an extended urban area allowed the evaluation of the population exposure to noise, estimating an increase of 14.9% and 16.4% of the exposed population to noises with Lden below 53 dB(A) and Lnight below 45 dB(A) with respect to 2019.
{"title":"Effects of COVID-19 outbreak on the sound environment of the city of Milan, Italy","authors":"G. Zambon, C. Confalonieri, F. Angelini, R. Benocci","doi":"10.1515/noise-2021-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/noise-2021-0009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In this paper, we present the results of the noise monitoring in the urban area of Milan, Italy, associated with COVID-19 outbreak. In order to limit the diffusion of the pandemic, Italy adopted growing levels of restrictive measures, which ended with a 41-day lockdown from March 23 to May 3 2020. This action created a new kind of environment including a remarkable reduction of air, water and soil pollutants, together with a partial recovery of the ecosystems otherwise compromised. The presence of a permanent noise monitoring system made of 24 sensors installed in the city of Milan, allowed capturing the changes in the urban sound environment in a pre, during and post-lockdown period (months from February to June 2020). The comparison of the noise levels in terms of both absolute noise levels (Lden) and hourly noise profiles (median over lockdown period) with the same period of 2019, showed a dramatic reduction of the noise levels of approximately 6 dB. Splitting the contribution of all-non-traffic noises or anomalous noise events (ANE) from the recorded noise levels, we observe a greater contribution of the latter during the lockdown period. The use of DYNAMAP noise prediction system over an extended urban area allowed the evaluation of the population exposure to noise, estimating an increase of 14.9% and 16.4% of the exposed population to noises with Lden below 53 dB(A) and Lnight below 45 dB(A) with respect to 2019.","PeriodicalId":44086,"journal":{"name":"Noise Mapping","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/noise-2021-0009","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45077223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}