Tag: SoundPLAN

Categories
SoundPLAN

SoundPLAN Reliability

SoundPLAN ISO9001

SoundPLAN Reliability

Reliability of SoundPLAN Noise Mapping Software

SoundPLAN is a leading noise mapping software known for its reliability and compliance with international standards. Various scientific publications have validated its efficacy, underscoring its extensive use in environmental noise assessment.

 

Compliance with International Standards

SoundPLAN incorporates over 50 international noise calculation standards, including ISO 9613, CNOSSOS-EU, and Nord2000. This ensures that users can perform accurate noise mapping and predictions adhering to the latest guidelines. Its ability to integrate these standards makes it a versatile tool for global applications (SoundPLAN) (Geonoise).

 

Scientific Validation

A systematic review in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment analyzed noise prediction models used worldwide, highlighting SoundPLAN’s adaptability and compliance with international standards. The review found that SoundPLAN effectively met the requirements of countries without local noise models by using adaptable international standards like ISO 9613 and CNOSSOS-EU (SpringerLink).

Additionally, studies published on Academia.edu emphasize SoundPLAN’s comprehensive features, such as data preparation, consistency checks, and detailed documentation, which enhance the reliability and accuracy of its noise predictions. These features enable SoundPLAN to deliver precise noise mapping solutions, making it a trusted tool among professionals (SpringerLink).

 

Broad Application and Flexibility

SoundPLAN’s modular structure allows users to customize the software according to specific project needs, whether for road, rail, industrial, or aircraft noise mapping. This flexibility, combined with a user-friendly interface, ensures efficient workflow from modeling to final graphical and tabular presentation of results (Geonoise) (SoundPLAN).

The software’s reliability is further supported by its widespread adoption by engineering firms, governmental authorities, and academic institutions worldwide. This broad acceptance demonstrates confidence in SoundPLAN’s ability to produce accurate and reliable noise assessments across various applications. SoundPLAN also has ISO9001 certification. (SoundPLAN).

 

Conclusion

SoundPLAN noise mapping software stands out for its reliability, compliance with international standards, and scientific validation. Its comprehensive and adaptable features make it a preferred choice for accurate noise mapping and environmental acoustics, ensuring high-quality noise assessment in diverse settings.

For more detailed studies and technical specifics, refer to the publications on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment and Academia.edu.

Categories
Acoustic modelling Industrial noise Noise propagation

Noise mapping is now made easy

When designing a building, architects have a lot to consider, such as understanding the client’s brief, budget considerations, ensuring building regulations are met, safety and environmental requirements, creating new building designs, drawing up detailed plans, and working closely with other contractors involved. 

There is, however, one invisible factor that is sometimes overlooked – and that’s noise. The noise levels from, and within, a building can strongly influence whether it is judged as a success or failure. Taking steps to mitigate excessive noise brings many benefits to the environment, the economy, and the health of a building’s users and the local community.

A survey conducted by Earth5R in January 2023 by 45 volunteers from 15 Indian cities investigated noise pollution and found that noise levels were nearly 50 per cent higher than the permissible limit of 50 dBin ‘silent’ and residential areas.

Making the invisible, visible

Although noise is invisible, by using simulation software, it is possible to create a noise map. These are very visual demonstrations of where it comes from and how it propagates. The charts are color-coded so can be understood easily. This can be useful, especially when dealing with the local community or non-building professionals involved in the project. Mapping software can also break down different noise components rather than just giving an overall figure as a measurement does. With this approach, mitigation can be targeted in the most cost-efficient way.

Uncomplicating the process

If one only has an occasional requirement to undertake a project to assess noise, then mapping the noise using specialist software does not need to be complicated. Perhaps requires a one-off survey for an industrial plant, development plan, or transport infrastructure or one may need to predict the noise emissions from sound systems at an open-air event, to give a graphical overview of the expected noise during the planning of the stage setup. That’s why the developed SoundPLAN essential, software is designed to provide reliable tabular and graphical results for a standard noise calculation with the investment of minimal time. What to consider when choosing software:

  • Clear documentation is just as important for one-off or occasional noise projects as it is for more comprehensive noise mapping. Check that the software provides informative, standardized tables and clear graphical outputs so that one can present and document the noise map calculation results professionally and clearly in no time at all.
  • Does the software enable one to map different types of noise emissions from roads, railways, and industry sources effortlessly? For example, for industrial noise, is there a convenient level calculator whereby machine operating times and the emission of moving sound sources can be taken into account very easily?
  • Check the software is always up to date with the latest noise standards for road, rail, industry, events, parking lots, and for noise from outside sources that can affect people within a building.
  • Make sure it contains a large number of noise emissions data within its library, including emission of moving sound sources, to simplify noise reporting, whilst also giving one the flexibility to add their own data at any time. The information can come from manufacturers’ specifications, software libraries, and many other sources.
  • Choose software that enables to import and adjust geometry data. It should enable one to transfer background maps from Google Maps and Open Street Map so that one can use these as a basis for terrain models and work on projects efficiently.
  • Does the software include a ‘Building Acoustics-Outside‘ module? This is a very helpful tool when it comes to noise remediation or protective measures against external noise when planning buildings. It can be used to prove the acoustic properties of a room against unwanted outdoor noise. Software should conform to the updated standard EN ISO 12354-3:2017, relating to the estimation of the acoustic performance of buildings. The software should include optimization for any number of facades and components, as well as the use of a library of supplied sound insulation options.
  • If the requirements are changing and one needs more than occasional standard noise mapping, can they easily be upgraded to a more comprehensive noise mapping package, like SoundPLAN noise?

About Michel Rosmolen:

Michel Rosmolen, director of SoundPLAN Asia, shares tips about what to look for in noise mapping software when one only has an occasional project requirement. 

Categories
Acoustic modelling

Country wide noise mapping with SoundPLAN by Ms. Khei Yinn Seow

Great presentation by Khei Yinn Seow about city/country wide noise mapping with SoundPLAN GmbH software at the 7th International Conference on Noise, Vibration and Comfort (NVC) organized by Society for Vibration and Acoustics Malaysia

In accordance with Directive 2002/49/EC, also known as the Environmental Noise Directive (END), European member states are required to create noise maps and action plans starting from 2007 every 5 years to reduce noise levels in urban areas, major transportation routes, and other noise-sensitive areas. The aim is to decrease noise exposure and its effects on human health and the environment.

 

Noise maps are used to show noise pollution in areas caused by airports, road traffic, railways, and industrial zones. While in Germany noise maps for airports, road traffic, and industrial noise are produced in a decentralized manner, and with a smaller spatial extent, the noise maps for railway noise are created nationwide by one single authority.

 

Processing millions of buildings, tens of thousands of kilometers of railway tracks, and gigabytes of terrain data is a significant challenge for data preparation and organization, as well as for the noise calculations themselves.

 

Using Germany and Italy as examples, this challenge can be done quickly and efficiently.

 

Both countries had a different approach to solve the task -but both countries have used data which were stored in a common GIS database, a noise calculation software like SoundPLAN to perform the calculations and an auxiliary tool serving as an interface between the GIS and the calculation software.

 

Therefore, it is proposed that such avenue can be implemented in Malaysia, starting from major cities, as an initiative to build the environmental noise database of the country. 

 

This will be beneficial to work towards solving the noise exposure and pollution issues in Malaysia.

Categories
Acoustic modelling

Nation-wide railnoise mapping Indonesia by Akmal Putra

Akmal Putra presenting at Railtech 2023 in Jakarta about nation-wide railnoise mapping in Indonesia.
Akmal Putra presenting at Railtech 2023 in Jakarta about nation-wide railnoise mapping in Indonesia.

 

Presenter: Akmal Putra, associate director at PT Global Suara Indonesia, our SoundPLAN partner for Indonesia.

 

The needs of acoustic modelling for railway system: Study case in Indonesia – opt.1

The needs of nation-wide noise mapping for Indonesian railway system – opt.2

 

In recent years, environmental noise has been recognized as the second most influential environmental reason for ill health in Europe, after air pollution (Hänninen et al., 2014; WHO and JRC, 2011). Railway noise is commonly recognized as the second most dominant source of noise pollution, following road traffic noise.

the increasing evidence linking railway noise with various negative health outcomes including hypertension (Seidler et al., 2016), annoyance (Gille et al., 2017; Beutel et al., 2016; Bodin et al., 2015) and sleep disturbance (van Kamp et al., 2020; Brink et al., 2019; Smith et al., 2017), railway noise in Europe has received attention in terms of strategic noise mapping and population exposure analysis since 2007 when Environmental Noise Directive (END) has required that EU Member States (MS) generate strategic noise maps every 5 years for their railway line.

 

But how about in other country, let’s say in my country Indonesia?

Do we really need this kind of attention as same as European did for our railway system?

 

There are two ways to quantify the noise exposure from railway line: (1) by doing the direct measurement using sound level meter to get 24 hours noise level if refer to Indonesian regulation, and (2) by doing the computer modelling to get the noise level in targeted area based on standard or scientific equation.

Let’s talk more detail for both of it.

The direct measurement method is referred to “Keputusan Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup, No. 48 Tahun 1996. Tentang : Baku Tingkat Kebisingan” local regulation. Which regulate the noise level of outdoor spaces based on the function of area such as residential, hospital, office, etc. against the noise monitoring measurement data for minimum 24 hours.

This kind of method is effective to quantify the noise that we already know if the area has noise complaint or for a few buildings. But when we talk about large scale area, let’s say Jakarta which has more than ten thousand buildings, do we really can do the measurement for each building?

Nothing is impossible right?

What we need is investment to purchase sound level meter, hire professionals, and also time investment. if we want to speed things up, invest more money for more SLM and professionals. The question is, is it sustain or not? If in the middle of measurement process there are any changes of train type or railway line, should we redo all the measurement from the starting point? Or if there are new buildings is built, should we measure it? Yes!

So that the direct measurement is not an effective and sustainable way to do the large-scale noise mapping or nation-wide noise mapping.

 

The second method is to model the railway system noise exposure with computer software such as SoundPLANnoise 9.0 to get the noise level data for each critical area. By doing this, if there is any change with railway line, train type, tunnel, bridge, or there is a new building in the middle of modelling process, it can be solved by clicking the mouse button or keyboard. Of course, we still need professional to operate the software and it is a must!

Back to the topic, does Indonesia need nation-wide noise mapping for their railway system?

What I learned from my experience as an acoustic consultant in Indonesia, that we don’t really know if our railway system is acoustically problem or not. Since there is not enough data to say it is a problem. I try to search about railway noise problem and research in Indonesia and we have no more than 100 area noise level data generate by our existing or future railway system. If compared to total building which more than ten thousand, it is considered as negligible.

 

By applying the nation-wide noise mapping using computation modelling for all railway system in Indonesia, or at least some big city first like Jakarta or Surabaya, we can define if it is a nation-wide problem or not, because we would know how many areas that exceed the noise limit by modelling all railway line. And at last, we can formulate the solution to solve the problem itself. Is it by using wall barrier if there is problem with airborne noise? Is it by using anti-skid vibration on track ballast if there is problem with ground borne noise?

 

Define the problem first and we could know the most efficient way to solve it!

 

Because acoustic is not a luxury, it’s a necessity!