Noise Mapping in the Eu: Models and Procedures

ISBN-13: 9780415585095 / Angielski / Twarda / 2012 / 442 str.

Gaetano Licitra

Opis

Noise mapping is the first tool to effectively assess noise exposure, communicating information to citizens, and defining effective action plans for protecting citizens from high noise levels and preserving quiet areas in urban European Community environments. Indeed, strategic noise maps are now required in the European Union for all population centers of more than 250,000 inhabitants, as well as for major roads, railways, and airports, and are becoming required for urban areas with over 100,000 people.
Providing a comprehensive reference guide for students, researchers, acoustics consultants, and environmental agencies, Noise Mapping in the EU: Models and Procedures shows how to integrate data with geographical information systems, improve accuracy in model and prediction software, and assess different methods and descriptors for evaluating annoyance and noise exposure. It offers guidance on regulations, communication processes, physical aspects, and application of noise mapping, as well as on communication processes for citizens involved in decision making. Beginning with fundamental concepts in acoustics and a presentation of legal frameworks for noise mapping in Europe, the book covers all the main issues about noise mapping. It presents numerical models for roads, railways, airports, harbours, and industrial sites.
The chapters are written by European experts from a range of research institutes, companies, and environmental agencies. Using a practical approach and worked examples, the text discusses control and uncertainty in input data and output results, technical recommendations from working groups, and the Good Practice Guide (GPG) tool. It provides in-depth coverage of geographic information system (GIS) techniques for noise management and the evaluation and management of noise exposure, and concludes by reviewing noise mapping experiences in Europe, communication to the public, and future perspectives for mapping the effects of noise.

Spis treści

Fundamentals. Noise evaluation and mapping. Legal basis on noise mapping in the European Union and the Directive 69/2002/E. Measurements. Road traffic noise. Railway noise. Industrial and harbour noise. Airport noise. The Good Practice Guide, Version 2. Uncertainty and quality assurance in simulation software. Noise mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Geographic information system tools for noise mapping. Maps and Geographic Information Systems in noise management. The evaluation of population exposure to noise. Noise mapping in Europe. Noise maps in the European Union: An overview. Noise maps from different national assessment methods: Differences, uncertainties, and needs for harmonization. Communication and action plans. Communication to the general public. Which information for the European and local policy makers? From noise maps to critical hot spots: Priorities in action Plans. Future perspectives. From noise to annoyance mapping: A soundscape approach. Index.

O autorze

Gaetano Licitra is head of the Lucca Department at the Environmental Protection Agency of Tuscany Region (ARPAT) and a professor of acoustics at the University of Pisa, Italy. He participated in the EU Working Group on Health and Social Economic Aspects and in the HARMONOISE , IMAGINE, and ENNAH EU Projects (FP5, FP6, and FP7). He is a member of the European Environment Agency’s Expert Panel on Noise (EPON).