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King, Eoin A.
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King, Eoin A.
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King, Eoin A.
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Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
- PublicationResidential exposure to port noise: a case study of Dublin, Ireland(2012-08)
; The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently acknowledged that contrary to the trend for other environmental stressors, noise exposure is increasing in Europe. While a considerable amount of research has recently been undertaken assessing the extent of noise from road, rail and air transportation in the EU, relatively little research has been conducted internationally assessing the extent of environmental noise within the vicinity of major European shipping ports. Accordingly, this paper reports on research examining the extent of noise exposure for residents within the vicinity of Dublin Port, Ireland using the nation’s largest port terminal as a proxy for port noise. Three gantries were erected without planning permission in 2002 but no enforcement proceedings were brought against the operating company prior to a seven-year enforcement period under planning laws expiring. Thus, operational hours and noise levels remain relatively unregulated. In order to assess the level of exposure in the area, a series of long-term measurements were undertaken at the most exposed façade of local resident’s homes to determine whether the extent of day-time and night-time exposure was above levels recommended by the WHO. The results show that exposure is significant and well-above guideline limits considered detrimental to human health and quality of life. They also suggest that there may be a low-frequency noise problem in the study area.498 - PublicationEnvironmental Noise Mapping with Smartphone Applications: A Participatory Noise Map of West Hartford, CT(2016-06-15)
; ; ; This paper reports on the second phase of an on-going study concerning the use of smartphone applications to measure environmental noise at the University of Hartford. This phase involved the development of two strategic noise maps of West Hartford town center: i) a standard noise map developed using traditional mapping techniques and ii) a participatory noise map utilizing smartphone-based measurement data (a citizen-science approach to noise mapping). The objective of the study was to assess the feasibility of developing a noise map using a citizen science based approach. Results suggest that smartphone applications can be used to collect environmental noise data and these data may be used in the development of a participatory noise map.192 - PublicationEvaluating the impact on noise levels of a ban on private cars in Dublin city centre, IrelandDublin’s city centre is the primary destination in the Dublin region for shopping, employment and education. Public transport services in the area have experienced significant time delays throughout peak periods of the day due to severe traffic congestion. In an effort to alleviate traffic congestion and increase the efficiency of public transport in the area, a ‘bus gate’ was introduced to one particularly sensitive area in the city centre. The scheme restricts private vehicles from accessing the area during peak traffic hours. It was hoped that this scheme would result in significant journey time-savings for public transport users and would also result in reduced noise pollution in the city centre from the removal of through traffic. This paper aims to quantify the effect the ‘bus gate’ has had on noise levels in the area. Noise levels were monitored prior to and after the introduction of the scheme and the extent to which the scheme impacted on the noise levels was thus evaluated. The study also estimates the impact extending the ban would have on noise exposure levels in Dublin city centre.
647Scopus© Citations 13 - PublicationTesting the accuracy of smartphones and sound level meter applications for measuring environmental noiseThis paper reports on experimental tests undertaken to assess the capability of noise monitoring applications to be utilized as an alternative low cost solution to traditional noise monitoring using a sound level meter. The methodology consisted of testing 100 smartphones in a reverberation room. Broadband white noise was utilized to test the ability of smartphones to measure noise at background, 50, 70 and 90 dB(A) and these measurements were compared with true noise levels acquired via a calibrated sound level meter. Tests were conducted on phones using the Android and iOS platforms. For each smartphone, tests were completed separately for leading noise monitoring apps culminating in 1472 tests. The results suggest that apps written for the iOS platform are superior to those running on the Android platform. They show that one of the apps tested – SLA Lite – is within ±1 dB of true noise levels across four different reference conditions. The results also show that there is a significant relationship between phone age and its ability to measure noise accurately. The research has implications for the future use of smartphones as low cost monitoring and assessment devices for environmental noise.
2873Scopus© Citations 110 - PublicationStrategic environmental noise mapping : methodological issues concerning the implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive and their policy implicationsThis paper explores methodological issues surrounding the implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive (END) across Member States. It also highlights future policy implications arising from the analysis which ought to be considered for improving strategic environmental noise mapping in the future. Methodologically, the paper focuses on two key issues relevant to the Directive: calculation methods and mapping methods. For the former, the paper focuses, in particular, on how differing calculation methods influence noise prediction results as well as the value of the EU noise indicator Lden and its associated implications for comparability of noise data across EU states. With regard to the latter, emphasis is placed on identifying the issues affecting strategic noise mapping, estimating population exposure, noise action planning and dissemination of noise mapping results to the general public. The implication of these issues for future environmental noise policy is also examined.
1459Scopus© Citations 147 - PublicationAn assessment of residential exposure to environmental noise at a shipping portThe World Health Organisation has recently acknowledged that contrary to the trend for other environmental stressors, noise exposure is increasing in Europe. However, little research has been conducted on environmental noise exposure to handling activity at shipping ports. This paper reports on research examining the extent of noise exposure for residents within the vicinity of Dublin Port, Ireland using the nation's largest port terminal as a proxy for port noise. In order to assess the level of exposure in the area, long-term measurements were undertaken at the most exposed residential façade for a period of 45 days to determine the extent of night-time exposure that was above levels recommended by the World Health Organisation. The indicators L90, Leq and LMax were used to determine exposure levels. The results show that exposure is above night-time guideline limits set down by the WHO, above Irish levels for the assessment of noise mitigation and highlight the extent to which port noise can be a significant environmental stressor. The research also investigated the extent of low-frequency noise (which is associated with greater health issues) from night-time port handling activity and found a significant low-frequency component indicating the negative health issues that might arise from port noise exposure more generally. We also undertook semi-structured interviews with residents to qualitatively assess the self-reported impact of prolonged night-time noise exposure for local residents.
799Scopus© Citations 58 - PublicationA critical review of current policy for the assessment of night-time noise in the EUThis paper explores issues surrounding the estimation of population exposure data in accordance with EU Directive 2002/49/EC and, in particular, focuses on the assessment of night-time noise. It has been identified by many authors that no standardised method for estimating population exposure to noise exists. Thus, results from noise exposure studies across Member States cannot be compared reliably or combined. For sleep disturbance assessments, the issue is further compounded by the use of methodologies that are not fully understood. Significant concern exists over the use of the new Lnight indicator, which is measured over eight hours, as sleep disturbance studies to date rarely cover this period and noise indices do not usually include Lnight. Furthermore, assessments are performed using calculations at the position of the most exposed façade, while the impact of using this position, with respect to the bedroom, has not been fully quantified. This paper summarises the practical issues associated with the assessment of night-time noise in accordance with the requirements of EU Directive 2002/49/EC. Possible solutions are suggested including further guidance and the creation of an EU data infrastructure that would significantly improve benchmarking and comparison of future exposure studies under the terms of the Directive.
353 - PublicationExploring the accuracy of smartphone applications for measuring environmental noise(International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (INCE-USA), 2015-08-12)
; ; ; This paper reports on experimental tests undertaken to assess the capability of noise monitoring apps on smartphones to be utilised as an alternative low cost solution to traditional noise monitoring using a sound level meter. The methodology consisted of testing more than 100 smartphones in a reverberation room. White noise was utilised to test the ability of smartphones to measure noise at background, 50, 70 and 90 dB(A) and these measurements were compared with true noise levels acquired via a calibrated sound level meter. Tests were conducted on phones using the Android and iOS platforms. For each smartphone, tests were completed separately for three leading noise monitoring apps culminating in more than 1400 tests. The results suggest that apps written for the iOS platform are superior to those running on the Android platform which, in relative terms, performed rather poorly. For one of the iOS noise apps, the test results were within 1 dB(A) of the true noise level indicating the clear potential of the iPhone to be used as a low cost monitoring device in the future. The research has implications for the future use of smartphones as low cost monitoring and assessment devices for environmental noise.2565 - PublicationMapping for sustainability: environmental noise and the cityIn the last decade or so, the term sustainability has become fashionable not only among scientists but also among the general public. While this undoubtedly demonstrates that public awareness of environmental issues is increasing, it is also the case that the meaning of the concept can be elusive for many. As has been highlighted earlier in this volume, the notion of sustainability is something of a contested term quite aside from the idea of environmental sustainability, which is a more specific component of the broader concept
909 - PublicationStrategic noise mapping, population exposure estimates and 'acoustical planning' mitigation analysis in a European capital cityThis paper reports on research conducted to analyse the impact of two noise mitigation measures on levels of population exposure in Dublin, Ireland: travel demand and speed reduction. At the outset, the research utilises the CRTN calculation model, LIMA software and GIS to establish areas of poor sound quality. Then a base reference condition of selected roads within noise hotspots is used as a benchmark for assessing the relative impact of the mitigation measures in terms of their ability to bring about reductions in levels of population exposure to noise for both Lden and Lnight. The results demonstrate that in terms of noise action planning, reducing the level of travel demand leads to the most significant reduction in population exposure for Lden and Lnight. They highlight the significant role that noise mitigation measures can play in aiding good ‘acoustical planning’ in the future.
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