Photo: SINTEF
Romans may have been great engineers building roads throughout the empire, but they never did it for the well-being of others, rather for having fast access to taxpayers. We’re a long way from those days, of course. Today, things like noise pollution and means to counter fight it are discussed on a daily basis, because now people actually have a thing to say about new roads.
Mind you, things are quite serious concerning the issue, at least it seems so in Europe. A team of young researchers working for SINTEF, the largest independent research organization in Scandinavia, believes that every person should be allowed to experience noise pollution before it happens.
“Being handed a number with a color-coded noise map is no substitute for actually hearing the sound you’re going to be exposed to. Some young researchers at SINTEF have understood this problem, and are developing a simulation tool that can generate the noise similar to what might be expected from a planned construction project, even before any changes have been made,” the organization explains.
You may have heard of similar technologies being used to measure acoustics in concert halls, churches and railway stations before such buildings are constructed. The obvious advantage is that you improve a structure in advance. As we said, the applications of this technology could soon benefit road developers although at the moment only researchers have access to it.
“Being handed a number with a color-coded noise map is no substitute for actually hearing the sound you’re going to be exposed to. Some young researchers at SINTEF have understood this problem, and are developing a simulation tool that can generate the noise similar to what might be expected from a planned construction project, even before any changes have been made,” the organization explains.
Why?
You may find it rather peculiar, talking about traffic noise as it were something serious, but you’ll be surprised to know it’s also a fatal matter. According to the source, cardiovascular diseases caused by traffic noise handle the deaths of almost 150 Norwegians every year. Therefore, a tool like MAUS, which is how they call their noise simulation software, apparently is needed. In just a couple of words, this technology recreates what it’s like to be a listener in proximity to a sound source.You may have heard of similar technologies being used to measure acoustics in concert halls, churches and railway stations before such buildings are constructed. The obvious advantage is that you improve a structure in advance. As we said, the applications of this technology could soon benefit road developers although at the moment only researchers have access to it.
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