ACTIVITY: LIVING WITH NOISE ?

Eduard Puig Solé, epuigs@gencat.cat

Service for the Prevention of Pollution Acoustics and Light

Directorate General of Environmental Quality

Working Group Noise Eurocities

9 and 10 November of 2015 - Barcelona

Working Group Noise Eurocities 2

History

20th International Noise Awareness Day – April 29, 2015

Center of Hearing and Communication (CHC) is an non-profit

organization to encourage people to do something about bothersome

noise where they work, live, and play.

In Catalonia, every year, Councils and Catalonia Government organized a

technical workshops to discuss and share, management strategies for

reducing the noise pollution:

• Terrassa – 2014, Sabadell - 2013

• Girona, Manresa, Mataró, Torres de Segre - Schools workshops 2012

• Barcelona 2011, 2010, ….

http://chchearing.org/noise/day/

Working Group Noise Eurocities

EFECTES

3

Activity : Living with noise ?

But this year, for the INAD, the idea was involve all stakeholders in an

activity with the citizen’s participation.

Objective: To sensitize and raise

awareness of the importance of noise

pollution .

Everybody suffers it and everybody

contributes

Noise measurements massive campaign

HOW ?

Working Group Noise Eurocities 4

Stakehoders involved

Citizens

Councils and other authorities

(technicians)

Schools and

Institutes

Consulting companies, engineering,

EPCA 's,

equipment suppliers

ACTIVITY

Working Group Noise Eurocities

5

Noise measurements

Schools &Citizens

We divided de stakeholders in two groups, one with knowledge and

precision instrumentation and other without

Councils & Suppliers

equipment

• Sound Level Meters type 1

•Following ISO 1996 and

D176/2009 (Catalan law)

• According points (noisy and

also calm city points)

• Mobile app

• Noise guides and posters

were produced and distributed

• Points around schools

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Mobile app

After a preliminary study it was decided to work with the NOISE WATCH

APP.

1. Free, and developed by a public body, the European

Environmental Agency (EEA)

2. Available for Android and iOS platforms

3. Record a Leq 10 s , not instant SPL

4. The app allows to associate with a kind of source

5. The record is upload, with the position, in an app

database

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tsystems.humanSensor&hl=ca

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/noisewatch/id486395795?mt=8

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Publicity campaign activity

Before, during and after, publicity of the activity was made and distributed

via the Ministry’s information channels.

• Series of logos and images were specifically

designed to promote the “Am I Living with

Noise?”

• Video posted in the YOUTUBE channel :

• Social media channels

• News in radio, TV and newspapers :

https://youtu.be/yTTeK4K88as

http://www.ccma.cat/324/el-30-de-la-poblacio-viu-per-sobre-dels-nivells-de-soroll-recomanables/noticia/2660546/ http://www.ara.cat/societat/Vius-soroll-Comprova-ho-compara-

resultats_0_1347465344.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=ara

http://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20150412/54429851251/catalunya-foto-acustica.html

http://cadenaser.com/emisora/2015/04/29/radio_barcelona/1430300627_827971.html

Working Group Noise Eurocities

Measurements

8

A total of 2.017 measurements were

made: 1.832 were done using the

NoiseWatch app and 185 using sound

level meters.

Some interesting numbers:

48 local authorities

28 relevant companies took part

20 participating schools

234 different municipalities on the

same day across Catalonia.

908 participation tweets #diasoroll

Working Group Noise Eurocities

During de measurements

9

The NoiseWatch app allow to upload the measurement, and see it in a online

viewer (not immediately)

http://discomap.eea.europa.eu/map/NoiseWatch/

To spread the activity is asked to

make a tweet with the hashtag

#diasoroll, value level , location and

photo or Whatsapp to the Service

Working Group Noise Eurocities

Results

10

Finally the personal of the Service, collected all the

information from Twitter, WhatsApp, email (this way was

used for the councils and also the acoustics companies –

a datasheet was specifically designed for the INAD)

EEA , all facilitated data measurements NoiseWatch app,

made in Catalonia, during the day of the activity.

The information was worked on, statistically and graphically

processed.

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The map shows the

information about the

point, the value and the

device utilized

Results - Cartography

Google Earth maps

Also maps by ArcGis were made

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The location-city

of the sound level

meter

measurements.

Results - Statistically

0,0%

5,0%

10,0%

15,0%

20,0%

25,0%

30,0%

Ale

lla

Bad

alo

na

Ban

yole

s

Barc

elo

na

Cerd

anyola

de

l Va

llès

Corn

ellà

de L

lobre

gat

Cre

spià

Esplu

gues

de L

lob

rega

t

Gavà

Girona

Gra

no

llers

L'H

ospita

let de L

lobre

gat

Lle

ida

Malg

rat de M

ar

Manre

sa

Navàs

Pin

eda d

e M

ar

Pre

mià

de M

ar

Reus

Sab

adell

San

t C

ugat del V

allè

s

San

t Fe

liu d

e L

lobre

gat

San

t Jo

an

Desp

í

San

t Ju

st D

esv

ern

San

ta C

olo

ma d

e G

ram

enet

Terr

assa

Vila

de

cans

% m

es

ura

me

nts

Municipi

Mesuraments amb sonòmetre per municipi

82%

8% 5% 5%

Distribution for zones

Barcelona Girona Lleida Tarragona

1,7% 25,7%

12,9%

46,9%

12,5% 0,2%

Hourly distribution

Matinada Matí Migdia Tarda Vespre Nit

NoiseWatch app

measurements

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If it’s checked the goal compliance, with the activity

"Living with noise ?" results, we would see:

Great participation of the stakeholders ≈ 2.000

entries

Well received by schools , which served to

introduce and specify activities and school

workshops .

Good media coverage.

Conclusions

http://mediambient.gencat.cat/ca/05_ambits_dactuacio/atmosfera/contaminacio_acustica/jornades_cursos_i_arti

cles_tecnics/2015/

More information in the web site, in Catalan (some information is in Spanish and English):

The goal was the participation and mobilization of the

different administrations, companies and citizens.

Thank you for your attention

Eduard Puig Solé, epuigs@gencat.cat

Service for the Prevention of Pollution Acoustics and Light

Directorate General of Environmental Quality