A Study of the Ambient Noise in the Public Space on Campus and the Correlation Between the Campus Crowds’ Ambient Noise and the WiFi Log

Abstract

Urban noise is becoming more serious and increasingly concerning environmental problems. This has led to numerous studies on traffic noise. However, not many studies have been done on noise from a human perspective as they go about their daily life. In another aspect, using of the crowd-sourcing platform is on the rise as the usage of personal devices (smartphones) and the deployment of Internet-of-thing increases. Thus, a large pool of data collected via mobile applications enables users to measure the environmental factor directly and provide immediate feedback for and community’s greater good. In this paper, we utilize the crowd-sourcing platform to collect noise data by volunteers to study the noise level in a campus environment, in open common areas which are frequented by students. We are able to map out the noise across the campus from the perspective of the students. The noise level increase through the day as the student gather around popular open spaces. Our study shows that the sound level on campus is due mainly to human and mechanical noise. By combining the noise data with WiFi log data, we were able to show a good correlation between sound level and human density in an area