Advancements in autonomous detection of high noise emitters in road traffic

Abstract

Noise pollution is an increasing problem in densely populated areas with high traffic flow. The NEMO project (Noise and Emissions Monitoring https://nemo-cities.eu/) is funded by the EU to develop a system that is capable of detecting high emitters in terms of noise and air pollutants to prosecute vehicle owners. To this end, a fully autonomous noise measurement system was developed and tested on several test locations, both unsupervised and supervised. This paper describes the advancements in autonomous measuring of traffic noise and specifically addresses the problem of reliable noise source detection in dense traffic streams. While the correct localization of the source is of great importance, it is not yet enough to measure the correct sound pressure level. We therefore propose a method to estimate the influence of nearby noise sources, i.e. closely driving additional vehicles, that disturb the sound signal of the vehicle of interest and correct for it. This algorithm has been applied on several test locations. Using these insights, we will discuss the benefits and possibility of the integration of such a system in the near future.