Intelligent Noise Mapping using Smart Phone on Web platform

Abstract

Environmental pollution has become very serious due to today’s advancement all around the world. Pollutions are of different types which include noise pollution. Noise pollution is considered as one of the most prevalent environmental challenges affecting human health. The rapid growth of population, vehicular density in roads, urbanization, etc., is increasing noise pollution in cities needing techniques to monitor and predict noise or to determine its effects on health. Noise levels of various sources, when integrated with the terrain data, are playing a vital role in determining the extent of noise pollution at various neighboring locations. The technique is tried to be developed over a typical city in India, i.e., Lucknow, with mixed land use pattern is chosen thus far. Further, an important variation in noise levels exists here from a place to another. It also varies with time in this city. It is planned to collect the noise levels of Lucknow from typically very crowded, averagely crowded, and thinly crowded areas. The collected data are also planned to be characterized as peak hour, average hour, and off-peak hour. Noise intensity and frequency data are observed to understand and characterize noise levels with the full spectrum. Once noise data are collected it is planned to be utilized for prediction of noise levels at unknown neighboring locations using terrain data and noise model. As it was understood that the collection of noise data at all source points is difficult, an intelligent technique is planned to be implemented. A smartphone-based technique is thought for it. Smartphone with noise App is planned to be utilized to collect the noise data, after the proper calibration of its microphone with Noise Level Meter. A web-based application where people will participate and upload the noise levels with smartphones is planned to serve the purpose. The requirement of terrain data is tried to be managed using a classified web map of google. Predicted noise levels over smart-phone are related to various health hazards. People’s feedback on health issues due to noise is recorded, along with health check-up reports, and reviews of literature. These are combined to relate to the effect of noise on health for an area.