Analysis of the prediction capacity of a categorization method for
urban noise assessment
Applied Acoustics, (2011)Abstract
A street categorization method to study urban noise was tested by
comparing its results and predictive capacity with those of a reference
method – the standard grid method (mentioned in the ISO 1996 standard).
To this end, two independent noise surveys were carried out simultaneously
in the city of Cáceres (Spain), each using one of these two methods.
In a first step, the overall values of each procedure were obtained
and the differences analyzed. Then, to analyze the predictive capacity
of the categorization method, the two noise maps were constructed,
and their predicted values (the noise levels of the squares of the
grid for the grid method, and of the categories for the categorization
method) were compared with the data of the other procedure used as
control.It was found that the categorization method yielded similar
results for the overall analysis of the city to those obtained with
the value of the points of the grid method with considerably fewer
sampling points.The categorization method also seems to be a more
suitable predictor for new measurements, particularly for levels
in the noisiest streets of the town.