Activity organized for the Goverment of Catalonia, to sensitize and raise awareness of the importance of noise pollution, for the INAD-2015 (International Noise Awareness Day)

1. 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

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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/

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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 ?

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Stakehoders involved
Citizens
Councils and other
authorities
(technicians)
Schools and
Institutes
Consulting companies,
engineering,
EPCA 's,
equipment suppliers
ACTIVITY

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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

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Measurements
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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

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During de measurements
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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

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Results
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 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%
Alella
Badalona
Banyoles
Barcelona
CerdanyoladelVallès
CornellàdeLlobregat
Crespià
EspluguesdeLlobregat
Gavà
Girona
Granollers
L'HospitaletdeLlobregat
Lleida
MalgratdeMar
Manresa
Navàs
PinedadeMar
PremiàdeMar
Reus
Sabadell
SantCugatdelVallès
SantFeliudeLlobregat
SantJoanDespí
SantJustDesvern
SantaColomadeGramenet
Terrassa
Viladecans
%mesuraments
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.

14. 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