1. Catalonia has developed strategic noise maps and action plans for 10 agglomerations with populations over 100,000 as required by the END. 2. Strategic noise maps show noise levels across areas and are used to estimate the number of people exposed to different noise levels. Maps were developed using measurements and GIS tools to overlay noise and population data. 3. Action plans developed for the first round focused on improving noise in the most exposed areas. Future plans will also consider quiet areas and involve road/rail authorities and local governments long term.

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Meeting of the EIONET National Reference CentresMeeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres
fon Noisefon Noise
Eduard Puig Solé, epuigs@gencat.cat
Service for the Prevention of Pollution Acoustics and Light
Directorate General of Environmental Quality
DEVELOPMENT OF NOISE MAPS
AND ACTION PLANS IN CATALONIA
26 of September of 2013 - Barcelona

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AGGLOMERATIONS in Catalonia
Supra agglomerations:
1. Barcelonès I (> 250 000 c)
2. Barcelonès II (> 250 000 c)
3. Baix Llobregat I (> 250,000 c)
4. Baix Llobregat II (> 100,000 c)
5. Gironès (> 100,000 c)
6. Vallès Occidental I (> 100,000 c)
7. Vallès Occidental II (> 100,000 c)
Local authorities agglomerations:
8. Lleida (> 100,000 c)
9. Reus (> 100,000 c)
10. Mataró (> 100,000 c)
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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AGGLOMERATIONS (more than 250.000 c)
Barcelonès I
Barcelona and Sant
Adrià de Besòs
Size: 104,3 Km2
Population: 1.649.131 c
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise
Barcelonès II
Badalona and Santa
Coloma de Gramenet
Size: 28,8 Km2
Population: 332.665 c
Baix Llobregat I
Hospitalet de Llobregat,
Cornellà de Llobregat, Sant
Feliu de Llobregat, Esplugues
de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí
and Sant Just Desvern
Size: 49,9 Km2
Population: 475.188 c

4. 4
Majors ROADS / RAILWAYS in Catalonia
1.841 Km of roads - DTES
370 m of superficial
underground - TMB
71 Km of railway - FGC
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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1. Controlling noise pollution from transport infrastructure.
2. The temporary suspension of the objectives of sound quality in
case of public works infrastructure owned by the Government of
Catalonia.
3. Declaring supra-municipal areas (more than one cities).
4. Provide technical support, administrative law and necessary for
the preparation of strategic noise maps for local governments
and infrastructure owners.
5. Coordinate and approve the strategic noise maps of a
metropolitan-wide supra.
6. Gather the strategic noise maps and to comply with the reporting
requirements of Directive 2002/49/EC of 25 June.
Competences of the Department of Planning and
Sustainability
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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7. Declaring an area of ​​special protection for sound (ZEPQA) in
areas not included in land development.
8. Coordinate and approve action plans regarding noise from the
crowded field of supramuncipal agglomerations.
9. Report of the action plans relating to noise pollution of the big
roads, railways, major airports and ports.
10. To support the work of inspection and control of noise pollution,
when requested local authorities.
11. Managing the system of accreditation and monitoring bodies for
the prevention of noise pollution.
Competences of the Department of Planning and
Sustainability
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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Viewer with information of strategic
noise maps
http://sima.gencat.cat/Visors/Soroll/Inici.html
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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Objective: To obtain data on the population exposed to different noise
levels, using GIS tools, across the population data with maps of
existing noise situation.
The strategic noise maps in Catalonia
Benefit: strategic noise maps with minimal cost. A good compromise
between cost and precision of the results.
Philosophy: the money must be spent on making plans and not on
the maps.
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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All maps (>100.000) already carried out in the first phase (Law
16/2002 of Catalonia)
The strategic noise maps in Catalonia – the
methodology for the second round
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise
Tasks of update of cartography
and of data, through selective
measurements (short periods &
24 hours).
New calculations of exposed
population with data updated in
an environment GIS
Improvements: Obtaining of data
depending on the typology of
source.

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Our responsible for drawing up strategic noise
maps
1. Infrastructure: Holders of the infrastructure, develop and approve.
2. Agglomerations:
Local authorities. The council develops and approves.
Supra Scope: The municipality prepares and the Department of
Planning and Sustainability (DTES) coordinates and approves.
Town 1
Town 2
Establish performance
criteria and presentation of
results.
Coordination between
municipalities.
Quality control.
Technical advice.
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

11. The action plans in Catalonia
13
Action plans 1º phase, done.
Our responsible:
Establish criteria and
methodology of format and
structure of the shares (Action
Plan document).
Coordination between
municipalities.
Technical advice.
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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Structure of the Action Plan document
In each action is
performed, a
summary table with
the following format:
[1] Type of action: There are 5 types of actions as: regulation and compliance, incentives, investments, strategic actions, awareness and
consciousness.
[2] Priority: High, medium or low
[3] Agent that promotes action: Who supports this action, for example the technical services of the council.
[4] Agent who directed the action: For whom or who benefits from this action, for example the group of carriers
[5] Description / purpose: A brief description of the action.
[6] Monitoring: If any monitoring has been done and what, for example, periodic measurements of noise levels
[7] Field of activity: outreach in the town: local or global
[8] Resources: economic expenditure if quantifiable
[9] Benefit: If the expected benefit can be obtained, with decreased levels, affected population, ...
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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Conclusions and future trends – noise maps
STRATEGIC NOISE MAPS:
1. Finding the commitment between accuracy and reasonable cost to make the
maps. Better to reserve the costs for the corrective measures.
2. The maps have been based with acoustic measurements. In the next years, it
will be necessary to incorporate the calculation/predictive methods into the
methodologies (CNOSSOS-EU)
3. And maybe in the future revision of the directive, will be interesting to
establish certain targets to reach, not only schelude as now , will be a good
pressure measure for all.
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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Conclusions and future trends – action plans
ACTION PLANS:
1. The first phase of the action plans they have been focused on in the
improvement of the most exposed points. It will be necessary to take the
calm zones into account in the following phases.
2. Educating in the need to manage in the long term, between the
road/railway/airports holders and also the towns (politicians and technicians)
Meeting of the EIONET National Reference Centres fon Noise

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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