Maasvlakte sound measurement network
The problem
Noise generated by industrial sources is often a cause of annoyance for people living in the surroundings of industrial areas, even when all individual plants adhere to regulations and possess all mandatory environmental permits. The variety of industrial noise sources is wide and the noise generated can be complex, making noise monitoring of large industrial areas not trivial. Low-frequency noise sources in particular are hard to localize using conventional sound measurement equipment, and may give rise to noise annoyance complaints at great distance from the source. This is also the case for the Maasvlakte, a part of the port of Rotterdam. Noise, mostly of low-frequency nature, generated by sources within this area, is often a cause of annoyance for residents of the nearby city of Oostvoorne, located 3km to the south of the area. In order not to impede potential future expansion of the Rotterdam harbour, it is important that the sources and mechanisms of this problem are known.
Our solution
The Maasvlakte sound measurement network (“Geluidmeetnet Maasvlakte”) was commissioned by DCMR with the goal to map the (low-frequency) noise sources over the Maasvlakte area, over the period of one year. In combination with data from local residents, this would allow DCMR to pinpoint those particular sources of noise that give rise to noise complaints. Together with its partners Ghent University, TNO and AFM, ASAsense developed a hybrid monitoring/modelling solution for this challenge. The solution consisted of a combination of several components: