BMT Makes a Noise in Poland
09-May-2006
BMT Cordah Ltd has pioneered one of the first European Union-enforced acoustic mapping programmes for the city of Gdansk in Poland.
According to stringent EU directives, acoustic maps depicting noise levels in towns have to be developed in all population centres across Europe with more than 250,000 inhabitants. The fast-encroaching deadline for such maps to be put in place has been set as September 2006. The purpose of the mapping is to assess where levels of noise exceed accepted values in towns, ultimately leading to a global picture of the threat from noise. The Gdansk map will be updated every five years, allowing the local population of 500,000 to assess the effects of noise in their town. The project should also provide solutions that will mitigate noise levels and provide potential protection systems.
As part of the £200,000 contract for the project, BMT provided an IT solution that collated all the detailed information that was required from a wide variety of sources to create the map. Gdansk's local municipal departments had to share information on geodesy, spatial planning, environmental protection and population levels. This information was combined with a 3D model of the city which depicted the terrain surface, roads and buildings. To complete the acoustic mapping process, various types of noise across Gdansk had to be analysed, including trams, trains, industry, air transport and traffic noise at different times of the night and day.
The IT system that has been developed by BMT to maintain the map will keep all this information in a central database that is based on industry standards, and will allow full access for users from the town hall and public access through the internet. It will also facilitate the inputting of data automatically or half-automatically, and will be scalable and open. In future the system will evolve to become an integrated environmental database allowing for complex analysis of town environment based on both simulated and measured data.
Dr Owen Harrop, Managing Director of BMT Cordah said: "The prediction and management of noise in Europe is becoming an increasingly important topic, and BMT Cordah is proud to be among the pioneers of the technology that facilitates acoustic mapping. This market is set for rapid expansion over the next year as European towns and cities attempt to comply with EU directives – BMT Cordah will be at the forefront of this burgeoning market."
Gdansk's authorities offered the contract in order to meet the EU's 2002/49/EC Directive with the important requirement that the map was part of a municipal geographical information system. BMT led the successful consortium that was given the project and which also included DATAKUSTIK, a German company that offers the noise modeling software package Cadna A. BMT has also been commissioned to undertake a noise screening study in the UK’s Shetland Isles. This project is not part of the EU Directive but an opportunity for BMT to use its expertise to provide valuable information for the Shetland Island’s council as it examines the acoustic impact of industry.
Geospatial IT solutions implemented by BMT Cordah in Poland have been twice nominated for prestigious BE Excellence Award by Bentley Systems in the US.
