Noise causes annoyance, but its amount cannot simply be related to noise levels. Decision-makers often request that noise exposure is calculated for different times daily, evening, and night-time or their combination (Lden) in order to better understand the potential impacts the noise may cause. But unfortunately, these level metrics are typically computed for longer periods only, i.e., a month, the busiest six months, or a year, thus blurring the annoying effect of some worse days or even some hours of the day. A more citizen-centric approach might consider the nature of aircraft noise to be a series of individual events rather than a continuous equivalent level. Lden can neither consider critical hours, such as trying to get some rest outside after work, the time when people try to fall asleep, or when they are in a light-sleep phase soon before getting up; nor can it tell too much about sleep disturbance by the noise.
The introduction of new metrics to use as an evaluation tool on the harmful effect of air traffic is not just a difficult scientific task, it is also a hard decision because there does not exist a universal, undisputed metric. Each of the metrics utilised nowadays emphasise one certain aspect of noise while suppressing the others. Instead of inventing new formulas of combined metrics, in ANIMA, we try to move the current, mainly equivalent-level oriented decision approach in a direction where more factors are considered.
Therefore, a tool has been elaborated, which can compute several metrics, each strongly related to annoyance. A strong emphasis has also been set on the ability of the tool to easily change scenarios, i.e., to analyse various possibilities quickly.
Please note that all examples presented here serve only to demonstrate the tool's capability and potential. Although you’ll see computed metrics around Budapest Airport, the applied schedules are fictional, so it is strongly emphasised that the reader shall not draw any conclusions on the situation around BUD airport.
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Map visualisation window showing various metrics for one scenario. One can observe that areas defined by crucial limits of the metrics mark out somewhat different areas.