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NOISE is a tool that allows consultation of the noise exposure data reported by EU Member States and EEA member countries in accordance with the strategic noise maps required by the Environmental Noise Directive.

The map-viewer enables the user to locate in Europe the main noise sources at various scales of geographical representation; to look up noise exposure data for these sources; and download the data corresponding to strategic noise maps as reported to the Commission and EEA. It also allows the visualisation of noise contour maps at country level or more detailed scale for those countries that provided them in a useable Shapefile format.

You will also find a list of Frequently Asked Questions with answers that will hopefully assist your use of NOISE here.

NOISE application contains two main pieces of information:

1- Noise exposure information with:

• A map with its respective legend (in the Legend window) showing the noise exposure data relative to the noise source selected
• A graph showing the total number or percentage of people exposed to the different decibel bands by a noise source. The data relative to the map is indicated by a shadowed area on the graph. This dependent upon the geographical scale selected in the bottom bar of the viewer.

2- Noise contour maps:

• A local scale map which illustrates noise contours for Lden and Lnight, if provided by the country in a useable Shapefile format and with a correct geographic projection

The navigation tools enable panning and zooming in and out from European scale to a country or to a more detailed scale in both cases: when visualizing noise exposure information and also, noise contour maps. Whereas using the boxes in the bottom bar menu, the choices will guide the user towards a specific map view and scale.

It is not the intention of the current application to show noise contour maps at European level, they will only be shown at local level (for agglomerations and airports) and at national level (in the case of major roads and major railways noise contour maps) if the information is correctly provided.

• STEP 1: In order to visualise the noise exposure data in the viewer you should select "Noise exposure data" in the tab of the bottom bar of the viewer (by default, this information will be the one displayed).
• STEP 2: Then, you should select a source from the "Noise source" window, located at the top right hand side of the screen. Next, you should select a noise indicator from the same tab. Finally, you should decide if you would like to see "Total" or "Relative" values on people exposed to noise (European scale is the default display).
It is only possible to visualise a single value on noise exposure data each time you make a selection, due to the manner in which data has been reported in accordance with the END
• STEP 3: In order to update the statistics displayed into a more detailed geographical scale (e.g. at country level), it will be necessary to select the country or the more detailed information from the boxes located at the bottom bar of the viewer. The zooming and panning functions will allow you to browse through the map, but the use of the navigation tools will not update the statistics displayed.

Once the 3 steps accomplished, the map, the statistics window and the legend window will be uploaded (or updated) with the selected information.

• Noise exposure data is shown in the map at European, national and local level. Noise contour maps are not shown in the NOISE viewer.
• Exposure to Major Roads and to Major Railways can be only detailed at the national level, considering the requirements of the END.
• Statistical information referring to local noise sources (i.e. agglomeration or major airport) can be consulted by selecting a single item from the box "More detailed information" at the bottom bar. And you can always go back to the national scale by selecting "Back to country level".
• Due to the way in which data has been reported, it is not yet possible to view figures for the overall noise impact from all sources combined.
• Links to national noise maps and map-viewers can be accessed here. Responsibility for the maintenance of the web sites provided rests with the member states and member countries.

• STEP 1 In order to visualise the noise contour maps in the viewer you should select "Noise contour maps" in the tab of the bottom bar of the viewer (by default, the information on noise exposure data will be the one displayed).
• STEP 2 Then, you should select a country from the list available in the box located at the bottom bar of the viewer (These are the countries that provided the noise contour maps in a useable shapefile format and with a correct or specified projection system)
• STEP 3 In the "Noise contour maps" window, the available noise contours for the country you previously selected will be listed. Select from the list the one that you would like to visualise and the viewer will directly zoom into the information provided by the country.

Please note that the "Print" and "Noise exposure statistics" functions are not available in the case of noise contour maps (you can visualise them but the result will be meaningful).

This functionality is composed by:

This section contains the latest updates of data and functionalities of NOISE.

In this section, there is the possibility to download a complete list of noise viewers at national and local scale delivered by the Member States according to the reporting obligations and dataflows specified by the END.

Links contained in the list have been compiled from the information made available by the Member States corresponding to the Strategic Noise Maps deliverable, and it is their responsibility to maintain the web sites and provide the EC and EEA with the most updated information on noise viewers.

In this section, several links to other web pages containing noise information are provided.