[gis_info] GeoBytes (ASPRS\CaGIS\AAGS) -- Fri, Mar 25, 2016 12:00 PM EDT A Geospatial Approach to Mapping Environmental Sound Levels Across the United States

David Alvarez davidalvarez76 at gmail.com
Wed Mar 2 09:25:40 PST 2016


GeoBytes joins the the National Park Centennial celebration

*A Geospatial Approach to Mapping Environmental Sound Levels Across the
United States*

*To Register **https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7312464077504651266
<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7312464077504651266>*

To support the conservation of natural and cultural sounds, and outstanding
opportunities to hear them, the National Park Service works to protect,
maintain, or restore acoustical environments throughout the National Park
System. The National Park Service has a unique challenge due the vast
quantity of land to manage, the diversity of acoustical environments
therein, and the high standards to which these resources are upheld.
Soundscapes have direct implications for visitor experience and wildlife
ecology, and are often complex due to a multitude of acoustic sources and
sound propagation effects. While physical modeling of acoustic propagation
is a mature science, the diversity of contributions to environmental sound
levels and prevalence of spatiotemporal patterns suggests a statistical
approach to modeling. Using 1.5 million hours of acoustical data from
hundreds of sites across the United States, geospatial models were
developed to interpret and predict sound levels. The models utilize random
forest, a tree based machine learning algorithm, which does not explicitly
incorporate any apriori knowledge of acoustic propagation mechanics.
Instead, the models rely on spatial representations of biological,
geophysical, climatic, and anthropogenic factors to assess expected
contributions to the existing sound pressure level from both anthropogenic
and natural sources. This method enables mapping of sound levels at
regional and national scales. Environmental noise is widespread across the
United States and chronic exposure brings with it adverse consequences to
terrestrial organisms. Assessments of noise exposure are essential to
understand the extent of impact as well as inform land use planning and
noise abatement strategies.
--------
David Alvarez

“THE FURTHER BACKWARDS YOU LOOK, THE FURTHER FORWARD YOU CAN SEE"

Winston Churchill
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