• WELCOME
• BEING INFLUENTIAL
  • In the Classroom
  • In Research
  • In the Community
  • In the Environment
  • In Social Change
  • In Life After UWindsor
  • In the World Around Us
  • In the News
• ADMINISTRATION & GOVERNANCE
• FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
  • Balance Sheet
  • Statement of Operations

Noise Pollution Studied

The Green Corridor and the Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering are collaborating to measure the effects of noise pollution along Huron Church Road, leading to the Ambassador Bridge. The project is the first in Canada to use sound-mapping to convert acoustic data into visual imagery.

Engineering professor Colin Novak, an environmental noise and vibration consultant, will work with Visual Arts Professor Rod Strickland, using the Green Corridor’s re-imagined Huron Church model as a demonstration of the benefits of berms, trees and vegetation to block noise. A Danish-based company, Bruel and Kjaer, is also supporting the efforts through a software donation to the engineering group valued at more than $50,000.

According to Dr. Novak, Huron Church Road is a prime area for environmental acoustic research because of its high traffic volume. The acoustic energy emitted by one truck is equal to 34 cars; Huron Church carries 16,000 trucks daily. Noise pollution can cause stress, high blood pressure, reduced productivity, hearing loss and sleep deprivation.

A sound-map can resemble a normal map that shows the city from a bird’s eye view with colours delineating areas of greater or lesser noise concentration. It can also look like a picture of a busy street that has been tinted with bright colours to show the concentration of sound reflecting off features like buildings and cars.

“To make a project like this work, you must consider all three aspects: visual, acoustic, and practical,” Novak says.

Strickland says translating data into visual images changes the way it is perceived. One of the goals of the collaboration is to engage the public.