The feasibility of utilising existing road traffic noise data bases in conjunction with a GIS-base national noise mapping effort

The feasibility study has looked into the information stored in various noise calculation databases. These contain information about noise emission and exposure along the main roads and in the larger municipalities in Norway. The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether these calculations could be used to enhance a national noise mapping effort also mapping noise exposure at lower and intermediate noise levels. The feasibility study concludes that the information stored in the databases can and should be used in conjunction with the broader GIS-based effort. It is primarily the information summarising the noise reduction due to the propagation that is of interest. In order to map noise changes to the noise mitigation efforts, a system for identifying the effect of efforts that are broader in scope than noise insulation and noise barriers is needed. Efforts such as better planning, road pricing etc. might not be easy to quantify.