Instrumentation and Methods of Analysis
Dr Bob Thorne
Data Analysis: Practical Issues
The ideal objective is to identify the essential processes needed to transform the 'sound' from air movement to personal information and reaction to bring forward the information needed to develop an assessment methodology for perceived sound and noise.
Wind farm analysis presents three distinct sound and noise measurement concerns, each of which is highly significant in its own right:
- (a) The identification of sound that can be directly attributed to the sound of the wind farm/turbines, measured as a background (LA95) sound level, compared to the sound of the ambient environment without the presence of the wind turbines;
- (b) The sound of any special audible characteristics of the wind farm/ turbines, such as distinct tonal complexes and modulation effects (amplitude and frequency) that may affect human health; and
- (c) The presence of any sub-audible sound characteristics that may affect human health.
If these sounds can be measured they must then be assessed in some meaningful, objective manner. This is significant as human health effects such as sleep disturbance, annoyance and anxiety are directly related to noise perception. Other adverse health effects such nausea and headaches may or may not be directly attributed to sub-audible sound characteristics.
Noise perception depends on the same process of streaming and assignment, which argues for music and noise perception sharing similar auditory properties but defined by stream fusion for music and stream segregation for noise. Under stream segregation the character of a noise is retained independently of the overall sound. ‘Auditory scene analysis’ is the reconciliation between observed acoustic features and the predictions of an internal model of the sound producing entities in the environment. An example of auditory scene analysis is the ability to hear, identify, locate and track different sounds in an environment at the same time and over time. This form of analysis is critical to our sense of hearing and informational responses...
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