The challenge
With CNOSSOS-EU the European Commission set common methods for calculating noise from roads, railways, airports and industry, so that strategic noise maps from different Member States can be compared. A common calculation method is only useful if everyone who implements it gets the same results. That called for test cases: real situations, measured in the field, against which the behaviour of the algorithm could be checked.
The approach
TT carried out contract ENV.C.3/SER/2013/0032, "Development of test cases for the common noise assessment methods". The work covered project management and relations with the Commission and the international consultants involved, the selection of test sites, the training of the measurement operators and the organisation of the field campaigns.
On the technical side, TT supervised the in-house implementation of the CNOSSOS-EU algorithm used for the project and ran the quality control of data flows and deliverables, from field data to calculation results.
The result
The contract ended with the deliverables handed over after quality control of the measurement data and calculation results. In the following years CNOSSOS-EU became the method TT and its technical director apply in strategic noise mapping. As an expert, the technical director worked on the first CNOSSOS-EU strategic noise mapping of a Serbian agglomeration, Niš, and co-authored papers presented at Internoise 2019, ICA 2019 and Internoise 2022 on that mapping and on correcting the method near traffic lights and roundabouts.
In the same period TT carried out a second contract for DG Environment (ENV.F3/SER/2013/0045rl), collecting the noise action plan data reported to the Commission and automating the quality control of incoming data.
The technical director's role
The technical director, RafDouglas C. Tommasi, P.E., PhD, was the project manager.