Giovanni Zambon - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Giovanni Zambon

INTER-NOISE and NOISE-CON Congress and Conference Proceedings

Considering the actual "vertical" housing development in the last few decades, the numb... more Considering the actual "vertical" housing development in the last few decades, the number of people living in high-rise building is increasing. At present in the city of Milan about 500 (0.4% of total) buildings exceed the height of 50 m, with a number of residents of about 14000 (1% of total). For this reason, we planned an experimental campaign to study the vertical noise profile through Helium-filled-balloon measurements in the city of Milan, Italy. Results show that the noise levels increase with the height with respect to a ground-reference measurement, as a result of the contribution coming from an extended area. The highest levels are reached at about 90 m. Critical issues regarding this measurement technique are also outlined.

Sustainability

We applied standard acoustic methods to record, analyze and compare anthropogenic and biological ... more We applied standard acoustic methods to record, analyze and compare anthropogenic and biological signals belonging to the soundscape of artificial marine habitats. The study was conducted on two tanks located at the Acquario di Genova (Italy), the “Red Sea” and the “Tropical Lagoon” tanks, which represent different living environments hosting a variety of species and background sounds. The use of seven eco-acoustic indices, whose time series spanned the entire period of study, allowed the characterization of the environments. We investigated the extent to which eco-acoustic indices might describe the soundscape in an artificial marine environment surrounded by a background of mechanical noise, overlapping the diurnal/nocturnal fish chorusing produced by soniferous species. Three specific types of sounds emerged: (1) mechanical ones produced by the life-support system of the tanks; (2) anthropic origin ones due to maintenance and introduction of food; and (3) temporal trends associat...

$Research paper thumbnail of Uncertainty of fa\ue7ade sound insulation measurements obtained by a round robin test: The influence of the low frequencies extension$

The uncertainty of field measurements of a fa\ue7ade was evaluated by a Round Robin Test (RRT) co... more The uncertainty of field measurements of a fa\ue7ade was evaluated by a Round Robin Test (RRT) conducted in a full-scale experimental building at the Construction Technologies Institute of the National Research Council of Italy (ITC-CNR). Each of the 9 teams involved in the RRT replicated the tests 5 times, for a total of 45 measurements, while reverberation time was repeated 110 times. Both for fa\ue7ade sound insulation and reverberation time the main variations in the one-third octave bands were found in the low frequencies range. The study was also focused on the evaluation of single number quantities (SNQs) and their uncertainties. Single number quantities were evaluated in both narrow (from 100 to 3150 Hz) and extended (from 50 to 5000 Hz) range. Concerning the SNQs and their uncertainties, no significant differences were observed whether the low frequencies were included or not, unlike the case of airborne sound insulation (investigated in the first part of this study). The u...

One of the main objectives of "Dynamap" project is to realize a dynamic noise map withi... more One of the main objectives of "Dynamap" project is to realize a dynamic noise map within a given area of the city of Milan, containing about 2000 road arches, by using approximately 20 continuous measuring stations. This map is scheduled to be updated dynamically within a period of time varying from 5 minutes to 1 hour. The ability to obtain reliable maps within a complex urban context is linked to the fact that the vehicle flow patterns are very regular. In the first phase of the project, we monitored nearly 100 roads for a period of at least 24 hours. Then, these roads have been aggregated by means of a cluster analysis, depending on their noise level profiles. The analysis of the distribution of a non-acoustical parameter in the clusters, such as the vehicular flow rate, allowed to attribute a specific noise profile to a road not present in the database. It was also possible to select the most representative arches, among the 2000 arches to be mapped, where the monitori...

Applied Acoustics, 2020

Acoustic maps are, generally, calculated according to noise directives that evaluate the noise ex... more Acoustic maps are, generally, calculated according to noise directives that evaluate the noise exposure levels of a population at a reference height of 4 m to provide values that correspond to the first floors of buildings. However, in large cities, the requirements for high-density housing, such as high-rise apartment buildings, make this evaluation incomplete. In this paper, we study noise propagation at different heights in the context of a medium-sized road network, such as that of Milan, Italy. Considering the ''vertical housing" development trend for buildings in large cities, evaluation of the exposure of the population to noise at different heights becomes crucial, as residents might be subject to noise annoyances despite their distance from the source. Here, we present the results of noise measurements at three sites at different heights to observe the pattern of the noise profiles. A three-dimensional acoustic simulation reproducing the entire building structure of Milan was developed to estimate the noise levels generated by vehicle traffic sources at different heights. The predicted noise levels were compared with the measured data. In addition, over the entire urban area of Milan, we selected buildings higher than 50 m to analyse the variation of the noise level exposure at different heights. In this way, it could be possible to study this particular behaviour over a large scale. The results of this investigation may help plan and design new high-rise buildings to reduce the exposure of building dwellers to noise.

Environments, 2019

A “real-time” noise mapping project, named DYNAMAP, has been developed in the framework of a Life... more A “real-time” noise mapping project, named DYNAMAP, has been developed in the framework of a Life+ 2013 program and cofunded by the European Commission. The project aims at giving a real picture of the noise generated by vehicular traffic. To this purpose, a dedicated platform has been developed to elaborate the information from distributed noise monitoring stations. The methodology has been implemented along the ring road encircling the city of Rome (Italy). A detailed description of the system is given together with a report on the testing campaign that allowed evaluation of the accuracy and reliability of the system. From the monitoring campaign satisfactory results have been achieved, showing an average overall prediction error of ~1.5 dB.

Sustainability, 2021

We investigated the statistical properties of the sounds recorded at a site located in the Parco ... more We investigated the statistical properties of the sounds recorded at a site located in the Parco Nord of Milan, Italy, characterized by wooded land rich in biodiversity and exposed to different sources and types of anthropogenic disturbances with the aim of deriving information on its environmental quality in terms of biophonic presence and athropic disturbance. A time series of eco-acosutic indices were determined for 616 audio files recorded from 30 April 2019 (5:00 p.m.) to 3 May 2019 (5:00 a.m.) with a 1-min duration followed by a 5-min pause (10 recordings per hour). In the present study, the following indices were computed: the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), Acoustic Diversity Index (ADI), Acoustic Evenness Index (AEI), Bio-acoustic Index (BI), Acoustic Entropy Index (H), Normalized Difference Soundscape Index (NSDI) and Dynamic Spectral Centroid (DSC). Cluster analysis performed on the corresponding time series yielded a dimensional reduction from seven down to three. The r...

Sensors

The-growing influence of urbanisation on green areas can greatly benefit from passive acoustic mo... more The-growing influence of urbanisation on green areas can greatly benefit from passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) across spatiotemporal continua to provide biodiversity estimation and useful information for conservation planning and development decisions. The capability of eco-acoustic indices to capture different sound features has been harnessed to identify areas within the Parco Nord of Milan, Italy, characterised by different degrees of anthropic disturbance and biophonic activity. For this purpose, we used a network of very low-cost sensors distributed over an area of approximately 20 hectares to highlight areas with different acoustic properties. The audio files analysed in this study were recorded at 16 sites on four sessions during the period 25–29 May (2015), from 06:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Seven eco-acoustic indices, namely Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), Acoustic Diversity Index (ADI), Acoustic Evenness Index (AEI), Bio-Acoustic Index (BI), Acoustic Entropy Index (H), Normal...

Building Acoustics, 2014

The international standards governing the measurement of sound insulation in buildings (ISO 140) ... more The international standards governing the measurement of sound insulation in buildings (ISO 140) do not explicitly cover the methodology of taking measurements in large open rooms. A building with open plan floors, each of about 1300 m2, is considered here. The ISO 140-14 standard, through an analysis of sound level distribution, allowed smaller partitions to be identified and used as reference volumes. Different index calculation methods allowed critical issues to be highlighted. The impact sound index was strongly affected by geometry (i.e., volume); therefore, its calculation using different virtual volumes gave differing results. Furthermore, the index calculated using the logarithmic average of the indices for each virtual volume and an extended analysis of measurements over the entire floor provided different results. The airborne sound insulation index was demonstrated to be independent of the choice of virtual volumes; it could be consistently calculated using either the logarithmic average or the extended analysis.

A RRT of sound insulation field measurements of building elements was carried out as part of a re... more A RRT of sound insulation field measurements of building elements was carried out as part of a research sponsored by the Lombardy Region. The parameters which were evaluated include R, L and, in particular, the airborne sound insulation of the façade (D) which has not been sufficiently investigated so far. The data analysis performed on the basis of current technical standards relating to the measurement accuracy, consists of the scrutiny of results for consistency and outliers through two different approaches: a graphical consistency technique and the numerical outlier tests. The results of repeatability and reproducibility obtained and reported in this work have been assigned to the measurement's method of the different quantities examined. The critical analysis of these results allowed to highlight differences and concordances with the literature data available so far, in relation to the different structures investigated.

Applied Acoustics, 2015

ABSTRACT The uncertainty of field measurements of a façade was evaluated by a Round Robin Test (R... more ABSTRACT The uncertainty of field measurements of a façade was evaluated by a Round Robin Test (RRT) conducted in a full-scale experimental building at the Construction Technologies Institute of the National Research Council of Italy (ITC-CNR). Each of the 9 teams involved in the RRT replicated the tests 5 times, for a total of 45 measurements, while reverberation time was repeated 110 times. Both for façade sound insulation and reverberation time the main variations in the one-third octave bands were found in the low frequencies range. The study was also focused on the evaluation of single number quantities (SNQs) and their uncertainties. Single number quantities were evaluated in both narrow (from 100 to 3150 Hz) and extended (from 50 to 5000 Hz) range. Concerning the SNQs and their uncertainties, no significant differences were observed whether the low frequencies were included or not, unlike the case of airborne sound insulation (investigated in the first part of this study). The uncertainty results were compared with the relevant standards and with literature results. Based on these comparisons, it was highlighted that the standard deviation of reproducibility of façade elements is not adequately reflected in the ISO 12999-1 and further research is needed to specify the in situ standard deviation of reproducibility for façade elements.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2008

This paper presents the experimental results of a round robin test performed on the same building... more This paper presents the experimental results of a round robin test performed on the same building by different teams working with three independent bodies: a research body, ITC-CNR, a university laboratory DISAT and the Regional Agency for Environment Protection of Lombardy, ARPA. A partition wall (the airborne sound insulation between rooms), a floor (the impact sound insulation between rooms) and a façade (the insulation of the façade against outdoor sound) were tested, using the measurement methods given in the relevant parts of the ISO 140 series. The accuracy of acoustic measurement methods in buildings depends on many factors. In this round robin test, the situation (varying from straightforward rectangular rooms to half open spaces with all kind of shapes) and the construction details were kept fix. The analysis was aimed at investigating the influence of the operating condition of the equipment (repeatable settings) and the reproducibility, using different types of acoustic instrumentation and varying the method (choice of source and microphone positions). In particular the tolerance limits in the verification of the requirements of tender specifications were investigated.

DYNAMAP is a European Life project realized with the aim of developing a dynamic acoustic mapping... more DYNAMAP is a European Life project realized with the aim of developing a dynamic acoustic mapping system to detect and represent the noise impact generated by road infrastructures in real time. To this end, the project involved the development and installation of an automatic monitoring system, based on a limited number of lowcost permanent noise monitoring stations. The Zone 9 in the city of Milan is one of the two pilot area chosen for the implementation of the system. In particular, it is representative of a typical urban scenario. The "real time" noise map is built starting from the data recorded by the 24 sensors homogeneously distributed in the pilot area, each one representative of a number of roads sharing similar characteristics (e.g. daily traffic flow). To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the system a testing campaign was prepared. The collected field measurements have been so compared with the predicted noise level of Dynamap system. Finally, a statistical analysis has been implemented to try to reduce the error associated with such prediction below 3 dB and then try to optimize the system.

Applied Acoustics, 2016

The DYNAMAP project (Dynamic Acoustic Mapping-Development of low cost sensors networks for real t... more The DYNAMAP project (Dynamic Acoustic Mapping-Development of low cost sensors networks for real time noise mapping) is a LIFE project aiming at developing a dynamic noise mapping system able to detect and represent in real time the acoustic impact due to road infrastructures. Scope of the project is the European Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (END). The main project idea is focused on the research of a technical solution able to ease and reduce the cost of noise mapping, through an automatic monitoring system, based on customized low-cost sensors and a software tool implemented on a general purpose GIS platform, performing the update of noise maps in real time (dynamic noise maps). The feasibility of this approach will be proved implementing the system in two pilot areas with different territorial and environmental characteristics: an agglomeration and a major road. The first pilot area will be located in Milan, in a significant portion of the town, while the second one will be situated along the motorway A90 surrounding the city of Rome. The two pilot areas show peculiar needs and characteristics, such as the presence of multiple noise sources, roads junctions, traffic and weather conditions, that require a different system's implementation approach. In this paper the main issues related to the design of the system configuration in the pilot area of Rome are described.

Noise Mapping, 2016

The Environmental Noise Directive (END) requires that regular updating of noise maps is implement... more The Environmental Noise Directive (END) requires that regular updating of noise maps is implemented every five years to check and report about the changes occurred during the reference period. The updating process is usually achieved using a standardized approach, consisting in collating and processing information through acoustic models to produce the updated maps. This procedure is time consuming and costly, and has a significant impact on the budget of the authorities responsible for providing the maps. Furthermore, END requires that simplified and easy-to-read noise maps are made available to inform the public about noise levels and actions to be undertaken by local and central authorities to reduce noise impacts. To make the updating of noisemaps easier and more cost effective, there is a need for integrated systems that incorporate real-time measurement and processing to assess the acoustic impact of noise sources. To that end, a dedicated project, named DYNAMAP (DYNamic Acous...

Noise annoyance depends not only on sound energy, but also on other features, such as those in it... more Noise annoyance depends not only on sound energy, but also on other features, such as those in its spectrum (e.g., low frequency and/or tonal components), and, over time, amplitude fluctuations, such as those observed in road, rail, or aircraft noise passages. The larger these fluctuations, the more annoying a sound is generally perceived. Many algorithms have been implemented to quantify these fluctuations and identify noise events, either by looking at transients in the sound level time history, such as exceedances above a fixed or time adaptive threshold, or focusing on the hearing perception process of such events. In this paper, four criteria to detect sound were applied to the acoustic monitoring data collected in two urban areas, namely Andorra la Vella, Principality of Andorra, and Milan, Italy. At each site, the 1 s A-weighted short LAeq,1s time history, 10 min long, was available for each hour from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The resulting 92-time histories cover a reasonable r...