ANIMA D2.6 – Overview of the use of noise footprints for different operational, planning and communication purposes

This ANIMA Deliverable sets out to review available noise metrics and tools to help identify effective and ineffective practice with the aim of informing the development of a Best Practice portal designed to assist airports to make the best use of noise modelling tools and their outputs.

The review acknowledges the growth in the range of noise indicators now in use, often developed in an attempt to address specific stakeholder requirements. Whilst on the one hand the enhanced capability to ‘capture’ different aspects of the noise environment, on the other the picture can be seen as overly complex and confusing.

In an attempt to provide some structure to the noise information now available and the modelling tools used to arrive at many of these outputs Sections 3 and 4 of this Deliverable develop frameworks for their categorisation.

The Deliverable concludes that it is impossible to define best practice noise metrics on the basis of evidence from systematic assessments. Thus, given the absence of the latter it is only possible to define the principles of best practice in the selection and use of noise information. These are that when establishing how best to communicate noise, airports and others with authority over noise management should engage with stakeholders throughout the process of Balanced Approach interventions. This should facilitate focused use of noise information that: