Guide to Predictive Modelling for Environmental Noise Assessment
4. Designing environmental sound models - decision procedure
Many of the risks associated with the production of environmental noise are intrinsic and cannot be specifically mitigated economically. Hence in general the best way to manage risks is as part of the whole process of using models. The following guidance is a suggested approach.
The guidance of this section is broken into the several key constituent elements that make up any environmental noise prediction programme, as represented in the following flowchart:
| Commission brief for assessment | ← | Client consultation |
| ↓ | ↑ | |
|
↔ |
Evaluate potential risk sources Consider alternative methods of informing the decision process that may be of lower risk |
Figure 4: Generalised approach to environmental noise measurements
All stages are shown with a return path to client consultation and brief, since progress through the investigation will yield information about the noise environment that either contradicts earlier assumptions or that may not have been available at the outset of the study and so may necessitate re-evaluation of the forward investigation strategy. An important point is that environmental noise predictions may not always be able to inform the assessment to an acceptable level of risk, so another approach may be required. The realisation that a modified approach may be more appropriate may arise at any point throughout the course of the investigation as new information becomes available, from the initial review right through to the post-analysis phase of the study.