Noise Score 2

Name: Noise Score 2
Author: Boston University

Boston University

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:General Public & Enthusiasts

Free

Download on the App Store

App Summary

Noise Score 2 is a community research tool that enables users to objectively measure environmental sound levels and subjectively report their perception of the local soundscape. The associated research on urban firework activity found that low-frequency sounds had the strongest correlation with community noise complaint calls. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that such environmental noise may put residents at risk for negative cardiovascular and mental health outcomes.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism Developed by the advocacy group Noise and the City, Noise Score 2 facilitates citizen-led environmental sound monitoring. The system leverages a device's microphone to capture unweighted sound pressure levels (dB), prioritizing total noise including low-frequency sound. Concurrently, an integrated survey captures subjective perceptions of the acoustic environment. This dual-data approach is designed to map the spatial and temporal distribution of community sound levels, identifying both quiet areas and sources of significant noise pollution for research and advocacy.

Evidence & Research Context

The app has been utilized as a primary data collection instrument in environmental health research to investigate urban soundscapes and community noise perception.
Data gathered via the app contributed to a published study from Boston University School of Public Health analyzing the prevalence and acoustic characteristics of illegal firework activity.
This research correlated low-frequency sound with community disturbance calls (911/311) and noted potential negative cardiovascular and mental health outcomes associated with such noise.

Intended Use & Scope Designed for researchers, community advocacy groups, and the general public, this app serves as a citizen science tool for crowdsourcing environmental noise data. Its primary utility is to map community soundscapes and inform advocacy efforts. The system is not a calibrated instrument for diagnostic or regulatory compliance and does not replace professional acoustic assessment.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Survey/Cross-sectional

Firework Activity and Environmental Sound Levels: Community Impacts and Solutions

Walker et al. (2021) · Cities & Health

The app successfully documented neighborhood differences in firework-related noise levels, particularly in low-frequency sound ranges.

We conducted a comprehensive urban sound and community noise perception assessment, using the lens of illegal firework activity during the unique social climate of 2020 as its motivation. Using data gathered from stationary monitoring sites, our research app NoiseScore, emergency (911) and non-emergency (311) phone call reports, and data from the United States Census we observed significant neighborhood differences in sound levels associated with firework activity. We observed that firework activity was dominated by low-frequency sound across all neighborhoods. This trend persisted by time of day and day of week. Further, it was low-frequency sound ranges (and alternative weighting systems like C-weighting and Z-weighting that penalized lower frequency sound levels less) that had the highest correlations with 911 and 311 firework calls. Keywords qualitatively examined from 311 data like 'bomb', 'explosion', 'PTSD' and 'war zone' highlight that many residents associate the detonation of fireworks to danger, and view fireworks as an environmental psychological trigger that for many residents – particularly veterans, those living in neighborhoods impacted by gun violence, or victims of gun violence – is quite traumatic. Comparing our findings to existing epidemiological studies suggest that incessant firework activity puts residents at risk for negative cardiovascular and mental health outcomes.

In the Media

Researcher Studies Impact of Community Noise on Health

Boston University researcher Erica Walker founded the Community Noise Lab in 2019 to address community noise issues through real-time sound monitoring, lab-based experiments, and community engagement activities. Walker describes her current approach as "storm-chasing science," explaining "I'm going right into the eye of the storm, likely with a high risk of failure, to figure out how to make my tools work equitably." She focuses on bridging environmental noise research with community needs while ensuring her tools work beyond privileged areas like Boston to places like Memphis and Birmingham.

BuRead article

NoiseScore app records and addresses environmental sound issues for communities

Boston University postdoctoral researcher Erica Walker developed NoiseScore to address community noise pollution issues, creating a real-time environmental soundscape measurement tool funded by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The app allows users to record environmental sounds and answer survey questions about their feelings, generating "a live heat map, comprised of objective and subjective community responses" that depicts sound levels based on user-recorded decibels. Walker noted that "sound levels do impact our cardiovascular and mental health," emphasizing the need for more research on how perception affects these health impacts.

DailyfreepressRead article

Noise on the Map: Using NoiseScore to Address Community Noise Issues

The Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL) at Boston University's Hariri Institute deployed NoiseScore 2.0 to help community residents document and visualize their environmental soundscape, collaborating with postdoctoral researcher Erica Walker from the Community Noise Lab. Walker, an environmental epidemiologist, explains that Community Noise Lab "was birthed from a very real iterative process, ignited by a noise spat with some very loud upstairs neighbors" and represents her decision to "move towards ACTION" rather than accept noise issues. The app enables communities to examine their unique noise problems and understand how sound impacts health and well-being.

BuRead article

Community Noise Lab Works with Communities Affected by Noise Pollution

Boston University School of Public Health's Erica Walker developed the Community Noise Lab to address noise pollution by working directly with affected communities, recognizing that the difference between sound and noise is subjective. Walker explains that "in the Fenway, if you ask them what's really bothering them, they're not going to tell you it's road traffic noise or aircraft noiseâthose aren't even in the top three," with residents instead citing outdoor concerts at Fenway Park as their primary concern. The lab partners with four Boston-area communities to measure both sound volume and noise irritation levels.

BuRead article

Postdoctoral researcher launches Community Noise Lab at Boston University

Dr. Erica Walker, a postdoctoral researcher at Boston University School of Public Health, launched Community Noise Lab to explore the relationship between community noise and health using real-time sound monitoring, smartphone technology, and community engagement activities. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded her research with a two-year, $410,000 grant that will support a real-time sound monitoring network and upgrades to the lab's smartphone app, NoiseScore. "We hope to inform, empower, and impact the communities we work with, while using their experiences to strengthen and advance our research," Dr. Walker said.

BioengineerRead article

With NoiseScore, Sound Metrics Becomes a Lifestyle Factor

Erica Walker developed NoiseScore to address community noise issues by allowing users to document their sound experiences through photos, videos, recordings, and personal descriptions. "I realized at that point that noise is just way bigger than myself," Walker said after discovering widespread noise complaints throughout Boston ranging from loud neighbors to airplanes and traffic. The app uploads user ratings to create a live map on the Noise and the City website, providing community-sourced sound data for healthier living environments.

BcheightsRead article

NoiseScore app raises awareness of noise pollution in Boston

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health graduate Erica Walker developed NoiseScore to map sound and noise pollution around the world in real-time, using user-submitted data that updates every minute. Walker explained that she wanted to create "something that had a real-time element, a well-rounded method of looking at noise complaints" after her static 2015-16 survey received 1,200 responses from 400 Boston sites. The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard funded the project as part of their citizenship theme focus.

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