Calculation of road traffic noise, development of data, and spatial interpolations for traffic noise visualization in three-dimensional space

Abstract

Road traffic noise visualization is vital in three-dimensional (3D) space. Designing noise observation points (NOPs) and the developments of spatial interpolations are key elements for the visualization of traffic noise in 3D. Moreover, calculating road traffic noise levels by means of a standard noise model is vital. This study elaborates on the developments of data and spatial interpolations in 3D noise visualization. In 3D spatial interpolation, the value is interpolated in both horizontal and vertical directions. Eliminating flat triangles is vital in the vertical direction. Inverse distance weighted (IDW), kriging, and triangular irregular network (TIN) are widely used to interpolate noise levels. Because these interpolations directly support the interpolation of three parameters, the developments of spatial interpolations should be applied to interpolate noise levels in 3D. The TIN noise contours are primed to visualize traffic noise levels while IDW and kriging provide irregular contours. Further, this study has identified that the TIN noise contours fit exactly with NOPs in 3D. Moreover, advanced kriging interpolation such as empirical Bayesian kriging (EBK) also provides irregular shape contours and this study develops a comparison for such contours. The 3D kriging in EBK provides a significant approach to interpolate noise in 3D. The 3D kriging voxels show a higher accurate visualization than TIN noise contours.