Annoyance is the most prevalent community response to environmental noise. Observational and experimental lab studies have shown that exposure to environmental noise leads to annoyance, sleep disturbance, daytime sleepiness, increased heart rate and increased blood pressure. However, previous literature is preliminary based on controlled settings or experimental design, raising the question of the generalizability and applicability in daily life scenarios. This study aimed to investigate two main research questions. First, what is the relationship between short-term annoyance and different amounts of nocturnal aircraft noise exposure in daily life? Second, what is the relationship between physiological parameters, including heart rate, number of awakenings, sleep efficiency, sleep duration and different amounts of nocturnal aircraft noise exposure in daily life? This study also aimed to explore the suitability of non-invasive commercially available activity trackers to measure physiological metrics in a scientific way. During this field study, participants were wearing Fitbit Charge 3 activity trackers recording heart rate and different sleep-derived metrics (e.g. deep sleep duration, sleep efficiency and awakenings). The used activity trackers were readily available, non-intrusive, relatively cheap and easy to use by the participants. Simultaneously, a logbook was used by the participants to track the subjective perception and situational context of air traffic noise exposure. The noise levels corresponding to the exposure of air traffic of each participant were calculated based on the location of the participant and the corresponding radar track using an aircraft noise monitoring system. We hypothesize that a higher amount of exposure to aircraft noise in real life will be associated with increased annoyance, increased rest heartrate, higher number of awakenings, decreased sleep efficiency and decreased deep sleep duration. Preliminary results on the interactions between aircraft noise exposure, perceived annoyance and physiological metrics suggest increased nocturnal aircraft noise exposure seems to negatively affect sleep efficiency and deep sleep duration.

Mistrust, negative attitudes and the expectation of not having any voice against airport authorities can considerably impact on the perception of aircraft noise exposure, lead to increased annoyance and can even influence sleep quality of the noise affected residents. As a result, quality of life can reasonably be assumed to be reduced. This chapter focuses on measures to engage airport communities in aviation-related decision making by improving the information and communication of airports in order to enhance residents’ ‘competence’ and also trust in the airport noise authorities. The role of non-acoustical factors, including aviation-related media coverage in this process, is discussed and results from a media coverage analysis conducted in the ANIMA project are presented. Based on research on perceived fairness in communication, recommendations are given as to how to communicate and engage residents with the aim of building a neighbourly relationship between airport authorities and residents on an even footing and, thus, enable an improved exchange leading to deeper understanding and comprehension by both parties. Results from the ANIMA review on airport management strategies (including communication and engagement aspects) of several European airports are presented and conclusions are drawn about what characterises good (or bad) communication and community engagement strategies for the purpose of a neighbourly relationship between the airport and its residents.

Technological changes have driven the developments in the field of noise annoyance research. It helped to increase knowledge on the topic substantially. It also provides opportunities to conduct novel research. The introduction of the internet, the mobile phone, and miniaturisation and improved sensor technology are at the core of the three research examples presented in this chapter. The first example is the use of a Virtual Reality simulation to evaluate aircraft flyovers in different environments, and it examines how visual perception influences noise annoyance. The second example describes the use of a mobile application applying an Experience Sampling Method to assess noise annoyance for a group of people living near an airport. The third and final example is a study over social media discussions in relation to noise annoyance and quality of life around airports. These three examples demonstrate how novel technologies help to collect and analyse data from people who live around airports, and so improve our understanding of the effect of noise on humans.

The introduction of wind farms on land for the generation of renewable energy often leads to discussion in the surrounding community. Their concerns on impact of Shadow flickering, horizon pollution, and noise levels may postpone or even cancel the construction of a new wind farm. To improve the communication to the public, wind farm simulations, using the Virtual Community Noise Simulator (VCNS), were created for two different wind farm projects in the Netherlands. For this purpose, the primary noise of the wind turbine, the rotor, has been auralized according to the design of the blades. Atmospheric circumstances, including wind direction, were also taken into account to create the propagation through the atmosphere towards the observer location. Finally, 360 degrees video recordings were made and combined with the planned 3D models of the wind turbines to create an appropriate visual experience using Virtual Reality. This was presented to the public during local municipal meetings. Empirical conclusion of these meetings is that the simulation helped to create an objective way to experience the plans, and provided a better understanding and acceptance of the impact of the planned wind farms for the local community.

High railroad noise levels are a challenge for both the exterior and interior environment of a train. The DESTINATE project (partially funded by the European Union’s Shift2Rail programme) aims to find cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce railroad noise. Although most focus is placed on exterior noise, reducing noise inside the cabin increases the cabin comfort for passengers and thus the attractiveness of this mode of transport. An analysis is made of different interior noise sources. To evaluate mitigation measures for railroad noise, a simulation platform is presented that provides both audible as well as visual stimuli for test subjects. In this platform, source sounds are converted to the corresponding sound source at the receiver by taking into account propagation through materials and the atmosphere. These can be combined with sound from the environment to create a realistic simulation of train noise inside the cabin. In addition to the audio experience, a visual experience is also presented to make the simulation realistic for the test subjects. Experience from the use of a similar simulator for exterior noise sources shows that a visual representation of the environment increases the realism of the simulation. It also allows for better comparison between different mitigation alternatives.