Study of creating noise level layer in geographic information systems: Example of Antalya

In recent years, many studies have began to be made and finalized also in our country in the field of noise pollution which has increasingly gained importance recently and become an important issue as much as air pollution. Noise pollution is dealt with using the concept of Enviromental Noise in universal size. Besides, the enviromental noise is consisted from the noises occuring from the highways, railways, aircraft noise and industrial noise sources. Depending on the characteristics of the cities they live in, people who live in urban centers may be dominantly exposed to one or several noises of highway, railway, airway and industry. But, in the city centers generally highway noises become dominant. Highway noise, with the increase of population and prosperity and with the increase in the number of motor vehicles in the city centers goes into an upward trend. When the noise maps are getting prepared, empirical formulas, the theoretical approaches and constructed computer modeling techniques are used. And in the result of the preparation phase of noise maps, in what level the studied zones are exposed to noise can be reached and these data can be used for a variety of purposes. Noise exposure data forms the basis for the preparation of noise action plans and can generate a factor in the stage of making the plannings located in the city design and mitigation measures. In the noise map outputs, the hot spots has intense noise can be seen and it can be detected in which region of the city generally the noise is intense or less. Noise map results obtained with the provincial, district, neighborhood, street, building, floor and wall can be examined in detail. In this study, the noise maps of Yenigün, Etiler and Yüksekala neighborhoods that has a dense urban population, within the boundaries of Muratpaşa district which is one of central districts within the area of responsibility of Antalya Büyükşehir Belediyesi were prepared and the noise exposure levels of the buildings' floors and facades is determined using the Geographic Information System. In this study, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, which is one of central districts within the area of responsibility Kepez district within the boundaries of a dense urban population Yenigün, Etiler and Yüksekala neighborhoods of noise maps of noise levels was prepared and the building of floors and exposed the facade is determined using the Geographic Information System. Acoustic knowledge in a given area or of a city, in a certain system, in more detail, the noise maps can be defined as taking place in the background or section as peer curves, coloring systems and / or numerical values contains a lot of information that can be used in the process of planning city, region and building. In most developed countries, the creation of noise maps in regional and urban scale is emphasized topic, with the help of these maps, as well as the revelation of the current situation, studies about the changes would result in the possible development are also made. In the study, the digital maps of the study area are used. Digital maps are tailored to the used noise calculation model and map base has been created. Noise maps that make up the base map data and GIS-based software for noise calculation model and in the study area according to the standards of European Union and Turkey noise map is created. Noise map, to show whether the all kinds of thresholds in force has been exceeded, means to specify the the data on an existing or future noise situations that may arise in the areas at issue as appropriate to the standards on the physical map by using noise indicator, including the number of affected people and houses in the particular area. Strategic noise map defines evaluating the impact of noise from different sources within a specific area such as a whole or it defines a map which is prepared / designed for the evaluation of such an area taking into account all of the the resources and the physical environment. Noise maps provide a basis for identifying the noise problems in the regional, general, national and international scale. In addition, the community is informed about the noise and management units. Noise maps constitute the basis of new regulations about transportation. Noise maps create a resource for determining the measures which are necessary for the noise control in the shell of the building and for determining the required measures for noise control in outdoor areas. In addition, noise maps create data in the selection of appropriate residential area, urban planning, and especially in the planning of roads, and they provide the opportunity to create the ability to anticipate possible developments in noise. The aim of the preparing environmental noise maps are to estimate noise levels caused by a noise source in a region and to determine the population in the areas and affective sensitive structures (houses, schools, hospitals etc.) exceeding of noise limit of acceptable by regulations. Noise maps can be defined as data / information layers which are added on geodatabase. In other words; it is the individually calculation of the noise level for the receiving points in sufficient frequencies in an region or an area with designated boundaries and it is the creation of the noise contour. Calculation points and the distances between them are detected in a certain order on the geographical maps and residential plans of the land. Therefore, one of the most important steps during the preparation of the noise maps is determining the physical environment data. These data consist of the locations and height of the buildings, floor numbers, floor types, topographical condition, natural and artificial barriers. The population data are processed as secondary data set to the region wherein the terrain modeling is being made. If there is the information of the population in the building information system, the population density is calculated automatically. However, in the case of the absence of this information, population density is calculated by distributing tho the residential areas. Information about the noise sources to be modeled as a third data set is defined. Under the transportation title, the resources can be classified as airports, highways and railways, and industrial facilities. The noise contributions to the recipients point is estimated using by prepared noise sources inventory with calculation methods set by Ministry of Environment and Urbanism's standards. Antalya is a province that has industry and enhanced tourism effects because it containes lots of entertainment througout the originating with city noise and urban traffic because its location as intercity linking to many ways with transport noise are intertwined. The created noise map in working area is can be examined in detail level which each building's each floor's each facade's by detailed in the Geographical Information System.