Noise management solutions for maritime and airport operations
Make critical decisions with confidence and reduce operational risks with our innovative solutions
If you’re operating an airport or a maritime port, operational noise is one of your biggest challenges. You need to balance growth while reducing noise impacts on local communities. Like all heavy industry located in busy urban environments with multiple noise sources, ports of all types receive noise complaints—identifying ‘port-related’ or attributable noise sources can be challenging.
Vanguard Technologies has developed a solution that can help you manage noise emissions in real time. We can provide valuable predictive insights into your operations by integrating readily available data (such as weather, noise, and aircraft/vessel movements) so that you can see your noise contribution quickly and accurately and use this information to help reduce operational risks.
Talk to us about:
- Real-time noise monitoring
- Real-time noise management system
Real-time noise monitoring with alerts/alarms
With our noise monitoring technology, you can monitor performance in real time, set thresholds based on compliance limits to trigger immediate alerts, and implement immediate, automated remediation action or prevent regulatory thresholds from being breached.
Integrate operational data and weather forecasts, model impacts, and explore mitigation options
Integrate available operational data and weather forecasts to deliver integrated real-time noise modelling that can both analyse and predict potential impacts, and test potential mitigation work to see what its effects will be in the real world.
There’s ‘accurate’ and then there’s Nexus
Data accuracy you can count on, plan on, rely on
In relation to reported versus allowable noise levels, terms such as ‘about’, ‘give or take’, and ‘around’ are some of the most frightening words for a production manager, scheduler, mine planner, or head of operations to hear. Where there is doubt, full potential (optimal performance) is unlikely to be achieved, let alone sustained over time. Noise levels, sources of noise, and other noise variables can directly affect schedules, output, and ultimately balance sheets. Surrounding areas, including suburbs and towns, should not be unreasonably disturbed by operations, so managers must be familiar with and knowledgeable about the environmental impacts of noise and regulatory noise limits.
Understanding the big picture means hearing the whole story… from every location
Typically, large ports are adjacent to residential areas, perhaps a town or city. Those who live nearby have a right to live in relative peace, and regulatory noise limits are one control measure that can be used to ensure this. However, noise can be amplified and its reach and effects can vary depending on other factors, including:
- topography
- variable wind direction and strength
- density of the environment (e.g. soil density)
- time of day
- activities not directly related to operations (flight schedules, unrelated traffic etc.).
Because of these various factors, it is often difficult to measure and analyse noise levels when planning and scheduling operations. Instead, analysis may use hypothetical scenarios or monitoring undertaken over weeks or months.
But this isn’t acceptable in a situation where time is money and opportunities can be fleeting. Why? Because conservative operational planning can become the norm—managers will be (rightfully) reluctant to sail too close to the wind when it comes to noise levels.
The Nexus difference makes all the difference
To plan and make decisions quickly and effectively, the noise monitoring component of operations needs to be both accurate and timely—as near to real time as possible. Fortunately, with real-time Nexus technology any changes to conditions that may affect scheduling are picked up almost immediately and can be used to make adjustments either on the spot or predictively/proactively. This capability is based on accrued experience and by placing receivers in such as way as to capture all factors so that the results are thorough, robust, and, most importantly, accurate.
For one customer, we compiled data from 8 key locations over a period of time. So, how accurate is ‘Nexus accurate’ when it comes to modelling, and the schedules that could potentially be built from that modelling? When defining accuracy in noise modelling, variations within 3dB are considered accurate. At 2 of the receiver locations, more than 27,000 predicted modelling points were compared against the same number of measurements. The average error was between 0.3dB and 1.0dB. The remaining points from which measurements were taken, varied from the modelled figures by 0.1dB and 2.2dB. This accuracy allowed the customer to schedule activities with confidence, knowing that planned operations would fall within the noise tolerances set by regulatory authorities.
These very small differences between the modelling and the measured results made all the difference. Thus the Nexus difference is the difference between operating very conservatively or planning more aggressively in pursuit of fulfilling potential, both in the field and on the balance sheet.
To learn more about how we can tailor activities around your specific operational needs, contact us on 1300 839 899 or via email at info@vanguardtech.com.au