New International Partnership aims to become
World leading provider of environmental noise
prediction solutions.
To address the growing demand for noise mapping and
calculation of environmental noise levels Brüel & Kjær,
the world leading sound and vibration specialist, has
formed a partnership with the world's foremost experts
in environmental noise prediction.
Under the newly-created international Brüel & Kjær Prediction Partnership,
the Predictor™ and LIMA™ suite of noise mapping and environmental
simulation software are available internationally to provide the most
sophisticated noise mapping and prediction solutions on the market
worldwide.
The Prediction Partnership already has 12 years experience of noise
mapping projects. Projects have ranged from an area of 1km2 covering
a few hundred people through to investigating more than 1000 km2 and
in excess of one million people. Noise maps for cities such as Birmingham
in the UK, Bonn and Hamburg in Germany and Linz in Austria have been
created. On a larger scale regions like Thüringen (18 000km2) or the
whole of The Netherlands have been noise mapped.
With a range of powerful data handling and analysis tools, LIMA is the
first software designed specifically for large-scale noise mapping,
although its modular nature makes it suitable for producing models of
any size.
LIMA reduces pre-processing time through its capability for importing
a wide range of data types, and automatic checking and correction
features such as 'polygon closing' that ensures that AutoCAD files
can be used to give realistic models of buildings. By using multiple
processors or networks, it achieves market-leading speed in the
production of detailed maps according to UK and international standards
such as ISO 9613-2, CRTN and CRN.
LIMA can handle several hundreds of thousands of objects - terrain,
buildings and emitters - in the calculation of each tile in a model. Each
tile may consist of 32 000 x 32 000 grid points. Tiling of even the largest
models is automatic. LIMA also copes readily with complex build
environments such as embankments with barriers, bridges, cantilever
roofs, and reflections from underneath bridges and roofs.
The software generates a variety of map forms, for example to highlight
areas where noise levels exceed limit values, or to relate number of
inhabitants to calculated noise levels at a specific height or at several
heights next to facades.
LIMA modules are available for functions including barrier optimisation
in relation to combined effects, maximising total emission when fixing
quotas, min/max analysis of moving sources, many methods of annoyance
analysis, and conflict analysis. LIMA's modularity limits initial cost by
allowing the user to select the most appropriate functionality or model
size. For example, LIMA offers accurate small-scale modelling of
complex geometrical structures such as fly-over intersections.
Brüel & Kjær also offers its Predictor software package - a general
purpose environmental modelling program that contains a range of
intuitive and powerful features. Predictor is closely integrated with
GIS software such as ArcView through data exchange in the industry
standard Shape (SHP) format.
Another key member of the Partnership is Hepworth Acoustics, one
of the UK's leading independent acoustic consultancies. Hepworth
Acoustics has five years application experience of LIMA software for
a variety of projects and will contribute training and user support
services based on its extensive first-hand experience of the LIMA
software.
"We see the new Brüel & Kjær Prediction Partnership as becoming
the world's No. 1 environmental noise prediction software supplier,"
commented Peter Sciera Jensen Albarts, Brüel & Kjær's calculation
software product manager. "The partners' combined knowledge of
noise prediction technology and its application is vast and is growing
constantly. The Partnership ensures our customers the best
environmental noise level calculation software, support and advice
any where in the world. The expertise covers a wide range of solutions
spanning noise measurement, mapping, noise source ranking,
modelling of noise reduction solutions, noise environment monitoring
and control, and fulfilment of EU IPPC and Environmental Noise
Directives."
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For more information, please contact :-
Bruel & Kjaer UK Ltd.
Bedford House, Rutherford, Close, Stevenage, Herts. SG1 2ND. UK
Tel: +44(0) 1438 739000, Fax: +44(0) 1438 739099
E-mail: info@bkgb.co.uk
Website: www.bksv.com
April 2002
