Development and use of EMPARA: a model for analysing the extent and effects of local environmental problems in the Netherlands

摘要

The EMPARA model (Environmental Model for Population Annoyance and Risk Analysis) is being developed to calculate and analyse the extent and effects of local environmental problems like noise, local air, odour and external risks in the Netherlands. EMPARA is currently operational for 'nationwide' calculation and mapping of transport noise (road, rail and air traffic). The model is used to evaluate current and future developments in noise exposure and annoyance figures, as well as to study the effectiveness of specific measures for reducing community noise. Validation of the model shows the accuracy of the 'average' noise level (calculated on an area of at least a medium-sized city) to be within 2 dB(A). This accuracy can be translated into confidence intervals amounting to a few tens of percentage points of the aggregated results, for example, the area or number of persons affected where noise loads exceed 50 dB(A). To improve the reliability of EMPARA, it is particularly important to reconsider the application of the land-use data in calculating the noise propagation.