A Model of Public Announcement System’s Dynamics Control in Smart City Environments

Abstract

Nowadays, each individual is exposed to noise on a daily basis. Long exposure to noise pollution can be manifested through several health concerns such as bad mood, fatigue, insomnia, headache and loss of concentration, which can then cause reduced work ability and finally permanent hearing impairment. When considering urban areas, the most common type of noise source is traffic. Public announcement system are a vital and much needed part of every urban area and thus it should be constructed in a way that it delivers relevant information in a clear and understandable way while not disturbing the residents. Therefore, this paper proposes a model of public announcement system in urban places which aims to reduce unexpected and sudden loudness changes. The system is envisaged for public places, such as open bus stations surrounded with residential and commercial buildings. Several studies have shown that the residents of these buildings find sudden announcements very annoying and disturbing. The goal of this research is to reduce the sound level while retaining the principal loudness level. The study has shown that with the appropriate signal processing which includes a compressor and a limiter, these types of announcements can be made less annoying and disturbing for urban residents.