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Surf the 'Net for News on Noise

George C. Maling Jr, NNI Managing Editor and William W. Lang, NNI Feature Editor

AUTHORS' NOTE:This page was originally published in print form in the 1999 December issue of Noise/News International, beginning on page 201. The original title was "Noise on the 'Net." It has been marked up with html tags and placed on the Internet with live links to the URLs given in the original article. It will be continuously updated as new information becomes available and links change. The reason for the change in title is explained in the Acknowledgement at the bottom of the page.

CONTENTS:

Introduction

Since 1992, the explosive growth of the Internet and particularly the widespread use of hypertext transfer protocol to make available pages marked up with hypertext markup language (html) has made very significant changes on how everyone with access to the Internet obtains information. Professionals in noise control engineering can now routinely obtain information worldwide with a few clicks of the "mouse." The ability to create pages with relatively little effort and post those pages on the Internet has greatly improved the ways that professionals can communicate. In this article, we have included the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for many pages on the Internet.

The availability of many search engines and the ability to structure queries to those engines has made retrieval of information much easier than could have been imagined eight years ago. In 1999 October, searching for noise using the Webcrawler search engine yielded 13384 "hits", and the Alta Vista search engine search resulted in 1,356,490 "hits." More sophisticated searches with the ability to accept Boolean logic statements can narrow down the number of hits for a particular area related to noise. One particularly useful site is the Yahoo search engine. From that home page, one can go to Science and then to Acoustics and find many links to sites related to noise control, including consultants, universities, and companies. Nevertheless, there is a need for guidance through the large amount of information on noise available on the Internet. In 1945, the American engineer, Vannevar Bush, introduced the concept of the memex, a machine not unlike today's personal computer with a CD-ROM attached and with access to the internet. One of the important concepts that he described was that of trails. He visualized a very large amount of information on science and technology becoming available, and suggested that persons knowledgable in a particular field should prepare trails through the information to guide others and to save them effort in the discovery process.

We have prepared this article to produce a reasonably comprehensive account of information related to noise control available on the Internet.We will be most grateful to our colleagues if they can inform us of new pages of interest, dead links, etc., and we will attempt to keep the version of this article on the Internet as up-to-date as possible.

The article is broadly divided by International and Regional Resources in a number of key areas, and National Resources by country. The name of the Member Society of International INCE is included even though there may be no home page for that society.

There are many sites listed in this article for commerical sites and consultants. The authors, the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA and International INCE bear no responsibility for the information on those pages. There are undoubtedly sites that have been overlooked, but the authors have included all information available to them at the time this article was written.

Return to the CONTENTS of this page.

 

International and Regional Resources

International Resources

Associations
  • The home page of International INCE contains several links of interest. Links to conferences sponsored by International INCE are provided. There is a directory of the Member Societies of International INCE that lists each Member Society. For each Member Society that has published a Member Society Profile there is a link to that Member Society in the directory. To date, 29 Member Societies have profiles.

    In the National Resources listing below, links to Member Society Profiles have been established where available.

  • There is a link to the home page of the International Commission on Acoustics.

  • Malcolm Crocker maintains a site for the International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration.

  • SCVN is the Scientific Committee on Vibration and Noise, one of the 32 committees of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). The committee diffuses information about vibration and noise hazards in the workplace, and their prevention.

  • Home page of the International Labor Organization.

Standards

  • There are two primary international standards organizations that produce standards related to noise. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) covers acoustics in Technical Committee 43 (TC 43), and noise is covered by Subcommittee 1 (TC43 SC1). From the home page above, one can link to the ISO standards catalog where a search engine is available to find standards related to acoustics and noise.

  • The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the second international organization concerned with standards in acoustics. Instruments for noise measurement are covered by Technical Committee 29 (TC 29).

Publications

Regional Resources

Associations

Governmental Organizations

  • The European Union, DG III, provides a list of references to harmonized standards in the context of the "New Approach" Directives.

  • A Green Paper on Future Noise Policy has been published by the European Union to guide future noise policy in the Union.

  • The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is responsible for the following:

    • implementation of voluntary technical harmonization in Europe in conjunction with worldwide bodies and European partners; and

    • development of procedures for mutual recognition and conformity assessment to standards.

    CEN has not placed a catalog of its standards on the web.

  • The European Information System for Occupational Safety and Health has a page of interest. The first applications to be available as expert systems will be related to the assessment of noise- induced hearing loss and the selection of hearing protectors.

  • ECMA, formerly the European Computer Manufacturers Association, has standards and technical reports on noise from information technology and telecommunications equipment. There is no charge for the documents.

Publications

  • A section of the CERN World Wide Web Virtual Library (WWWVL) is devoted to engineering. This portion is maintained by NASA/GSFC Assurance Technologies, and includes a section on Acoustics and Vibration Engineering. This page contains additional links to a number of sites that will be of interest to noise control engineers.

Return to the CONTENTS of this page.

 

National Resources

For convenience, we have divided links to national resources by country so that a person can more easily find links to information within his or her country.

RESOURCES BY COUNTRY:
Australia..|.. Austria..|.. Belgium..|.. Brazil..|.. Canada..|

China..|.. Czech Republic..|.. Denmark..|.. Finland..|.. France..|..

Germany..|.. Hong Kong..|.. Hungary..|.. India..|.. Italy..|

Japan..|.. Korea..|.. Lithuania..|.. Mexico..|.. Netherlands..|

New Zealand..|.. Norway..|.. Poland..|.. Portugal..|.. Romania..|

Russia..|.. Singapore..|.. Slovakia..|.. Slovenia..|.. South Africa..|

Spain..|.. Sweden..|.. Switzerland..|.. Turkey..|.. United Kingdom..|

United States of America..|.. Yugoslavia..|

Australia

Associations

University Sites

Government

Product Oriented Sites

Austria

Associations

Government

Belgium

Associations

Product Oriented Sites

    Software
  • A wide range of prediction software and hardware is available from LMS International.

Brazil

Associations

Canada

Associations

University Sites

Consulting Services

Environmental and Citizens Groups

China

Associations
  • Acoustical Society of China

Czech Republic

Associations

Denmark

Associations
  • Danish Acoustical Society

University Sites

Government

Consulting Services

Product-Oriented Sites

    Instruments
  • Bruel & Kjær. provides transducers and complete systems for the measurement and analysis of sound and vibration in a wide range of applications.

  • G.R.A.S. Sound & Vibration offers a complete range of 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch, and 1/8 inch condenser microphones for sound pressure level and intensity measurements, including calibration of sound systems.

Finland

Associations

Product Oriented Sites

  • Isover produces insulation materials and acoustic panels in Finland.

France

Associations

Government

Product Oriented Sites

  • The Saint-Gobain Group is a consortium of manufacturers of soft acoustical ceilings.

  • Eurocoustic is a company of the Saint-Gobain Group specializing in the manufacture of acoustical ceilings and wall panels.

Environmental and Citizens Groups

  • There is an organization in France concerned with aircraft noise. The page is in the French language.

Germany

Associations

University Sites

Government

Consulting

  • Müller-BBM is one of Germany's leading consulting firms for noise and vibration problems.

Hong Kong

Associations
  • Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics

Hungary

Associations

India

Associations
  • Acoustical Society of India

Italy

Associations

Standards

  • There are two primary Italian standards organizations that produce standards related to noise. The Italian National Standard Body (UNI) covers acoustics and noise in the "Commissione Acustica", mirroring ISO/TC 43. From this home page, one can link to the UNI standards catalog where a search engine is available to find Italian standards related to acoustics and noise (English or Italian).

  • The Italian Electrotechnical Commission (CEI) is the second Italian organization concerned with standards in acoustics. Instruments for noise measurement are covered by Technical Committee 29 (CT 29), mirroring the IEC/TC 29 (Italian).

Publications

  • Results of the intercomparison of Laboratory Measurements of Airborne Sound Insulation of Walls. This project was funded by the European Commission (English).

University Sites

  • The Acoustics Research Group at the University of Bologna has a home page that contains information on research projects, staff and graduate courses in acoustics (English; only information for students in Italian).

  • The University of Ferrara maintains pages about the "School of Acoustics" (English or Italian).

Government

  • The Acoustics Department at "Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale Galileo Ferraris" of Torino, Italy, carries out research, consultancy and testing activities in the areas of applied and physical acoustics (English or Italian).

  • The Istituto di Acustica O.M. Corbino carries out research, consultancy and testing activities in the areas of applied and physical acoustics (English or Italian).

  • The European Railway server offers information on the acoustical imaging of high speed trains.

Product Oriented Sites

    Hardware
  • This site offers sound level meters (Italian).

  • Spectra offers sound level meters, noise monitoring systems, spectrum analyzers, front-ends and software for acoustics and vibration measurements (English or Italian).

    Software

  • The Ramsete Program. Ramsete is an acoustic Pyramid Tracing code. It computes the sound field in rooms and outdoors according to geometrical acoustics approximations.

Japan

Associations

Government

  • Link to the home page of the Environment Agency of Japan. There are further links to noise standards, including traffic noise, aircraft noise, and railway noise (in English).

Korea

Associations

University Sites

Lithuania

Associations

Mexico

Associations
  • Sociedad Mexicana de Acustica

Netherlands

Associations

University Sites

Government

Other

    • XS4ALL is a useful site related to traffic noise, and includes information on the noise Working Group structure of the EU commission DG-XI, Environment.

New Zealand

Associations

Consulting Services

Norway

Associations

Government

Poland

Associations

  • Committee on Acoustics - Polish Academy of Sciences

Portugal

Associations

Romania

Associations

  • Home page of the Academia Romania, Comisia de Acustica.

Russia

Associations

Singapore

Associations

Slovakia

Associations

  • Home page of the Slovak Acoustical Society.

Slovenia

Associations

South Africa

Associations

  • International INCE Member Society Profile for the Southern Africa Acoustics Institute.
  • Southern Africa Acoustics Institute
  • International INCE Member Society Profile for the Noise and Vibration Division, SAIMechE.
  • Noise and Vibration Division, SAIMechE

Spain

Associations

Sweden

Associations

Standards

University Sites

Government

Consulting Services

  • This site describes the activities of Scandinavia's largest consulting firm in acoustics, noise, and vibrations, Ingemansson Technology AB.

Product Oriented Sites

Hardware

  • Ecophon is a subsidiary of Gullfiber AB, a Swedish manufacturer of glass wook and thermal insulation.

    Software

  • CATT offers software for room acoustics predictions.

Environmental and Citizens Groups

This is a link to a web site on Silent Personal Computers.

Switzerland

Associations

Government

  • The web site of the Zürich airport has a section devoted to noise and noise control.

Turkey

Associations

United Kingdom

Associations

Publications

  • Lord Rayleigh is one of the founders of acoustical science. A 23-page biography titled "Lord Rayleigh - the last of the great Victorian Polymaths" is available.
  • The commercial publication, Noise and Vibration Worldwide has now gone on line, and a sample issue is available free at the web site.

University Sites

Government

Consulting Services

Product Oriented Sites

Hardware

  • Active Control eXperts offers products related to active noise control.
  • NoiseNet is a site organized mainly as a resource on noise and vibration issues, including products for noise control. Most of the information is relevant to the UK, but expansion to the rest of the world is planned.

    Software

  • Integrated Sound Software offers software related to calculations via the Boundary Element Method (BEM).

    Instruments

  • Castle Group Ltd. - dedicated to the design and manufacture of instrumentation for noise and vibration measurement.
  • CEL Instruments Ltd. Manufacturers of noise monitoring equipment and related services.

Environmental and Citizens Groups

  • There is an organization in the United Kingdom concerned with aircraft noise around Heathrow airport.

United States of America

Associations

Standards

Publications

University Sites

Government

  • The Federal Aviation Administration maintains a home page. Here one will find quite a bit of information on aircraft noise. When you reach the site, clicking on the Technology Division provides further links to technological publications and documentation, environmental models and documentation, and The Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise (FICAN).
  • Committee A1F04 is a committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The site contains a great deal of useful information on aircraft noise, road vehicle noise, and train noise. There is a link to the Federal Highway Administration's traffic noise model.

    The TRB is itself a committee of the National Research Council (NRC). The NRC operates under the supervision of the National Academies - National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.

  • The Federal Highway Administration has an active program of noise control. Starting from this page, a 2000 August search for traffic noise yielded 195 "hits."
  • The Federal Railroad Administration has a web site with a search engine. On 2000 August 04, a search for noise yielded 69 "hits."
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Glenn Research Center provides noise emission testing services, noise control design support and information resources through its Acoustical Testing Services.
  • The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides a topic index with a link to information on noise and hearing protection.
  • There is a structural dynamics laboratory at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Consulting Services

Product Oriented Sites

Hardware

  • The Eckel Corporation offers a line of anechoic rooms, modular panels, and other noise control products.
  • Industrial Acoustics Company offers a line of sound control products, including silencers, quiet rooms, anechoic rooms, and reverberation rooms.
  • Industrial Noise Contol, Inc. provides products and custom systems for controlling noise in industrial and commercial environments.
  • Jamison Doors. Offers specialty doors for noise reduction.
  • E-A-R Specialty Composites is a manufacturer of vinyl and urethane products for noise and vibration control.
  • illbruck offers foam sound absorptive materials for noise reduction.
  • The Proudfoot Company offers hanging baffles and other products.
  • This is a site that covers materials for control of noise, vibration, and harshness
  • Quilite Noise Barriers offers an alternative to common block walls for controlling noise in commercial and industrial applications.
  • Silent Source. Supplies acoustic foams, barriers, diffusors, fabrics, and more.
  • The Sonex Corporation offers absorptive materials for wall and ceiling treatments.
  • Soundcoat offers noise control materials and parts, primarily foam sound absorptive materials and damping materials.
  • Noise Cancellation Technologies. Develops products for active noise control.

    Software

  • Cambridge Collaborative offers SEAM software for prediction of noise and vibration.
  • There is a CD containing a set of lecture notes on acoustics, fluid physics, and sound absorption technology available from past INCE president Uno Ingard. The CD also includes computer programs for calculations related to duct acoustics and sound absorptive materials.
  • The Math Works offers the Matlab software with extensions to noise and vibration problems.
  • Power Acoustics Inc. provides environmental noise prediction software absed on the ISO 9613 standard.
  • Vibration Research offers a hardware and software package for vibration control.

    Instruments

  • Brüel & Kjær provides transducers and complete systems for the measurement and analysis of sound and vibration in a wide range of applications.
  • Larson Davis. The product line includes sound level meters, other noise measuring equipment, and condenser microphones.
  • Quest. The product line includes sound level meters and other noise measuring equipment.
  • Scantek, Inc. carries Norsonic, Rion, and other instruments, and also has available noise prediction software.
  • Silent Source offers acoustical products such as doors, panels, foam materials, etc.
  • Universal Silencer offers acoustical silencers for machinery and equipment.
  • Zonic. Provides noise and vibration measurment systems and software.

Environmental and Citizens Groups

Yugoslavia

Associations

  • Acoustical Society of Yugoslavia

    Return to the CONTENTS of this page.

    Conferences and Seminars

    World Conference Calendar

    Seminars and Short Courses

  • Information on seminars on acoustics and vibrations can be found at the home page of AVNC operated by INCE/USA Member William Thornton.

  • The Vibration Institute has a home page that includes information about the Institute and a calendar of short courses and meetings.

  • The Applied Technology Institute sponsors short courses on various topics related to noise control.

    Return to the CONTENTS of this page.

    Acknowledgement

    When a preliminary version of this page was posted with the title "Noise on the 'Net," the cover art for Noise/News International was sent to the compositors. When the 1999 September-October issue of the Institute of Acoustics bimonthly publication was received, it was too late to change the cover art for the issue and the title of the printed version of this article. An article by Matthew Ling appears in the Acoustics Bulletin, Vol. 24, No. 5, p.34-35, 1999 September-October with the title "Noise on the Net - Part 1." The authors acknowledge that Matthew Ling was the first in print with this catchy title, and wish him continuing success with his series of articles. The title of the "soft" version of this article has now been changed from "Noise on the 'Net" to "Surf the 'Net for News on Noise."

    Return to the CONTENTS of this page.

    Disclaimer

    There are many sites listed for consultants and commercial products. The authors, the Institute of Noise Control Engineering, and International INCE bear no responsibility for the information on these pages which are all accessible to the public. With millions of web pages now posted on the Internet, no claim for complete coverage can be made. All sites with content relevant to the engineering aspects of noise and vibration control known to the authors at the time that this was written have been included in this article.

    Return to the CONTENTS of this page.


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