Tue, May 26, 2026 page3

• Researchers create low-cost system to map noise

  • By Rachel Lin / Staff reporter
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Researchers from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), Academia Sinica and National Tsing Hua University have developed a portable, low-cost widely deployable sensor system to monitor environmental sounds and generate noise maps.

  Noise pollution is a common but easily overlooked environmental issue in modern cities that can have adverse health effects, affecting sleep quality, emotional well-being and physical health, the team said yesterday.

  Traditional noise monitoring relies on professional-grade instruments installed in limited locations, and while highly accurate, such setups are expensive and often do not reflect the complexity of urban soundscapes across different neighborhoods and environments, they said.

  

  A researcher operates a portable, low-cost noise sensor in an undated photograph.

  Photo courtesy of the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

  To overcome these limitations, the team developed EcoDecibel, a low-cost, compact and highly sensitive sensor module that can be deployed on roadside utility poles or in community public spaces and on school campuses, the researchers said.

  Because the sensors are inexpensive and portable — each unit only costs about a few thousand New Taiwan dollars and is powered by a standard mobile battery — multiple units can operate simultaneously across an area, allowing cities to build a “listening network,” they said.

  The collected data are transmitted to cloud-computing systems provided by Chunghwa Telecom, with artificial intelligence models analyzing sound patterns and generating visualized maps showing levels at specified places and times, as well as changes in environmental noise throughout the day, or over a longer period, they said.

  The system has already been tested in several districts across northern Taiwan, including in New Taipei City’s Sanjhih (三芝) and Linkou (林口) districts, and Taoyuan’s Gueishan (龜山) and Lujhu (蘆竹) districts, they said.

  The lightweight sensors are highly accurate, with performance comparable to the Ministry of Environment’s environmental noise monitoring standards, the researchers said.

  Many studies have confirmed that prolonged exposure to high-noise environments could increase the risk of sleep disruption, anxiety, mental illness and cardiovascular disease, said Pan Wen-chi (潘文驥), director of NYCU College of Medicine’s Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.

  It could also affect children’s learning ability, he said.

  The ability to continuously record environmental sounds over long periods could provide an important foundation for health studies and environmental governance, Pan said.

  Academia Sinica Institute of Information Science research fellow Chen Ling-Jyh (陳伶志), who led the hardware development, said the concept behind the project is similar to the AirBox initiative, which monitors PM2.5, particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller.

  The research team aims to transition environmental monitoring from a limited number of fixed monitoring stations to a decentralized sensing network in which the public can participate, he said.

  If deployed on a larger scale, the “urban mini-ears” could become important infrastructure for smart cities, helping governments manage noise pollution more accurately and enabling residents to better understand the noise risks in their living environments, the research team said.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Investors diversify from TSMC to other winners of AI boom

  • 2

    Taiwan eyes 100,000 drones a month

  • 3

    Japan ‘mystery illness’ not new: CDC

  • 4

    Nvidia’s Jensen Huang arrives in Taiwan

  • 5

    NSC head slams increased Chinese activities in EEZ