Identification info

Metadata Language

English

Character set

UTF8

Dataset Reference Date (Publication)

2024-08-05

Dataset Reference Date (Revision)

2025-03-04

Identifier

HORE_CONSOLIDATED_LDEN

Purpose

Noise maps showing areas that are relatively louder or quieter, measured in decibels (dB). Data represents average day-evening-night levels (Lden) for all road, rail, airport and industry noise in Scotland. Created from Round 4 of the strategic noise mapping analysis undertaken to meet the requirements of the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulation 2006 (as amended).

Credit

© Scottish Government, contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2024.

Maintenance and update frequency

As needed

Maintenance note

To be updated every 5 years, as a minimum, in line with the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulation 2006 (as amended).

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0

• Human health and safety

GEMET - Concepts, version 4.2.3

• noise
• noise map
• environmental noise

Limitations on Public Access

Other restrictions

Other constraints

No limitations to public access

Other constraints

Open Government Licence

Use constraints

Other restrictions

Other constraints

Available under the terms of the Open Government Licence. The following attribution statement must be used to acknowledge the source of the information: © Scottish Government, contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2024.

Other constraints

This noise mapping data has been developed for strategic purposes and should be used accordingly. It does not represent a definitive assessment of risk for point locations or individual properties and is therefore not suitable for insurance purposes or property enquiries.

Spatial representation type

Grid

Distance

10  m

Topic category

• Environment
• Health

Code

S92000003

 

Code

EPSG:27700

Distribution Information

 

Data quality info

Quality Scope

Dataset

Statement

The Environmental Noise Directive requires, on a five yearly cycle, the Scottish Government to produce strategic noise maps. The Directive was transposed into Scottish legislation under the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and amended by the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018 following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.

Strategic noise maps for the fourth round of mapping have been produced using the European Commission’s common noise assessment methods (CNOSSOS-EU). This is a new method of producing strategic noise maps for the entirety of Scotland, meaning the previous three rounds are not comparable to this round. The analysis was completed using several in house, open source, and commercially available software tools, and was delivered by Noise Consultants Limited in collaboration with Mott MacDonald, Acustica and Stapelfeldt on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.

The maps were created using specialised noise modelling software, which calculates the noise level on a 10m grid at a reception height of 4m above local ground level as required by the Environmental Noise Regulations. The software takes account of physical features such as buildings and the ground contours. The grid information is then used to create the series of noise contour bands, depicting an average noise level for an average day in the year. The data required for the calculations of noise levels have been determined by consultation with various organisations including Transport Scotland, SEPA, Network Rail, Airport Operators, Local Authorities, and others.

For Round 4, the following noise sources were included:

• Airports with more than 50,000 (fifty thousand) movements;

• Airports with less than 50,000 (fifty thousand) movements but emit relevant noise levels into agglomerations;

• Railways - both major (with more than 30,000 (thirty thousand) train passages a year) and non-major railways;

• Roads - both major (with more than 3,000,000 (three million) vehicle passages per year) and non-major roads;

• Industry within qualifying agglomerations (urban areas with populations in excess of 100,000 (one hundred thousand), i.e. Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk and Glasgow).

Results were produced for roads (both all sources and major roads only), rail (both all sources and major railways only) and industry using the following indicators:

• Day-evening-night level (Lden) - the annual average noise level with separate weightings for the evening and night periods. Day, evening and night periods are defined as 07.00 to 19.00, 19.00 to 23.00 and 23.00 to 07.00 respectively;

• Daytime level (Lday) - the annual average A-weighted long-term sound over the daytime period (07:00-19:00);

• Evening level (Leve) – the annual average A-weighted long-term sound over the evening period (19:00-23:00);

• Night level (Lnight) – the annual average A-weighted long-term sound over the night period (23:00-07:00);

• 6-hour night-time level (LAeq,6h) - the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level over a 6-hour time period (24:00-06:00). It is the sound level of a steady state sound that has the same energy as a fluctuating sound over the same period;

• 16-hour daytime level (LAeq,16h) - the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level over a 16-hour time period (07:00-23:00). It is the sound level of a steady state sound that has the same energy as a fluctuating sound over the same period;

• 18-hour daytime level (LAeq,18h) - the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level over a 18-hour time period (06:00-24:00). It is the sound level of a steady state sound that has the same energy as a fluctuating sound over the same period.

Consolidated results were also produced including outputs from each of the road, rail, industrial and airport noise grids. The consolidated maps are produced simply as a logarithmic sum of the separate source sound levels and are not subject to response or effects based corrections.

The consolidated grids were updated in February 2025 following the requirement to re-interpolate the Aberdeen and Glasgow airport noise grids using a different interpolation method so that the resultant output raster grids were better aligned with the airport polygon noise contours. This shifted the position of the airport noise grid cells slightly, therefore the consolidated grid also had to be updated to reflect those changes.

 

Metadata

File identifier

6ad962f6-e2f0-4c94-850e-fd69f91984ff XML

Metadata Language

English

Resource type

Dataset

Metadata Date

2025-03-11T13:48:25.059Z

Metadata standard name

UK GEMINI

Metadata standard version

2.3