In November 2020 ISO 17534-4 ‘Recommendations for a quality assured implementation of the COMMISSION DIRECTIVE (EU) 2015/996 in software according to ISO 17534-1’ has finally been released. As expected the final release is based on the draft of October 2019. This QA standard contains testcases to be used by software developers for checking compliance with CNOSSOS-EU.

Already in January 2020 Predictor-LimA V2020 was the first software to be in compliance of this QA standard.

Softnoise has added a new Pro license on their Predictor-LimA Cloud Calculation Service with 4 times the performance of the Standard license. This new Service will reduce your investment in hardware and IT. The service adds a multi-user cloud calculation license to your single-user local calculation license. This means that you and your colleagues can calculate Predictor models in the cloud from home, the office or any other location. No HASP key needed.

For more information and to request a free trial license take a look at the Predictor-LimA Cloud Calculation product page.

In March Softnoise starts a series of 4 free webinars around the new European CNOSSOS method. The webinars are intended for authorities and consultants who are involved in the next round of the European noise mapping projects. You’re invited to join us on Thursdays in March and April at 09.00-09.30 or 16.00-16.30 CET (UTC+1).

Click here to register for a session.

Google Earth stopped support of the API that is used in the Georeference tool. Therefore we have taken out the Georeference tool and replaced it with a new georeference image calibration option in the ‘View | Background Maps’ menu option of iNoise V2021.

For georeferencing Google Earth images you can now enter 2 place marks in the latest version Google Earth with known GPS coordinates in decimal degrees and then use the ‘Edit | Copy Image’ (print screen) menu option in Google Earth to copy the image to the clipboard. Then you can paste the image in Paint and save it as a jpg file. During the calibration of the jpg file in iNoise you can then use the 2 place marks as the 2 known positions.

However be sure that you do not use a tilted view in Google Earth. This means that just before you make a print screen in Google Earth you need to press the key ‘r’ on your keyboard. That is a short cut for rotating the view to North and setting the view to top view without tilt.

We have released iNoise 2021. Users with a valid iNoise 2020 license can also use their license for iNoise 2021.

iNoise 2021 includes new and improved functionalities including wind turbine screening limit option according to IOA-GPG, Quick Links side bar, Georeference image calibration option that replaces the separate Georeference tool, increased performance of terrain model calculation and noise contour generation, and 3D View with display style of items such as thematic colors. For a complete overview of all changes see the download page.

Our partner Softnoise has released its new Predictor-LimA Cloud Calculation Service. This new Service adds a multi-user cloud calculation license to a single-user local Predictor license. This means that you and your colleagues can create and calculate Predictor noise models for road, rail, industry and wind turbines from home, the office or any other location. No dongles needed.

Want to see how it works? Check the recorded webinar and/or request a free trial license.

All European member states are obliged to determine the exposure of people and dwellings in numbers per 5dB noise classes for all large agglomerations and major infra structures every 5 years. The next round of these EU noise mapping projects has to be finished in June 2022 using the new CNOSSOS-EU method. The new CNOSSOS-EU method replaces the EU interim methods ISO 9613, NMPB-2008 and RMR.

Simply click here to register for this session.

On 11^th February 2020 we have released NoiseAtWork V2020.1. In this release issues have been solved related to error messages when using specific controls (e.g. PDF, View)

Click here to download V2012.1

In February Softnoise are starting a series of free online introduction and Q/A sessions on Predictor. Predictor has the same GUI as iNoise and includes road and rail traffic noise methods You’re invited to join us on every Tuesday in February and March at 08.30-09.30 or 16.30-17.30 CET (UTC+1). View the session live on your screen and ask how-to questions using the Chat option. We will answer all of your Predictor questions. Simply click here to register for the next session (you will be redirected to the Softnoise website).

iNoise users who also need road or rail traffic noise methods can now easily switch to Predictor. Prices for Predictor start at 495 Euro per year for 11 calculation methods including Analyst, ISO 9613, BS-5228, Harmonoise, CRTN, NMPB, XPS, RMR and TNM. The switch from iNoise to Predictor is seamless. iNoise and Predictor have the same intuitive GUI. Also existing iNoise projects can be opened directly with Predictor without any loss of data or results. As of 1st of January 2020, 1-year rental licenses for Predictor and LimA are distributed directly by our Daughter company Softnoise. Softnoise is a joint venture of DGMR Software and Stapelfeldt. This makes Softnoise the first worldwide on-line provider of rental licenses on quality assured environmental noise prediction software for petrochemical plants, heavy industries, infra structure, air traffic and wind turbines. For an overview of the Predictor and LimA configurations and prices visit https://softnoise.com/products/predictor-lima/prices-configurations/

NoiseAtWork 2020 has a new option to generate difference contours between the calculated noise contours based on the sound power levels of (future) alarm systems and the ambient noise contours based on measurements. In this way the user can optimize the locations of new alarm systems in order to recognize a danger signal e.g. 6 dB, 10 dB or 15 dB above the ambient noise level.

The new version has an increased overall performance and additional selection and edit options such as Select with polygon, Rotate items and Snap to items.

Also a company license option has been added. A company license allows the use of NoiseAtWork on all PC’s of the company within 1 country.

For information about configurations and prices, see: https://dgmrsoftware.com/products/noiseatwork/price-information-naw/

Thursday 21^st of November 2019 we have released iNoise 2020.

Users with a valid iNoise 2019 license can also use their license for iNoise 2020.

iNoise 2020 includes 14 new and improved functionalities including PDF as background map, Lmax calculation, Overall font settings for item and result labels and input of A, C and Z weighted levels.

For a complete overview of all changes see the download page.

View the Harmonoise method description WP3_HART32TR-040922-DGMR20.PDF

Validating calculations by comparing them with measurements is not a straight forward task. Next to issues such as avoiding background noise and knowing the operation conditions of the sources during the measurements, the main problem is the meteorological condition. Empirical calculation methods such as the ISO 9613 calculation method cannot calculate under up wind, side wind or inversion conditions.

This is why we have implemented Harmonoise in iNoise. The Harmonoise method is a more theoretical method, like Nordic 2000 and ENM, that can calculate for specific meteo conditions. With Harmonoise you can define the wind direction, wind speed and stability class as it was during the measurement. In this way a much better validation of your calculation model can be achieved.

The Harmonoise method has been developed within an European working group for road and rail traffic. However the point to point calculation algorithms can also be used for industrial noise. The aim was to develop an advanced and state of the art European method for noise calculations that can be used for detailed calculations as well as for strategic noise maps. The Harmonoise method was finalized in 2005. However the European commission decided not to include Harmonoise in European legislation. The main reason was that they expected much longer calculation times and that this could lead to higher costs for the member states when used for the obligated European strategic noise maps. Now with iNoise 2019.1 you can use this advanced method next to the ISO 9613 method!

In February we sent out the iNoise Excellence Survey 2019 to over 1,200 users of our iNoise prediction software. The results are fantastic. 96% of the users are satisfied with iNoise. 85% are even more than satisfied with iNoise! Also we have received inspiring ideas for improving iNoise even further. We will use these ideas for the development of iNoise 2020 in Q3 and Q4 of this year. As always, the next major version of iNoise will be released at the end of the year.

We asked our iNoise users if they also use, or have been using, other software for environmental noise prediction. 78% also use or have used 1 or more other software. As all other software also include the ISO 9613 method as well as additional traffic noise methods there is obviously a specific reason for using iNoise. Although our survey did not cover this aspect we believe that iNoise users prefer iNoise over other software because of its intuitive interface. This strengthens our belief that the iNoise interface is by far the most intuitive interface for environmental noise modeling on the market today. For an overview of the iNoise configurations and prices visit https://dgmrsoftware.com/products/inoise/configurations/

On 26^th March 2019 we have released NoiseAtWork V2019.1. In this release some issues have been solved related to the indicative effect of barriers inside the work spaces.

Click here to download V2019.1.

NoiseAtWork V2019 is by far the easiest tool available on the market today for creating interpolated contour maps based on any type of measurement, such as Noise in dB(A), Temperature in ˚C, Humidity in % or Gas concentration in ppm. Simply read in any CAD, PDF or scanned image map and enter your data points by clicking on the map at the locations where you have done your measurements. You will be amazed how simple it is!

New options in the V2019 release include additional predefined indicators and the ability to copy & paste items. Click here to download V2019.

DGMR Software and Stapelfeldt Ingeniersgesellschaft will exhibit together as Softnoise on 6-9 November at Acoustics 2018 in Adelaide. Please feel free to visit our Softnoise booth and receive the latest information on iNoise and Predictor-LimA V2019.

Description

During this iNoise user meeting I will handle your questions regarding iNoise 2018 and the ISO 9613 method. Most likely we will dive into the nitty gritty details of the ISO 9613 and 17534 methods. So put on your diving gear!

Description

This short course gives insight in the world of environmental noise modelling and prediction. Attendees can expect an up to date and realistic view on this topic from an acoustic consultant who became involved in the implementation of noise calculation methods in software. The workshop includes an instruction on the new version 2019 of the Predictor software. Also a comparison is made between the Predictor software and the iNoise software.

Agenda

Environmental noise prediction methods and quality assurance

• General principles
• Empirical, theoretical and numerical calculation methods
• Quality assurance for ISO 9613 and CRTN
• CNOSSOS-EU, latest developments

Environmental noise modelling with Predictor

• General overview of the GUI
• Using background maps: Google Earth bitmap images, Shape files, on-line WMS and WMTS
• Item import: GIS files, CAD files, QSI files
• Item edit: Copy/paste, multi-edit, Excel link
• Source items: Roads, railways, wind turbines, moving sources etc. Convert Lp values to Lw
• Barrier items: Raised barriers, overhangs, transmission loss
• Calculations: Single point, horizontal contours, vertical contours (on facades)
• Analyst: Cumulation of noise contour maps with the new Analyst method
• Predictor compared with iNoise

Registration

You can register for this free course by filling in this form:

[contact-form-7 id=”6058″ title=”Registration Short course Environmental noise prediction”]

Today we have released iNoise 2018.2. This release includes new functionality as well as improvements on several existing functionalities. Pro and Enterprise configurations now include a calculation option for automated calculation of the Valley correction according to IOA GPG TO ETSU-R-97. This will save consultants valuable time when applying the valley correction. New for all configurations is the option to show the exact calculated rubber band detour paths around buildings and barriers in the 3D view. This gives even more insight in the way iNoise calculates. Visit the download page to see all changes

DGMR Software and Stapelfeldt Ingeniersgesellschaft will exhibit together as Softnoise on 26-29 August at Inter-Noise 2018 in Chicago, USA. Please feel free to visit our Softnoise booth and receive the latest information on our software products Predictor-LimA, Oden, iNoise and NoiseAtWork.

DGMR Software and Stapelfeldt Ingeniersgesellschaft will exhibit together as Softnoise on 27-31 May at Euronoise 2018 in Crete. Please feel free to visit our Softnoise booth and receive the latest information on CNOSSOS-EU and our software products Predictor-LimA, NoiseAtWork and iNoise. For more info on CNOSSOS-EU click here to view the latest newletter.

With the new version 5 of NoiseAtWork the applicability has increased substantially. Not only noise, but any measured indicator can now be mapped as interpolated contours within minutes. For instance Temperature in ˚C, Humidity in % and Gas concentration in ppm. To demonstrate how versatile NoiseAtWork is we decided to add a simple option in V5.1 for monitoring a CSV file with measurement values. When the file changes NoiseAtWork will automatically import it again and show the new interpolated contours. As a result you get a dynamic map. See the video

A set of 12 tutorial videos is now available in the iNoise Gallery at https://dgmrsoftware.com/products/inoise/gallery/. The videos will guide new users step by step through the process of setting up and calculating models with iNoise.

The IOA GPG TO ETSU-R-97 recommends that a correction of +3 dB (or +1.5 dB if using G=0.0)  should be added to the calculated noise level of a wind turbine for propagation “across a valley”. The following criterion of application is recommended: hm ≥ 1.5 x (abs (hs – hr) /2). In this criterion hm is the mean height above the ground of the direct line of sight from the receiver to the source (as defined in ISO 9613-2, figure 3).

Although the formula is simple enough, the criterion when to apply the valley correction is not. Because there is no exact and unambiguous definition of ‘propagation across a valley’, the consultant will have to decide ‘manually’ in which situation a valley correction is applicable.

When it is decided that a valley correction is needed, determining the mean height hm manually can be time consuming. As the calculation of hm is part of the ISO 9613 calculation method, the iNoise Free software can be helpful. In iNoise the calculated mean height above the digital terrain model for any chosen receiver – wind turbine combination can be displayed.

See the video https://dgmrsoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Valley.mp4

For more information on iNoise register for a Free Q&A Webinar at https://dgmrsoftware.com/webinars/ or visit our booth on 23-24 April at Acoustics 2018 in Cardiff.

DGMR Software will exhibit at Acoustics 2018, 23-24 April in Cardiff, UK. This will be a good opportunity to talk to the developers of iNoise and NoiseAtWork and experience the latest features in the software.

Join us for the coming Live Q&A Webinars where we will answer any iNoise or NoiseAtWork question you might have, or simply learn from our answers on questions from others! Click here to view and register for the coming Q/A Webinars.

NoiseAtWork is by far the easiest tool available on the market today for creating interpolated contour maps based on any type of measurement, such as Noise in dB(A), Temperature in ˚C, Humidity in % or Gas concentration in ppm. Simply read in any CAD, PDF or scanned image map and enter your data points by clicking on the map at the locations where you have done your measurements. You will be amazed how simple it is!

See https://software.dgmr.nl/videos/NAW-in-2-minutes.mp4. New options in the V5.1 release include an integrated demo mode and support of PDF as background drawing next to CAD (DXF/DWG) and image files (BMP/JPG). Click here to download V5.1.

The new iNoise 2018 release includes several new powerful features such as a quick and easy calibration option for bitmaps and a very convenient option to convert sound pressure (Lp) to sound power (Lw) for point, line and moving sources. Also the sound power database has been extended with CNOSSOS-EU based sound power levels for light, medium and heavy vehicles driving 50, 80 or 100 km/hr. Click here to register your Free license for 2018.

New: Calibrate option for using bitmaps as background maps

The new calibrate option in iNoise 2018 makes calibration of bitmaps extremely easy. With the iNoise menu option ‘View | Background Maps’ you can add multiple GIS, CAD and Image (bitmap) files as Background map layers underneath your model. iNoise automatically recognises georeferenced image files that include a separate World file. Such georeferenced image files can be purchased or can be created with GIS software. However calibrating an image file yourself is not difficult at all. With the new intuitive Calibrate option in iNoise 2018 you can do this within seconds. Learn how to, simply by watching instruction video 6 on our website: https://dgmrsoftware.com/products/inoise/gallery/

New: Lp to Lw option to convert sound pressure (Lp) to sound power (Lw)

With the new Lp to Lw option in iNoise 2018 for Point, Line and Moving Sources the user can now quickly determine the sound power level (Lw) of the source based on a measured sound pressure  level at a certain distance.

New: SourceDB option

SourceDB is a separate software that enables storing, searching and sorting your own sound power data, as an extension of the European IMAGINE database. SourceDB supports 1/3 octaves, a script language to define parameters and formulas to calculate the Lw and adding pictures to the sources. A sound power level in SourceDB can be easily copied and pasted in a source of an iNoise model.

New: CNOSSOS-EU sound power levels for road traffic noise

The default sound power catalogues ‘SourcePower_Octave.cat’ and ‘SourcePower_Terts.cat’ now include sound power levels for light, medium and heavy vehicles driving 50, 80 or 100 km/hr. The sound powers are taken from the CNOSSOS-EU method. In combination with the moving source item this makes it more convenient to calculate road traffic noise according to the ISO 9613 propagation.

Download iNoise 2018

Invitation for free short course on environmental noise modelling and prediction with iNoise

This short course gives insight in the world of environmental noise modelling and prediction. Attendees can expect an up to date and realistic view on this topic from an acoustic consultant who became involved in the implementation of noise calculation methods in software. The workshop includes an instruction on using the iNoise software and is open to all, also to those not registered for Acoustics 2017. Attendees will receive a 2-week trial license of iNoise Pro. For those who want to use the software up front can send an email to Erwin Hartog van Banda (ha@dgmr.nl).

Schedule

Registration

Registering for this workshop is no longer possible.

iNoise has been received very well. There are now already hundreds of registered licenses, and that in such a short time! Although iNoise is seen as a ‘new kid on the block’, the user friendly and intuitive DGMR-GUI for environmental modelling is in use for more than 20 years now. The DGMR-GUI is the centre of the Windows development platform of DGMR since 1995 and has been implemented in numerous software applications.

DGMR Software will exhibit this year at Acoustics Week 2017 in Canada and Acoustics 2017 in Australia. This will be a good opportunity to talk to the developers face to face! We intent to also organise a free iNoise workshop during both events. In case you are interested in participating in the workshop please let us know by sending an email to Erwin at ha@dgmr.nl

With the iNoise menu option ‘View | Background Maps’ you can add multiple GIS, CAD and Image (bitmap) files as Background map layers underneath your model. iNoise automatically recognises georeferenced image files that include a separate World file. Such georeferenced image files can be purchased or can be created with GIS software. However calibrating an image file yourself is not difficult at all and can be done within minutes by using Google Earth. Learn how to, simply by watching instruction video 6 on our website: https://dgmrsoftware.com/products/inoise/gallery/

Thanks to a post on LinkedIn you can now import height lines from ELVIS in iNoise! ELVIS is the Elevation Information System of the Australian government. Click here to see how it works: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/import-elvis-inoise-toby-dudman/

July 24^th till July 26^th DGMR Software exhibited at ICSV24 As iNoise is the new quality assured ‘kid on the block’ there was a broad amount of interest. We were very pleased with the number of new registrations and all the positive remarks, especially from users of competitive software. We also presented our paper on quality assured software implementation of ISO 9613 in iNoise. The new QA standard ISO/TR 17534-3 strongly reduces the possibilities of different interpretations of ISO 9613. Without the quality recommendations, differences can be up to 16 dB! With the recommendations, the differences are within 0.1 dB.

On 1 may 2017 we released iNoise, our new software for industrial noise calculations.

iNoise is quality assured Windows software based on the ISO 9613 calculation method. The intuitive modelling and calculation capacities can handle any industrial noise project including wind turbines, petrochemical sites and harbour areas. iNoise is available in 3 configurations; Free, Pro and Enterprise.

Want to experience iNoise yourself? Simply download iNoise Free here and start working.

On 1 February 2017 we released the latest version of our NoiseAtWork software.

Changes in V5.00

New features

• Multiple indicators
  It is now possible to customise the measurement indicator settings.
  In this way you can add and manage measurements for multiple occupational and/or environmental factors or scenarios in one project.
• Self-training
  Training material is now included in the software
• Display
  Added toolbar buttons to toggle the display on or off of various elements in the model
• New free app NoiseAtWork Companion
  NoiseAtWork Companion is an application for digitizing measurement locations of any type of indicator on a digital map. The application can be used on an android device, e.g. a tablet or a phone. NoiseAtWork Companion replaces the traditional clipboard and paper map. The output of NoiseAtWork Companion can be imported directly in the NoiseAtWork software. You can download the app in the google play store.

On 12 July 2016 we released the latest version of our NoiseAtWork software.

Changes in V4.11

Solved issues

• Loading contour definitions from a file did not correctly force the contours to be recalculated which meant that contours displayed were according to the old definition.
• License activation – activating a license when a previous time limited had expired would not always work and displayed incorrectly in the information screen. This was often the case with temporary test/demo licenses.
• License deactivation – deactivating licenses would also attempt to deactivate expired licenses which generated error messages

A full list of changes can be found on the download page.

May 23 till May 25 DGMR Software exhibited at AIHce. For us it was the first time. For AIHce it was also the first time to receive an exhibitor from The Netherlands! It was a very successful event. Our booth attracted a lot of attention and we made contact with many new potential users of our software. They all saw the benefit of the NoiseAtWork and MapAtWork software when creating interpolated maps based on measurements. What we heard most is that by using our software there is no need any more to outsource the creation of measurement maps to a CAD department because now the industrial hygienist can do it herself/himself with just a couple of clicks. This saves time and money. So it might very well be that we will exhibit next year also at AIHce in Seattle.

On 22 February 2016 we released the latest version of our NoiseAtWork software.

Changes in V4.10

New features

• Model views
  Added to the zoom controls is the option to save model views. These views can be used for printing. In this way you can ensure that future printouts have the same part of a model in view.

Printing

• Scale bar has been added to printout legend
• Multiple model views can be printed out at once
• Printing to PDF resolution of model and contours increased

A full list of changes can be found on the download page.

Map Companion, the digital clipboard for industrial hygienists

Thursday May 7, 2015

Today DGMR Software released Map Companion, a new tablet/phone app for visualization of any type of occupational health measurement in workspaces on a digital map. This tool helps occupational health professionals with their surveys of working environments. Map Companion replaces the traditional clipboard and paper map. This speeds up the measurement process. The information gathered with the app can be used directly in the existing mapping and interpolation software MapAtWork, making reporting of measurements and interpolated contours quick and efficient.

The app is free and can be downloaded from Google Play Store

MapAtWork (pc)