Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Space-Time Characterization Of Community Noise And Sound Sources In Accra, Ghana, Sierra N. Clark, Abosede S. Alli, Ricky Nathvani, Allison Hughes, Majid Ezzati, Michael Brauer, Mireille B. Toledano, Jill Baumgartner, James E. Bennett, James Nimo

Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publication Series

Urban noise pollution is an emerging public health concern in growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but the sound environment in SSA cities is understudied. We leveraged a large-scale measurement campaign to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of measured sound levels and sound sources in Accra, Ghana. We measured sound levels and recorded audio clips at 146 representative locations, involving 7-days (136 locations) and 1-year measurements between 2019 and 2020. We calculated metrics of noise levels and intermittency and analyzed audio recordings using a pre-trained neural network to identify sources. Commercial, business, and industrial areas and areas near major …