The appropriate choice of the minimum measurement time interval is introduced for an accurate estimation of environmental noise indicators. The proposal is based on a bootstrap approach for the continuous estimation of measurement uncertainty in order to determine the statistical variability of the acquired sound pressure levels. Experimental results concerning the adoption of the proposed method regarding environmental noise from three different sources (road traffic, outdoor air conditioner fan motor and construction site) confirm the reliability of the proposal and its feasibility in evaluating the equivalent sound pressure level of an acoustic phenomenon using short-term indicators.
Available online 7 June 2017