LISTEN FOR LIFE
Building the Infrastructure for Reliable Noise Data.
This project co-financed by Kansen voor West III and the European Union via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Turning noise into actionable, real-time city data
Noise is, after air pollution, the largest environment-related health risk in Europe. Chronic exposure to traffic, construction, and industrial sound is linked to sleep disruption, cardiovascular disease, and impaired cognitive development in children — yet the data authorities rely on to manage it is often years out of date. Official noise maps in the Netherlands and across Europe are recalculated only once every five years, based on models and calculations rather than real-time measurements. The result is a persistent gap between what policy assumes and what residents genuinely experience.
From reactive measurement to continuous monitoring
Through the Listen For Life project, Dutch Sensor Systems is closing that gap. Building on its proven Ranos dB sound sensor — solar-powered, LoRaWAN-enabled, and already deployed in projects across more than a dozen countries worldwide — DSS is developing a new generation of the platform with expanded modularity, lower power consumption, and an integrated Edge-AI platform for advanced sound classification and anomaly detection, targeting over 90% classification accuracy.
Unlike traditional Class 1 monitoring equipment, which typically requires 4–8 hours of operational servicing per year and costs €3,000–€15,000 per measurement point, the Ranos dB operates permanently off-grid and processes sound locally on the device. Through this project, DSS is developing the sensor's Edge-AI capability to reliably distinguish between sound sources — for example, an ambulance siren, a jackhammer on a construction site, and a passing motorcycle — targeting over 90% classification accuracy, without needing to share or store raw audio outside the device. Minute-by-minute, IEC 61672-compliant data streams directly into municipal GIS systems and permitting and enforcement (VTH) applications, giving authorities the fine-grained, continuous picture that five-yearly noise maps cannot provide.
Validated in the field, built for scale
The technology is being piloted with the City of Almere, Port of Amsterdam, Sustainder, and international partners, with independent validation by TNO planned as part of the project. These pilots span DSS's three focus sectors, construction, industry, and mobility and are designed to demonstrate not just technical performance but measurable policy impact, such as faster response to noise-related complaints. The same continuous monitoring approach is also intended to flag technical faults before they cause nuisance. For example, detecting a compressor leak through its distinctive sound signature before it becomes audible to nearby residents.
Beyond the sensor itself, Listen For Life will also connect citizen experience to sensor data through a dedicated public participation platform currently in development, so that objective measurements and residents' lived experience of noise can inform policy together, turning noise monitoring from an occasional snapshot into permanent, actionable infrastructure for healthier, more liveable cities.
This project is co-funded by the European Union through the Kansen voor West III programme (EFRO).
