FAQ FOR RESIDENTS - NOISE COMPLAINT MONITORING
How does NoiseNet Monitoring Work?
NoiseNet uses remote noise monitors, installed at the site of a noise nuisance to gather information on the severity of the issue. Because our services are affordable, it is possible to carry out much longer periods of monitoring than is normally possible by a noise regulator (council or state authority).
Our noise monitors gather data 24 hours a day, including: Decibel levels; audio recordings and an audio spectrogram. Some of our devices also gather directional information in relation to the source of the noise. This data is uploaded to our secure servers during the monitoring period and we then analyse the audio.
Depending upon the type of noise complaint in question we use a range of different analytical techniques to measure the noise levels but also to identify what is creating the noise (telling the difference between talking, dogs barking, air conditioners, birds, cars etc). So we can provide the authorised regulator with accurate data on the severity of the noise complaint that has been raised.
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Depending upon the severity of the complaint and the results obtained, we may undertake some manual verification of the results. This involves members of our team or supporting consultants listening to a random selection of audio snippets (4 seconds in duration) to verify the accuracy of our automatic systems.
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We present results to the noise regulator in different ways. For some complaint types this is a daily update of results, a continuous feed of results for other noise complaints, we may submit a single report after the monitoring is completed.
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Will NoiseNet provide results to me directly?
No we don't provide results directly. ​
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We are contracted by your local noise regulator, so we provide results to them. To ensure communication is clear, all queries on results should be directed to that regulator (typically your council/city/county). Your City or NoiseNet will be in contact with you to organise the installation and removal of the device, and if there are any issues during the monitoring period (power cut, connectivity issues or equipment failure). We are also happy to explain how our processes work, but we will not comment on specific jobs or results unless requested to do so by the regulator.
How Does NoiseNet Manage Privacy
NoiseNet takes the privacy of complainants as well as the integrity of any audio recordings gathered on your behalf, very seriously.
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Here are the key ways in which we manage privacy:
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We request permission from the monitor host before commencing monitoring, both to confirm you are happy to have us monitor, but also to confirm that we are recording the data on your behalf
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All our monitoring is done at the request of a noise complainant or a noise regulator and the type of nuisance must be specified before monitoring commences.
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All audio recordings are encrypted upon saving and can only be decrypted on our secure servers
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We maintain customer details on a separate system to any audio recordings to minimise risk of privacy breach in relation to audio recordings
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Our staff and contractors have all signed on to a privacy policy and are regularly trained and tested for compliance
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We use automated processes for over 99.9% of all audio analysis. The majority of manual analysis is anonymised.
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Short audio snippets of up to 4 seconds may be provided to the regulator to provide samples of noise to assist them in their investigations. These are typically less than 0.05% of the audio recorded and will only contain speaking where that is directly related to the noise nuisance (the nuisance itself or a causative factor)
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We only release extended audio recordings where we have a written instruction from the investigating noise regulator or from a court request. We will notify you whenever this happens.
What are My Responsibilities?
Self-Installed Noise Monitoring is part of an investigation against state or local laws or code/ordinance, there are a number of requirements in this process. To ensure that this process is authorised by you, legal and will produce results that can assist in resolving noise complaints, we need you to confirm that you are comfortable to comply with these requirements in our pre-installation process. Yes, this is fine-print, but it is important you read and understand. These are listed below:
Have more questions? email service@noisenet.com or call on 1800 266 479 Australia or (480) 439 8788 North America. We will update these FAQ's as more questions are raised.
Click on the button below for more general FAQ relating to noise complaints
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