Taiwan noise map now online

台灣噪音地圖現已上線

Noise complaints in Taipei and New Taipei account for 56% of nationwide total


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A noise viewer co-developed by academics and Taiwan's top research institute has recently been launched, and their data shows that approximately 30% of Taipei and New Taipei residents are living in environments with uncomfortable or unsafe noise levels during the daytime.

The data reflects why noise complaints filed in Taipei amounted to 28,817 in 2021 alone, the highest compared to other cities across the country. It was followed by 26,437 complaints reported in New Taipei City last year. The two combined account for 56% of the complaints received nationwide.

Generally, 50 decibels (dB) is considered a safe noise level, noise levels of 50-70 dB cause mild discomfort, and levels exceeding 70 dB are considered potentially hazardous and are associated with adverse health effects, as indicated by the Environmental Protection Administration website.


Taiwan noise viewer

Led by Chan Ta-chien (詹大千), research fellow of Academia Sinica's Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, the research team created a noise-level map by collecting data from its sensor-embedded soundboxes and airboxes countrywide, which can transmit hourly data from the thousands of boxes to its data center.

The noise viewer also shows the noisiest area in Taipei City varies greatly between day and night. In the daytime, Songshan District, which accommodates a local airport and military airbase, can record a noise level of over 80 dB when an aircraft is passing by. At night, Daan and Zhongshan are the two noisiest districts due to their diverse and vibrant nighttime activities.

The team found approximately 30% of Taipei City and New Taipei City residents are living in environments with noise levels at 53dB in the daytime and 25% could have to endure a noise level of up to 45dB at night.