Geluidsnet

Press release: Live internet coverage of Schiphol air traffic

Real-time tracking of aircraft noise and movements

Geluidsnet (translated: Soundnet) and the Castricum regional organisation for monitoring aircraft nuisance (PVRC) have developed a novel system for monitoring aircraft movements and displaying them on a website.  The unique feature is that the aircraft are shown real-time, together with the amount of noise they are causing at that moment on the ground below, recorded by Geluidsnet’s network of metering stations.
The aircraft tracking website is accessible via Google Earth or a standard web browser using the following links:

Google Earth: http://radar.vlieghinder.nl
Webbrowser: http://www.geluidsnet.nl

“Absolutely anyone can track individual aircraft using this service.  What’s more, we can provide longer-term reports to government bodies as a basis for their future policymaking”, says Jasper Koolhaas from Geluidsnet.

Accessibility and transparency

The aim of this initiative is a step change in accessibility of information about air traffic, and effective use of this information to minimise air noise pollution.  “For years consumer complaints have been processed away from the public eye.  Now we’re exposing the facts, as they happen, and we want a wider public to sit up and take notice of what’s really going on”, says Edwin von der Meer, chairman of PVRC.  “By tracking the movements of aircraft ourselves we can be sure of what’s flying over our heads, and we’re in a better position to assess proposals for improvements”.

Equality of information

Members of the public and (local) government bodies are in general both inexperienced and ill-informed when it comes to the facts about air traffic.  Allowing open access to this kind of information has levelled the playing field, so that those outside the air transport industry can now take a more meaningful part in discussions aimed at reducing air noise pollution.
The air transport industry itself also benefits from transparency of information and wider social acceptance.  When Geluidsnet made real-time air noise data available to the public in 2004, it was a direct cause of Schiphol’s decision to do the same in 2005.

Development

The aircraft tracking system was first developed in the spring of 2006, and spent the rest of that year undergoing rigorous testing.  In recent months six receiving stations were then set up over the Netherlands in order to gain full coverage of aircraft movements.  Further receivers will be installed in the north and east of the country in order to track arrivals and departures in those areas.

The joint launch of the aircraft tracking system in January 2007 is the culmination of a year’s collaboration between Geluidsnet and PVRC.  “We’ll carry on sharing ideas and expertise in the future”, says Jasper Koolhaas, “although we’ll continue to pursue our individual aims as organisations”. 
The receiver in Castricum is partly funded by the local council.

How it works

Beacons from passing aircraft are picked up by a receiver and the positional data are sent over the internet to a central database – over eight million such data points in any one day.  The web application then matches up positional information from the database with the relevant noise measurements.  The system can also carry out searches or produce summaries of some or all flights.  “We’re thinking about making search functions available on the website”, explains Erwin von der Meer, “so that you could look up the aeroplane you arrived in yesterday and find out how much noise it made.  Saving the planet begins at home, after all”.

More about PVRC

The Castricum Regional Platform for Air Nuisance (PVRC) was set up in 2003 and currently has nearly 1,400 members.  Its basic aim is to restrict the number of aircraft movements causing nuisance and/or danger to the inhabitants of the Castricum area as much as possible.  While the PVRC accepts that air traffic is an inescapable part of modern life, they also feel that the public interest, economics, safety and the environment must be given full consideration.  PVRC works closely with a large number of other local interest groups around Schiphol. 
website: http://www.vlieghinder.nl

More about Geluidsnet

Geluidsnet was founded in 2003 to meet the need in the Netherlands for accurate, long-term data about environmental noise pollution.  The company now has a network of nearly fifty compact, unmanned noise meters which constantly monitor environmental background noise in key areas.
Geluidsnet is a front-runner in the identification of aircraft-generated noise, and can report the number and frequency of aircraft passes in spite of high levels of noise from other sources.  Communication with the client is rapid and effective via its website, and customers range from interest groups to consultancies and government bodies.  Geluidsnet’s data has on several occasions formed the basis for government policymaking
website: http://www.geluidsnet.nl

End of press bulletin.
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Note to editors for information
For more information please contact:

Geluidsnet: Jasper Koolhaas  jasper@remove-this.geluidsnet.nl
PVRC :Erwin von der Meer erwin@remove-this.vlieghinder.nl

Frequently asked questions and answers:

1.What’s new about this?  Aren’t they already doing it in Frankfurt, JFK and plenty of other places?
The combination of real-time sound measurements and real-time tracking of aircraft movements is unique.

2.Why did PVRC and Geluidsnet team up for this initiative?
Improved accessibility to information about air noise pollution is the main aim of both organisations.  The exchange of information and expertise which took place during development of the tracking system was particularly rewarding, and both parties are now keen to build on this success.

3. Where does the flight information originate?
The data published are by no means secret; aircraft already send this information out to make their positions clear and prevent mid-air collisions.  Geluidsnet then strips the beacon signal of all information not strictly necessary for the web application.  Anyone who spent a few hundred euros on an appropriate receiver and wired it into their PC would be in a position to gain even more detailed and up-to-date information than is shown on the Geluidsnet website.

4.You’ve said the information isn’t secret – isn’t it published already?
At present these detailed data are only accessible within the air traffic industry.  The CROS  (discussion platform for Schiphol-related plans, involving Schiphol itself, various airlines and relevant regional governments/organisations) website publishes very high-level summaries on its website, in which all the flight paths in each half-day are described, and these reports are also archived on the PVRC website, www.vlieghinder.nl.

5.What developments do you expect in this area in the near future?

• You can see where your friend/relative’s plane currently is, and what time it will be arriving
• You can identify exactly which aeroplane (flight number and aircraft type) flew particularly low or made exceptional amounts of noise
• You can see data from yesterday’s air traffic
• Before buying a house you can check how many aeroplanes fly over per day
• You can establish which flights or aircraft types make most noise in practice
• Local authorities can be informed how many flights pass over particular areas and how high, both to monitor noise pollution and to make emergency plans

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