The Noise source looks at the closest strategic noise map cell to your location and flags the verdict when the average noise exceeds a dB(A) threshold. Here is how it works.
The thresholds ClearSpot uses
ClearSpot follows the WHO Europe 2018 guideline values, expressed in Lden (day-evening-night average) for overall exposure and Lnight (00:00-07:00 average) for sleep.
- Lden < 53 dB(A) AND Lnight < 45 dB(A) - "Clear".
- Lden 53-65 dB(A) OR Lnight 45-55 dB(A) - "Not clear" if the noise sensitivity is on. WHO links this band to elevated annoyance and moderate sleep disturbance.
- Lden > 65 dB(A) OR Lnight > 55 dB(A) - always "Not clear". Increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes at chronic exposure.
Everyday dB(A) anchors (what the numbers feel like)
Strategic maps publish Lden and Lnight, not a handheld meter in your kitchen. The table below lists familiar sound cues used in many public education dashboards (the same spirit as the colour legend on Noise Map). Values are typical short-term A-weighted levels near the source, rounded from common acoustics handbooks, not legal limits.
| Indicative band | Familiar examples (order of magnitude) |
|---|---|
| around 50 dB(A) | Very quiet suburb, library reading room |
| 50-55 dB(A) | Average open-plan office hum |
| 55-60 dB(A) | Normal conversation at about one metre |
| 60-65 dB(A) | Lively classroom, piano practice |
| 65-70 dB(A) | Noisy restaurant |
| 70 dB(A) and above | Vacuum cleaner a few metres away, heavy road traffic at the kerb |
Use the table to orient yourself, then compare with the WHO/ClearSpot bands above: chronic outdoor Lnight near 45 dB is already stricter than "conversation at one metre" because it averages whole nights beside transport, not a short chat indoors.
Why Lden and not just "dB"
A single instant dB reading is too noisy (literally) to predict health outcomes. Lden and Lnight are time-weighted averages that the European Environmental Noise Directive requires all member states to publish as strategic noise maps every five years. Averaging smooths traffic peaks while preserving the overall acoustic pressure you are chronically exposed to.
A +3 dB change equates to doubling the sound energy, so the "annoyance band" between 53 and 65 dB(A) covers roughly a sixteen-fold difference in acoustic energy at its extremes.
What the verdict means
"Not clear" means the strategic noise map for your area assigns your H3 hex to a zone above the WHO annoyance threshold. It is descriptive of the environment, not of how each individual perceives it - some people adapt within weeks, others never do.
From WHO Lden to the simple dB(A) slider
The WHO 2018 tables talk about Lden and Lnight because those are the legally harmonised transport-noise metrics under the European Noise Directive. ClearSpot's public layer often collapses that to a single dB(A) ceiling in the sensitivity menu so the map stays legible. The 55 dB default mirrors the WHO residential daytime value that planners cite for new road schemes. Adjust it only with a clear personal rationale.
Example: the horizontal bars in the noise modal
Open the detail modal: each visible contour appears as a row, with the high end of the band in dB(A) and a marker where your threshold sits. A motorway corridor at 72 dB is above every default caution, whereas a 52 dB suburban collector might stay clear until you deliberately lower the slider for sleep reasons.
Data vintage
Strategic maps are updated on a five-year European cycle, so older outlines can remain until the national authority republishes them.
Data source
ClearSpot ingests the strategic noise maps published under the Environmental Noise Directive (END 2002/49/EC). In France the primary provider is Cerema, aggregated through data.gouv.fr. For rail and road noise we use the most recent five-year update; for aircraft noise we overlay DGAC INM/AEDT contours when available. Coverage is dense inside EU urban agglomerations (> 100,000 inhabitants) and thinner outside them.