Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Noise pollution is an environmental stressor that is mainly caused due to heavy transportation in urban scenarios. Traffic noise is a growing concern in urban environments, impacting public health and well-being. As urbanization expands, understanding and mitigating traffi...

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Main Authors: M. Rehman, M. Kamal, S. Tiwari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Municipality of Tehran 2025-01-01
Series:International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management
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Online Access:https://www.ijhcum.net/article_714213_aa82e2c204eb9696b68189971f5e04b8.pdf
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author M. Rehman
M. Kamal
S. Tiwari
author_facet M. Rehman
M. Kamal
S. Tiwari
author_sort M. Rehman
collection DOAJ
description BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Noise pollution is an environmental stressor that is mainly caused due to heavy transportation in urban scenarios. Traffic noise is a growing concern in urban environments, impacting public health and well-being. As urbanization expands, understanding and mitigating traffic-induced noise annoyance becomes increasingly critical. This study aimed to develop a machine-learning model for predicting traffic-induced noise annoyance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The research explored the influence of factors like demographics, noise characteristics, and traffic conditions on noise annoyance.METHODS: A survey was conducted at 21 locations in Riyadh, collecting data from 928 participants. The survey included questions on demographics (gender, age, education, marital status, profession), traffic conditions (traffic flow), and noise perception (transportation noise, noise sensitivity, perceived noisiness). The sampling method employed was a combination of stratified and random sampling. Stratified sampling was used to ensure that various demographic segments (e.g., different age groups, genders, and education levels) were proportionately represented in the survey. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the collected data and identify factors significantly affecting noise annoyance. These significant factors were then used as input variables for a Support Vector Machine model designed to predict noise annoyance. The performance of the Support Vector Machine model was evaluated using Root Mean Square Error, Mean Absolute Error, and R-squared.FINDINGS: The Structural Equation Model analysis revealed that gender, age, education level, traffic flow, noise from traffic, and individual noise sensitivity were significant contributors to noise annoyance. The developed Support Vector Machine model achieved a high level of accuracy with a root mean square error of 1.416 and a coefficient of determination of 0.90. Noise sensitivity emerged as the most crucial factor influencing noise annoyance.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of machine learning, specifically the Support Vector Machine, in predicting traffic-induced noise annoyance. The findings highlight the importance of both individual characteristics and environmental factors in noise perception and can be valuable for urban planning and noise mitigation strategies, promoting a more noise-resilient city environment. For the community, urban planners and policymakers can use these findings to design silent areas by implementing noise barriers, optimizing traffic flow, and enforcing stricter noise regulations.
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spelling doaj-art-9854b33393ad43b4b3e729070905736a2025-01-04T11:14:03ZengMunicipality of TehranInternational Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management2476-46982476-47012025-01-0110112113410.22034/IJHCUM.2025.01.08714213Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factorsM. Rehman0M. Kamal1S. Tiwari2Department of Basic Sciences, College of Science and Theoretical Studies, Saudi Electronic University, Dammam, 32256, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Information Technology, College of Computing and Informatics, Saudi Electronic University, Dammam 32256, Saudi ArabiaBalaji Institute of Modern Management, Sri Balaji University, Pune- 411 033, IndiaBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Noise pollution is an environmental stressor that is mainly caused due to heavy transportation in urban scenarios. Traffic noise is a growing concern in urban environments, impacting public health and well-being. As urbanization expands, understanding and mitigating traffic-induced noise annoyance becomes increasingly critical. This study aimed to develop a machine-learning model for predicting traffic-induced noise annoyance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The research explored the influence of factors like demographics, noise characteristics, and traffic conditions on noise annoyance.METHODS: A survey was conducted at 21 locations in Riyadh, collecting data from 928 participants. The survey included questions on demographics (gender, age, education, marital status, profession), traffic conditions (traffic flow), and noise perception (transportation noise, noise sensitivity, perceived noisiness). The sampling method employed was a combination of stratified and random sampling. Stratified sampling was used to ensure that various demographic segments (e.g., different age groups, genders, and education levels) were proportionately represented in the survey. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the collected data and identify factors significantly affecting noise annoyance. These significant factors were then used as input variables for a Support Vector Machine model designed to predict noise annoyance. The performance of the Support Vector Machine model was evaluated using Root Mean Square Error, Mean Absolute Error, and R-squared.FINDINGS: The Structural Equation Model analysis revealed that gender, age, education level, traffic flow, noise from traffic, and individual noise sensitivity were significant contributors to noise annoyance. The developed Support Vector Machine model achieved a high level of accuracy with a root mean square error of 1.416 and a coefficient of determination of 0.90. Noise sensitivity emerged as the most crucial factor influencing noise annoyance.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of machine learning, specifically the Support Vector Machine, in predicting traffic-induced noise annoyance. The findings highlight the importance of both individual characteristics and environmental factors in noise perception and can be valuable for urban planning and noise mitigation strategies, promoting a more noise-resilient city environment. For the community, urban planners and policymakers can use these findings to design silent areas by implementing noise barriers, optimizing traffic flow, and enforcing stricter noise regulations.https://www.ijhcum.net/article_714213_aa82e2c204eb9696b68189971f5e04b8.pdfnoise annoyancesupport vector machine (svm)structural equation modeling (sem)noise sensitivitysocio-acoustics survey
spellingShingle M. Rehman
M. Kamal
S. Tiwari
Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors
International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management
noise annoyance
support vector machine (svm)
structural equation modeling (sem)
noise sensitivity
socio-acoustics survey
title Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors
title_full Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors
title_fullStr Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors
title_full_unstemmed Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors
title_short Statistical analysis based on a two-staged SEM-SVM approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors
title_sort statistical analysis based on a two staged sem svm approach for environmental noise annoyance prediction and identification of influencing factors
topic noise annoyance
support vector machine (svm)
structural equation modeling (sem)
noise sensitivity
socio-acoustics survey
url https://www.ijhcum.net/article_714213_aa82e2c204eb9696b68189971f5e04b8.pdf
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