AI-ASSISTED · EDITOR-REVIEWED

Theme brief

Sound maps can describe measured intensity, modeled exposure or subjective experience. Decibels are logarithmic and time-sensitive, so distinguish a sensor reading from a long-term noise indicator or a personal field recording.

Official prompt
“How do you hear something? How do you map a soundscape? Noise pollution mapped?”
30DayMapChallenge 2026

02

WAYS IN

Four map ideas

01
Walk a sound transect and classify what dominates at each stop.
02
Compare road-noise exposure with schools or housing.
03
Map quiet areas that offer relief rather than focusing only on noise.
04
Build an audio map where recordings open from their exact locations.

03

IN THE DIRECTORY

Recommended tools

QGIS

Strong for combining noise contours with buildings, population and sensitive sites.

Open source · View details

kepler.gl

Quickly explores timestamped sensor readings or sound observations.

Open source · View details

Felt

A simple way to annotate locations and link to hosted recordings.

Freemium · View details

ArcGIS StoryMaps

Useful when sound clips and narrative are central to the experience.

Freemium · View details

04

START WITH A CLEAR LICENSE

Data sources

European Environment Agency noise data

Strategic noise map reporting for roads, rail, airports and industry.

EEA reuse policy · acknowledge source U.S. National Transportation Noise Map

Modeled aviation and road noise; read the methodology and year.

U.S. government data Your own observations

Document the collection method, date and privacy decisions.

You choose the license

Licenses are a planning aid, not legal advice. Check the source record and version you actually download; terms can vary within a catalog.

05

BEFORE YOU EXPORT

Cartography check

Include time of day and measurement method. A sound map without temporal context can imply a permanence the data does not support.

06

COMMUNITY MAPS

Selected work

Selections begin after this theme closes.

First participate officially by posting publicly with #30DayMapChallenge. You can then suggest that original post for our independent MapTools picks. We link to the source, credit every author and use images only with permission.

Suggest for MapTools picks