environment.assessment.spain

Spanish noise regulation: the corrected level LKeq (Real Decreto 1367/2007).

Real Decreto 1367/2007 develops Ley 37/2003 del Ruido on acoustic zoning, quality objectives and emitter limit values. Its assessment chain is built on one index the ISO 1996 family does not define: the corrected equivalent continuous level $L_{K e q, T} = L_{A e q, T} + K_{t} + K_{f} + K_{i}$ (Annex I A.2 c), where the three corrections penalise emergent tonal components, low-frequency components and impulsive character. Each is 0, 3 or 6 dB and their sum is capped at 9 dB (Annex IV A.3.3).

Corrections (Annex IV A.3.3). The reference procedures are:

Kt: unweighted one-third-octave analysis; for the band f holding the tone, $L_{t} = L_{f} - L_{s}$ with Ls the arithmetic mean of the two adjacent band levels. Kt is 0/3/6 dB by the thresholds 8/12 dB (20 to 125 Hz), 5/8 dB (160 to 400 Hz) and 3/5 dB (500 Hz to 10 kHz); with several emergent tones the largest applies.
Kf: $L_{f} = L_{C e q, T i} - L_{A e q, T i}$ (background-corrected), giving 0 dB for $L_{f} \leq 10$ , 3 dB for $10 < L_{f} \leq 15$ and 6 dB above.
Ki: $L_{i} = L_{A I e q, T i} - L_{A e q, T i}$ (background-corrected), with the same 0/3/6 dB thresholds as Kf.

Relationship with the ISO 1996 procedures already in the library. They are relatives, not the same procedure, so this module implements the RD’s own variants rather than delegating:

tonal_audibility / tonal_adjustment are the ISO 1996-2 Annex C engineering method: a critical-band audibility ΔLta mapped to a continuous Kt in 0 to 6 dB. The RD works on one-third-octave band differences and yields 0/3/6 dB only. tonal_seeking_survey is the closest relative (ISO 1996-2:2017 Annex K also splits the spectrum at 125/400 Hz), but it requires the band to exceed both neighbours by 15/8/5 dB and returns a boolean flag, whereas the RD compares against the mean of the neighbours with 8/5/3 dB thresholds and grades the result.
impulsive_sound_adjustment is the ISO/PAS 1996-3 onset-rate method on a calibrated time signal. The RD’s Ki is the classic $L_{A I e q} - L_{A e q}$ impulse-vs-fast difference read off a sound level meter.
No ISO 1996 counterpart exists for Kf: the $L_{C e q} - L_{A e q}$ difference is specific to the RD.

Evaluation periods and integration. Day 07:00-19:00 (12 h), evening 19:00-23:00 (4 h) and night 23:00-07:00 (8 h) (Annex I A.1). A period whose emission varies is split into noise phases Ti of steady level, and the period level is the energy mean weighted by phase duration (Annex IV A.3.4.2 b):

L_{K e q, T} = 10 lo g_{10} [(1/ T) i \sum T_{i} \cdot 1 0^{L_{K e q, T i} /10}]

The result is rounded by adding 0.5 dB and taking the integer part. The long-term index LK,x is the energy mean of the daily LKeq,x over a year (Annex I A.2 d).

Limit tables. Annex II holds the acoustic quality objectives (Table A outdoor by area type, as amended by RD 1038/2012; Table B indoor by room; Table C vibration), Annex III the emitter immission limits (Table A1/A2 new road, rail and airport infrastructure; Table B1 port infrastructure and activities; Table B2 noise transmitted to acoustically adjacent premises).

Compliance. For activities and port infrastructure (Article 25.1 b) the limits are respected when no annual average LK,x exceeds the table value, no daily LKeq,x exceeds it by more than 3 dB and no measured LKeq,Ti exceeds it by more than 5 dB. For the inspection of an activity already in operation (Article 25.2) only the last two apply.

Auto-generated from the source docstrings by scripts/generate_api_docs.py (make api-docs). Do not edit by hand.

ACOUSTIC_AREA_TYPES

Constant (mappingproxy).

ACOUSTIC_AREA_TYPES = {'e': 'sanitary, educational and cultural land use requiring special protection', 'a': 'residential land use', 'd': 'tertiary land use other than type c', 'c': 'recreational and public-entertainment land use', 'b': 'industrial land use', 'f': 'general transport-infrastructure systems and public facilities'}

activity_limits

activity_limits(area_type: str) -> RegulationLimits

Outdoor immission limits for activities and ports (Annex III Table B1).

The LK,d/LK,e/LK,n an installation, establishment or activity (industrial, commercial, storage, sports, recreational or leisure) and port infrastructure must not exceed in the outdoor environment of the acoustic area they sit in (Article 24.1).

Parameters

Name	Description
`area_type`	Acoustic area type letter, or an alias.

Returns: The applicable RegulationLimits for the index LK,x.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown area type.

ActivityAssessment

ActivityAssessment(
    periods: tuple[PeriodAssessment, ...],
    limits: RegulationLimits,
    new_activity: bool,
)

Compliance of an activity or port infrastructure (Article 25).

Attributes

Name	Description
`periods`	The per-period assessments, in day/evening/night order.
`limits`	The limit table row the assessment was made against.
`new_activity`	`True` when the activity is new in the sense of the regulation, so the annual criterion of Article 25.1 b i applies; for the inspection of an activity already in operation only the daily and phase criteria apply (Article 25.2).

ActivityAssessment.complies

property

Whether every period meets every evaluated criterion.

ActivityAssessment.plot()

ActivityAssessment.plot(
    ax: Axes | None = None,
    *,
    language: str = 'en',
    **kwargs: Any,
) -> Axes

Plot the per-period indices against their RD 1367/2007 limits.

ActivityAssessment.report()

ActivityAssessment.report(
    path: str,
    *,
    metadata: ReportMetadata | None = None,
    verbose: bool = False,
    language: str = 'es',
) -> str

Render a one-page noise inspection fiche (acta) to path.

The layout follows the Spanish municipal / accredited-laboratory noise inspection report: an identification header, the per-phase measurement table with the Kt/Kf/Ki corrections, the per-period assessment against the applicable limits and the boxed verdict.

Parameters

Name	Description
`path`	Destination path of the PDF file.
`metadata`	Optional `ReportMetadata` supplying the header and footer identity fields.
`verbose`	Add the per-phase duration and correction breakdown columns.
`language`	Fiche language: `"es"` (default, the language of the regulation) or `"en"`.

Returns: The written path.

Raises

Exception	When
ImportError	If reportlab (or, for the figure, matplotlib) is not installed.

adjacent_premises_limits

adjacent_premises_limits(
    building_use: str,
    room_type: str,
) -> RegulationLimits

Limits on noise transmitted to adjacent premises (Annex III Table B2).

Two premises are acoustically adjacent when noise never travels between emitter and receiver through the outdoor environment (Article 24.3): the workshop on the ground floor and the flat above it are, the building across the street is not.

Parameters

Name	Description
`building_use`	`"residential"`, `"office"` (alias `"administrative"`), `"sanitary"` or `"educational"`.
`room_type`	`"living"`, `"bedrooms"`, `"professional_offices"`, `"offices"`, `"classrooms"` or `"reading_rooms"`.

Returns: The applicable RegulationLimits for the index LK,x.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown combination.

assess_activity

assess_activity(
    measurements: Mapping[str, Sequence[NoisePhase]],
    limits: RegulationLimits,
    *,
    long_term_levels: Mapping[str, float] | None = None,
    operating_days: int | None = None,
    year_days: int = 365,
    closed_level: float = 0.0,
    new_activity: bool = True,
    period_hours: Mapping[str, float] | None = None,
) -> ActivityAssessment

Assess an activity against the RD 1367/2007 limit values (Article 25).

For every evaluation period supplied the function integrates the noise phases into LKeq,x (Annex IV A.3.4.2 b), derives the annual LK,x when annual information is given, and checks the three criteria of Article 25.1 b: no annual LK,x above the table limit, no daily LKeq,x more than 3 dB above it, and no measured LKeq,Ti more than 5 dB above it. With new_activity=False only the last two apply (Article 25.2, the inspection of an activity in operation).

The annual index can be supplied directly through long_term_levels or derived from operating_days: the reported daily level then represents operating_days days of the year and closed_level the remaining year_days - operating_days.

Parameters

Name	Description
`measurements`	Noise phases keyed by evaluation period (`"day"`, `"evening"`, `"night"`). Periods that are absent are not assessed.
`limits`	The applicable limit row, from `activity_limits` or `adjacent_premises_limits`.
`long_term_levels`	Annual `LK,x` per period, in dB, when known.
`operating_days`	Number of days a year the activity operates; used to derive `LK,x` from the daily `LKeq,x` when `long_term_levels` is not given.
`year_days`	Days in the year considered (default 365).
`closed_level`	Level, in dB, representing a day on which the activity does not operate (default 0 dB, as in the Spanish worked literature).
`new_activity`	Whether the annual criterion applies.
`period_hours`	Period durations `T`, in hours, overriding `RD1367_PERIOD_HOURS`.

Returns: An ActivityAssessment.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown period key, empty phase list, inconsistent durations, or invalid annual parameters.

corrected_level

corrected_level(
    laeq: float,
    *,
    kt: float = 0.0,
    kf: float = 0.0,
    ki: float = 0.0,
) -> float

Corrected equivalent continuous level LKeq,T (Annex I A.2 c).

$L_{K e q, T} = L_{A e q, T} + K_{t} + K_{f} + K_{i}$ with the sum of the corrections capped at 9 dB. Although it is derived from an A-weighted level, the index is expressed in dB by definition.

Parameters

Name	Description
`laeq`	A-weighted equivalent continuous level `LAeq,T`, in dB, already corrected for background noise.
`kt`	Tonal correction, in dB.
`kf`	Low-frequency correction, in dB.
`ki`	Impulsive correction, in dB.

Returns: LKeq,T in dB.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If `laeq` is not finite or a correction is negative.

evaluation_period_level

evaluation_period_level(
    phases: Sequence[NoisePhase],
    *,
    hours: float | None = None,
) -> float

Evaluation-period level LKeq,T from its noise phases.

$L_{K e q, T} = 10 lo g_{10} [(1/ T) \sum_{i} T_{i} \cdot 1 0^{L_{K e q, T i} /10}]$ (Annex IV A.3.4.2 b): the duration-weighted energy mean of the phase levels. The returned value is not rounded; apply round_reported_level for the value the regulation asks to report.

Parameters

Name	Description
`phases`	The noise phases of the period.
`hours`	Total period duration `T`, in hours. `None` (default) uses the sum of the phase durations, as the regulation requires $\sum T_{i} = T$ .

Returns: LKeq,T in dB.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If `phases` is empty, `hours` is not positive, or the phase durations do not sum to `hours`.

impulsive_correction

impulsive_correction(laieq: float, laeq: float) -> float

Impulsive correction Ki (Annex IV A.3.3).

From the impulse- and fast-time-weighted equivalent levels of the same noise phase, both already corrected for background noise, $L_{i} = L_{A I e q, T i} - L_{A e q, T i}$ gives $K_{i} = 0$ for $L_{i} \leq 10$ dB, $K_{i} = 3$ for $10 < L_{i} \leq 15$ dB and $K_{i} = 6$ above.

Parameters

Name	Description
`laieq`	Impulse-weighted equivalent level `LAIeq,Ti`, in dB.
`laeq`	A-weighted equivalent continuous level `LAeq,Ti`, in dB.

Returns: Ki in dB (0, 3 or 6).

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If either level is not finite.

indoor_quality_objectives

indoor_quality_objectives(
    building_use: str,
    room_type: str,
) -> RegulationLimits

Indoor acoustic quality objectives Ld/Le/Ln (Annex II Table B).

The objectives that the whole set of emitters reaching a habitable room must respect: dwellings and residential uses, hospitals, and educational or cultural buildings.

Parameters

Name	Description
`building_use`	`"residential"`, `"sanitary"` (alias `"hospital"`) or `"educational"`.
`room_type`	`"living"` (living areas), `"bedrooms"`, `"classrooms"` or `"reading_rooms"`.

Returns: The applicable RegulationLimits for the index Lx.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown combination.

infrastructure_limits

infrastructure_limits(area_type: str) -> RegulationLimits

Immission limits for new transport infrastructure (Annex III Table A1).

New road, rail and airport infrastructure must not transmit to the outdoor environment of an acoustic area levels above these Ld/Le/Ln values (Article 23.1).

Parameters

Name	Description
`area_type`	Acoustic area type letter, or an alias.

Returns: The applicable RegulationLimits for the index Lx.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown area type.

long_term_corrected_level

long_term_corrected_level(
    daily_levels: Sequence[float] | np.ndarray,
    *,
    weights: Sequence[float] | np.ndarray | None = None,
) -> float

Long-term index LK,x from the daily period levels (Annex I A.2 d).

$L_{K, x} = 10 lo g_{10} [(1/ n) \sum_{i} 1 0^{L_{K e q, x, i} /10}]$ : the energy mean of the daily corrected levels of the same evaluation period over a year. With weights the mean is weighted, which lets a whole block of identical days be entered once (e.g. 303 operating days at one level and 62 closed days at another).

Parameters

Name	Description
`daily_levels`	Daily `LKeq,x` values, in dB.
`weights`	Optional number of days each level represents (positive).

Returns: LK,x in dB, unrounded.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If the input is empty, non-finite, or the weights do not match the levels or are not positive.

low_frequency_correction

low_frequency_correction(lceq: float, laeq: float) -> float

Low-frequency correction Kf (Annex IV A.3.3).

From the C- and A-weighted equivalent levels of the same noise phase, both already corrected for background noise, $L_{f} = L_{C e q, T i} - L_{A e q, T i}$ gives $K_{f} = 0$ for $L_{f} \leq 10$ dB, $K_{f} = 3$ for $10 < L_{f} \leq 15$ dB and $K_{f} = 6$ above.

Parameters

Name	Description
`lceq`	C-weighted equivalent continuous level `LCeq,Ti`, in dB.
`laeq`	A-weighted equivalent continuous level `LAeq,Ti`, in dB.

Returns: Kf in dB (0, 3 or 6).

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If either level is not finite.

max_infrastructure_limit

max_infrastructure_limit(area_type: str) -> float

Maximum LAmax for rail and airport infrastructure (Annex III Table A2).

The limit is respected when, over a year, 97 % of all daily values stay at or below it (Article 25.1 a iii).

Parameters

Name	Description
`area_type`	Acoustic area type letter, or an alias.

Returns: The LAmax limit, in dB.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown area type.

NoisePhase

NoisePhase(
    hours: float,
    laeq: float,
    kt: float = 0.0,
    kf: float = 0.0,
    ki: float = 0.0,
    label: str | None = None,
)

A noise phase Ti of steady emission within an evaluation period.

RD 1367/2007 (Annex IV A.3.4.2 b) splits an evaluation period whose emission varies into phases in which the sound pressure level at the assessment point is perceived uniformly, measures LAeq,Ti over at least 5 s in each, and corrects it for tonal, low-frequency and impulsive character.

Attributes

Name	Description
`hours`	Duration `Ti` of the phase, in hours (positive).
`laeq`	Background-corrected `LAeq,Ti`, in dB. A phase in which the activity is shut down carries the level actually measured; the worked examples of the Spanish literature enter it as 0 dB.
`kt`	Tonal correction of the phase, in dB.
`kf`	Low-frequency correction of the phase, in dB.
`ki`	Impulsive correction of the phase, in dB.
`label`	Optional free-text description of the phase.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If `hours` is not positive and finite, `laeq` is not finite, or a correction is negative.

NoisePhase.correction

property

Summed correction $K = K_{t} + K_{f} + K_{i}$ , capped at 9 dB.

NoisePhase.lkeq

property

The corrected level LKeq,Ti of the phase, in dB.

outdoor_quality_objectives

outdoor_quality_objectives(
    area_type: str,
    *,
    urbanisation: str = 'existing',
) -> RegulationLimits

Outdoor acoustic quality objectives Ld/Le/Ln (Annex II Table A).

The values are those of Table A as amended by RD 1038/2012. For an area urbanised after the regulation entered into force (24 October 2007) the objective is the same table reduced by 5 dB (Article 14.2); the same 5 dB reduction defines the objective of quiet areas (Article 14.4).

Area type "f" (general transport-infrastructure systems) carries no numeric objective: footnote (2) refers it to the adjoining areas.

Parameters

Name	Description
`area_type`	Acoustic area type: the letter `"e"`, `"a"`, `"d"`, `"c"` or `"b"`, or an alias such as `"residential"`.
`urbanisation`	`"existing"` (default) for areas already urbanised on 24 October 2007, or `"new"` for the rest (5 dB stricter).

Returns: The applicable RegulationLimits for the index Lx.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown area type or urbanisation state.

PeriodAssessment

PeriodAssessment(
    period: str,
    phases: tuple[NoisePhase, ...],
    duration_hours: float,
    evaluation_period_level: float,
    reported_level: int,
    long_term_corrected_level: float | None,
    reported_long_term: int | None,
    limit: float,
    max_phase_level: float,
    phase_pass: bool,
    daily_pass: bool,
    long_term_pass: bool | None,
)

The assessment of one evaluation period against its limit.

Attributes

Name	Description
`period`	`"day"`, `"evening"` or `"night"`.
`phases`	The noise phases the period was split into.
`duration_hours`	The period duration `T`, in hours.
`evaluation_period_level`	`LKeq,x` of the period, in dB, unrounded.
`reported_level`	`LKeq,x` rounded per Annex IV A.3.4.2.
`long_term_corrected_level`	Annual `LK,x`, in dB, unrounded, or `None` when no annual information was supplied.
`reported_long_term`	`LK,x` rounded, or `None`.
`limit`	The table limit of the period, in dB.
`max_phase_level`	The largest `LKeq,Ti` of the period, in dB.
`phase_pass`	Whether every `LKeq,Ti` stays within `limit + 5` dB.
`daily_pass`	Whether `LKeq,x` stays within `limit + 3` dB.
`long_term_pass`	Whether `LK,x` stays at or below `limit`, or `None` when the criterion was not evaluated.

PeriodAssessment.complies

property

Whether every evaluated criterion of this period is met.

PeriodAssessment.daily_limit

property

The daily limit limit + 3 dB (Article 25.1 b ii).

PeriodAssessment.phase_limit

property

The phase limit limit + 5 dB (Article 25.1 b iii).

RD1367_CORRECTION_VALUES

Constant (tuple).

RD1367_CORRECTION_VALUES = (0.0, 3.0, 6.0)

RD1367_EVALUATION_PERIODS

Constant (tuple).

RD1367_EVALUATION_PERIODS = ('day', 'evening', 'night')

RD1367_MAX_CORRECTION

Constant (float).

RD1367_MAX_CORRECTION = 9.0

RD1367_PERIOD_CLOCK_LIMITS

Constant (mappingproxy).

RD1367_PERIOD_CLOCK_LIMITS = {'day': (7, 19), 'evening': (19, 23), 'night': (23, 7)}

RD1367_PERIOD_HOURS

Constant (mappingproxy).

RD1367_PERIOD_HOURS = {'day': 12.0, 'evening': 4.0, 'night': 8.0}

RegulationLimits

RegulationLimits(
    day: float,
    evening: float,
    night: float,
    index: str,
    reference: str,
    description: str,
)

A day/evening/night limit triple read from RD 1367/2007.

Attributes

Name	Description
`day`	Limit of the day period, in dB.
`evening`	Limit of the evening period, in dB.
`night`	Limit of the night period, in dB.
`index`	Noise index the limits apply to (e.g. `"LK,x"`, `"Lx"`).
`reference`	The table the values were read from.
`description`	The row of that table, in plain words.

RegulationLimits.as_dict()

RegulationLimits.as_dict() -> dict[str, float]

The three limits keyed by evaluation period.

round_reported_level

round_reported_level(value: float) -> int

Round a level the way RD 1367/2007 prescribes (Annex IV A.3.4.2).

“El valor del nivel sonoro resultante se redondeará incrementándolo en 0,5 dB(A), tomando la parte entera como valor resultante”: add 0,5 dB and take the integer part. This is a half-up rounding towards +inf, which for a negative level differs from Python’s banker’s round.

Parameters

Name	Description
`value`	Sound level, in dB.

Returns: The rounded level, as an int.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If `value` is not finite.

tonal_correction

tonal_correction(
    levels: Sequence[float] | np.ndarray,
    frequencies: Sequence[float] | np.ndarray,
) -> TonalCorrectionResult

Tonal correction Kt from a one-third-octave spectrum (Annex IV A.3.3).

The spectrum must be unweighted (no frequency weighting applied, as required by step a). For every interior band f the procedure forms $L_{t} = L_{f} - L_{s}$ with Ls the arithmetic mean of the levels of the bands immediately above and below (step b), and reads Kt off the table of step c: with 20 Hz to 125 Hz bands $L_{t} < 8$ gives 0 dB, $8 \leq L_{t} \leq 12$ gives 3 dB and $L_{t} > 12$ gives 6 dB; the thresholds are 5/8 dB over 160 Hz to 400 Hz and 3/5 dB over 500 Hz to 10 kHz. With more than one emergent tone the largest Kt governs (step d).

Parameters

Name	Description
`levels`	Unweighted one-third-octave band levels, in dB.
`frequencies`	Band centre frequencies, in Hz, in ascending order (one per level).

Returns: A TonalCorrectionResult.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If fewer than three bands are given, the shapes differ, the frequencies are not positive and strictly ascending, or any value is not finite.

TonalCorrectionResult

TonalCorrectionResult(
    frequencies: np.ndarray,
    levels: np.ndarray,
    differences: np.ndarray,
    band_corrections: np.ndarray,
    correction: float,
    governing_frequency: float | None,
)

Tonal correction Kt of RD 1367/2007 (Annex IV A.3.3).

Attributes

Name	Description
`frequencies`	One-third-octave band centre frequencies, in Hz.
`levels`	Unweighted band sound pressure levels, in dB.
`differences`	$L_{t} = L_{f} - L_{s}$ per band, in dB, where `Ls` is the arithmetic mean of the two adjacent band levels. `NaN` for bands that cannot be evaluated (the two end bands, and bands outside the 20 Hz to 10 kHz range of the table).
`band_corrections`	The `Kt` each band would contribute, in dB (0, 3 or 6); `NaN` where `differences` is `NaN`.
`correction`	The governing `Kt`, in dB: the largest band contribution (Annex IV A.3.3 d), or 0 dB if no band qualifies.
`governing_frequency`	Centre frequency of the governing band, in Hz, or `None` when `correction` is 0 dB.

TonalCorrectionResult.plot()

TonalCorrectionResult.plot(
    ax: Axes | None = None,
    *,
    language: str = 'en',
    **kwargs: Any,
) -> Axes

Plot the band spectrum with the emergent-tone differences Lt.

total_correction

total_correction(kt: float = 0.0, kf: float = 0.0, ki: float = 0.0) -> float

Summed correction $K = K_{t} + K_{f} + K_{i}$ , capped at 9 dB (Annex IV A.3.3).

Each of the three tables of Annex IV A.3.3 grades its parameter 0, 3 or 6 dB, so any other value is rejected rather than silently accepted: a correction of, say, 4.5 dB is not a reading the regulation can produce.

Parameters

Name	Description
`kt`	Tonal correction, in dB (0, 3 or 6).
`kf`	Low-frequency correction, in dB (0, 3 or 6).
`ki`	Impulsive correction, in dB (0, 3 or 6).

Returns: The summed correction, in dB, never above RD1367_MAX_CORRECTION.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	If a correction is not one of 0, 3 or 6 dB.

vibration_quality_objective

vibration_quality_objective(building_use: str) -> float

Indoor vibration quality objective Law, in dB (Annex II Table C).

Parameters

Name	Description
`building_use`	`"residential"`, `"sanitary"` (alias `"hospital"`) or `"educational"`.

Returns: The Law objective, in dB.

Raises

Exception	When
ValueError	For an unknown building use.

Created and maintained by José Manuel Requena Plens ORCID All projects