software maintenance

SoundPLAN Manager

The SoundPLAN Manager is the central hub of the entire program. The following section explains some of the features and shows screenshots of this module. The SoundPLAN Manager is part of all SoundPLAN suites.

The large circular icons are the buttons used to move to other parts of the program. SoundPLAN is organized so each step of the consulting project has dedicated controls specially adapted to the tasks you need to do during that particular process of the project. Controls to format graphics, for example, have no business in the beginning stages where data is entered and the model built up. This unique way of organizing projects is not only practical in general, but it is extremely useful for structuring large projects (i.e. controlling noise in a city with analysis without noise control and different scenarios for situations with noise control, etc.).

Additional features are available from the menu on the top line. The new / select menu generates new projects and has space for describing the project. The "Pack" option zips the project excluding files as dictated in the user defined filter. This feature allows projects to be stored as compactly as possible, which is the best way to prepare data for attaching it to an e-mail!

All program settings affecting the project are accessible from the SoundPLAN Manager. Most parameters can be stored globally as the default setting. When a new project is started, it automatically inherits the global settings. Along with other information, the settings store information about which standards should be used for road, railway and industry calculations, and how to assess the "raw" sound pressure according to the specific standards. For the EU Directive on Noise, the "DEN TIME SLICE" is user definable, and so is the selection of how the emission noise levels are defined and entered. SoundPLAN can process the "Emission" according to the original standard or it can produce the day, evening, night noise level.

After selecting the desired standard, click the button on the right side of the selection box to choose parameters controlling the standard (temperature, humidity...).

SoundPLAN is a dynamic program. It is created by a team of software developers with backgrounds ranging from physics to computer science to graphics. There are usually 2 major updates per year, but small improvements and other "goodies" become available much more often. By clicking on the "UPDATES & DOWNLOADS.." you can check if there is a new version of SoundPLAN available on the web server. If there is, you can download it to quickly have the benefits of the latest update. Updating is possible for all first year SoundPLAN licenses and for users with a SoundPLAN Update and Maintenance Contract.

Last modification: 17 October 2003