Today I feel like I've done something to join these proud ranks. Jane & I went out with a decibel meter and recorded the noise levels at various points around Eastside. By no means was this a comprehensive survey (we'll doubtless have to spend several days filling in the gaps), but it was enough to test the principle. The idea was to create a contour map - like you might do for hills, but shading it in according to noise levels rather than height.
As part of the ArcGIS mapping software there's a tool called Spatial Analyst which will create contours automatically from point data - I used an Inverse Distance Weighted model. Don't ask me what this means, because I honestly don't know. But it produces some pretty maps, like this one:
The pinker colours show higher noise levels. Shock horror, the High Street and area around the bus mall by Moor Street Station are noisier than wandering along the canal. Bet you never saw that one coming. Will have to go and survey all the cross streets along the southern side of the railway tracks - Heath Mill Lane where we walked is particularly noisy because of the buses, but others won't be.
Still, I'm feeling happier now that we're doing some of the fieldwork we told the ESRC we'd undertake. Particularly happy that Jane is getting on with making contacts. My head is back in teaching at the moment now that the kids are back for a new term. Spent the last few days writing a lecture about feminist research epistemologies for the second years. I bet they'll be as happy to hear about it as I was to write it. Still this department has 8 female teaching staff compared to 48 men - somebody needs to say something about gender inequalities and I guess it'll be me.