Assessing the Impact of Noise Pollution on Real Estate Prices using Smart Phones

As cities grow the level of ambient noise also grows with them, noise pollution is thus one of the major demerits of urbanization. Heavy machines, vehicles and sirens have been identified as some of the leading causes of noise. Finding a quiet and affordable accommodation amidst this aural chaos can be a major challenge. Researchers have shown that ambient noise levels have major impact on prices of estate properties. In studying the impact of noise on real estate, sophisticated equipment is often used, sequel to which, complex analyses are carried out to gain insight. This work also seeks to validate the fact that property prices are inversely correlated to noise levels but using a simpler and less expensive approach to measure and collect ambient noise levels using smart phones. Result obtained by using smart phones for data gathering, combined with data analysis, also validates the inverse relationship between noise and real estate prices, hence a cheaper alternative to sophisticated and expensive solutions.