Guide · 3D noise mapping - 3D noise mapping explained
What a 3D noise map actually is, how it differs from a standard written assessment, and when the extra picture is worth having.
Impact Acoustics · published 17 Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Every Noise at Work Assessment produces a written report: measured dB(A) figures against each task and area, assessed against the lower and upper action values, with the duties that follow. A 3D noise map takes the same underlying measurements and turns them into a visual landscape of the floor — so you can see where the noise actually sits, rather than only read a number next to a task name.
Written assessment vs 3D noise map
| Standard written assessment | 3D noise map | |
|---|---|---|
| Output | A written report with measured dB(A) figures | The same figures, plus a visual map of the whole floor |
| Best for | Meeting the legal duty to assess and record | Explaining risk, planning layout changes, briefing non-specialists |
| Reading it | Needs someone comfortable reading a numeric table | Readable at a glance by anyone, no acoustics background needed |
| Underlying data | Measured on site, Class 1 instrumentation | The same measured data, visualised rather than duplicated |
Neither replaces the other — the map is built on top of the same written assessment, not instead of it.
Measured vs predicted
AcoustaPLOT Noise Mapper runs in two modes. Measured mode interpolates a continuous noise surface from real LAeq pin readings taken across your floor — the picture of what your site is doing right now. Predicted mode models sources, enclosures and barrier screens, so you can see the likely effect of a change — a new machine, a screen, a layout move — before anything is actually built.
What’s actually on the map
A 2D plan with dB contour lines traced over your own uploaded floor plan; a 3D landscape of the same data; Hearing Protection Zone boundaries marked wherever the contour crosses the 85 dB(A) trigger — see HPZ visualisation; and, on the higher tiers, an interactive 3D model you can rotate and explore, or a rendered flythrough video.
When it’s worth having
Complex or open-plan floors where a table of numbers is hard to picture; briefing a board, insurer or non-specialist team who need to grasp risk fast; planning a layout change and wanting to see the likely effect first; or simply wanting a clearer record than a table of numbers for a site this size. See a real worked example on a press shop floor in our illustrative press-shop map.
Not sure where your site stands?
Take the free 60-second check, or talk to us about the 4-Year Care Plan.