Quantifying Environmental Noise impact on Heart Rate Variability

The environmental factors in outdoor spaces can have a great influence on how people feel and behave. In this paper, we propose a new method to quantify the environmental noise impact on health and behavior in real-world settings. This is achieved by monitoring physiological signals such as heart rate variability in response to environmental noise. By employing wearable sensors and smart phones, we will be able to quantify and study both environmental noise levels and physiological data simultaneously. The heart rate data can be analyzed and visualized using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) responses to independent variables in real time. As a result, we can establish a better understanding of the inter-relations between human health (in particular heart rate) and personal exposure to environmental pollutants.