How many times have you seen something that sounds great but when you actually try to use it, it falls flat on its face? This is what I got when I heard of the site noisemapping made by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

DEFRA went around mapping the noise levels of London and collated the data into an interactive online map. What a great idea and potential tool to find the calmer, forgotten areas of the big city.

But that’s as far as they get. After this its a barrage of bad navigation, bad layout, bad colours and bad info-graphics. This is what you see when you type in my Hackney Postcode.
Hackney noise map

BAD.

Perhaps they should get in touch with Simon Elvins. His print version is a step in the right direction, using raised dots so you can feel the quieter parts of the city.

Silent London by Simon Elvins