Measurement-driven GIS mapping of short-term outdoor campus noise at Batman University, Türkiye: A WHO-informed...

This study applied a measurement-driven, GIS-supported workflow to screen short-term outdoor noise conditions at the Batı Raman Campus of Batman University, Türkiye. The verified dataset comprised 355 georeferenced LAeq,10-min observations collected at 305 sampling locations over 14 monitoring days between 8 December 2025 and 3 January 2026. Analyses were restricted to the actively used outdoor campus area, defined as the operational human-exposure domain. The workflow integrated IDW interpolation and cross-validation, descriptive time-window comparison, study-defined screening bands contextualized with reference to WHO environmental-noise guidance, and FDR-corrected Getis-Ord Gi* analysis. Observed LAeq,10-min values ranged from 20.00 to 88.58 dB(A), with a mean of 48.88 ± 13.36 dB(A) and a median of 47.98 dB(A). For the selected IDW configuration (p = 2, k = 12), leave-one-out cross-validation showed minimal average bias but only moderate point-level predictive performance (RMSE = 11.79 dB(A), MAE = 8.55 dB(A), ME =  - 0.08 dB(A), and r = 0.52). Differences among the predefined time windows were not statistically significant (p = 0.169). Of all observations, 43.10% were below 45 dB(A), whereas 33.24% were at or above 55 dB(A). The Gi* analysis identified 100 cold-spot and 57 hot-spot locations among 276 coordinate-unique site means, conditional on the specified spatial-weighting configuration. The study provides an empirical decision-support framework for identifying relative spatial patterns and follow-up monitoring priorities. Its findings represent short-term, sample-supported outdoor conditions and should not be interpreted as annual exposure, formal WHO compliance, indoor exposure, or high-precision prediction.