When we think of vibration monitoring, it’s easy to picture sensors, graphs, and data dashboards. But beneath the technology lies a more human purpose, that of comfort and quality of life.
Arnold Koopman, a physicist specializing in noise and vibration in structures, explains that his work revolves around understanding and mitigating the effects of unwanted vibrations. “It’s all about getting things within certain limits,” he says.
Trying to design smart solutions to avoid adverse effects from noise and vibration, setting up criteria, and to understand what’s OK and what’s not.
While once a niche area reserved for specialized engineers, vibration monitoring today touches everything from construction sites and infrastructure to residential development and even citizen-led environmental projects. Arnold describes a society where people are increasingly aware that persistent vibration is not “just part of living near infrastructure,” but a genuine comfort issue.
The Rapid Expansion of an Industry
The vibration monitoring industry has expanded dramatically over the last two decades. Arnold recalls a time when only a handful of experts dealt with the topic. “Back in 2000, hardly anyone was involved,” he says. “The problems weren’t different, but we had less knowledge, equipment, and tools. Now we’re in a much better situation to fight this, it’s amazing.”
The growth has been fueled not only by industry and research institutions but also by citizens themselves. In the Netherlands, citizen initiatives have expanded from noise and air quality monitoring to include vibration monitoring. Affordable monitoring equipment has empowered individuals to measure and share local environmental impacts.
From Public Concern to Policy Change
For years, regulations on environmental vibration lagged behind those on noise. Koopman remembers when the Dutch Ministry of Environment showed little urgency: “They told me, ‘as long as no one is protesting in The Hague, we won’t act.'” That changed as public complaints grew and legal challenges forced the issue into the spotlight.
In 2012, several government projects were halted by the highest legal civil court due to insufficient consideration of vibration impacts. It set in motion a major system, and since then, major innovation programs have emerged, including multi-million-euro research projects to mitigate environmental vibration.
The rise in attention has reshaped the professional field. Once dominated by physicists and acousticians, vibration monitoring now attracts geotechnical and mechanical engineers. Entire companies specialize in vibration services, reflecting a more mature and diversified market. Arnold Koopman describes the industry as much bigger but not finished. There’s still a lot to develop.
New challenges are driving innovation. Construction and infrastructure projects increasingly require continuous vibration monitoring to reduce the risk of structural damage and public complaints. However, clear criteria are still evolving. Local communities, developers, and consultants often use different measurement methods and thresholds, resulting in inconsistent outcomes. Arnold Koopman highlights the need for better-defined standards and smarter use of measurement data.
Turning Data Into Understanding
Accurate measurement is essential, but only if the results are interpreted and acted upon. Arnold warns that poor monitoring practices can create conflict rather than clarity. He recalls a project he worked on many years ago on the Amsterdam metro where continuous alarms from vibration monitoring systems led to fatigue among construction teams and authorities. “They stopped paying attention,” he says, “and it’s quite useless to set up a system, even if you think it works properly, if the people are not committed to actually using it.”
Koopman sees a gap between collecting data and truly understanding it. Measurement data is displayed as graphs and hotspots on a web portal, but the translation from raw data to meaningful insights is missing. Arnold believes in deeper collaboration between engineers, system providers, and data scientists to bridge the gap and help people make better decisions.
The constant development of vibration monitoring shows how awareness, technology, and public demand have come together. What started as a technical issue is now an essential part of improving human comfort, city planning, and environmental care.
Seminar on vibration monitoring
Sigicom recently hosted a seminar with Arnold Koopman. The seminar focused om deepening knowledge about vibration measurements, blending technical discussions with practical case studies from real projects. Arnold shared valuable insights from his hands-on experience, while participants exchanged perspectives on how they approach similar challenges in their own work.
It was a really good seminar. It was fun to see so many attendees, and I could tell people genuinely benefited from it. Many told me they learned something new, and it was fun for all of us. – Arnold Koopman
Arnold Koopman: MSc, vibration and sound specialist with over 25 years of experience in the infrastructure and building industries. He specializes in ground-borne noise and vibration-induced (low-frequency) noise.
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