BACKGROUND

Noise is typically defined as unpleasant and unwanted sound. High noise levels worsen patient and staff outcomes in hospitals, hinder teaching and learning in schools, negatively impact productivity in offices, and disrupt living environments in homes, apartments, and condominiums. With flooring, one of the most abundant finishes in the built environment, the opportunity to positively influence the acoustical performance of a space is great. Different commercial floor coverings such as wood, ceramic, wood, resilient/vinyl, carpet and textile composite flooring control sound differently. Harder materials such as ceramic, wood, and resilient/vinyl absorb little or no sound and have greater potential to transmit sound, contributing to a noisier environment. Softer materials such as carpet and textile composite flooring absorb significantly more sound and transmit less sound, contributing to a quieter environment.

Tests exist that can measure the acoustic properties of interior surfaces and finishes. Such tests involve measuring the noise levels produced during the various test procedures, but the test results are typically reported only numerically as a classification or result. The classification or result is simply a number that means nothing beyond any scale that may apply to the classification or result. The classification or result does not communicate any information related to the way humans perceive sound. Consequently, it can be difficult to effectively communicate the test results to homeowners, developers, purchasers, contractors, manufacturers, and other stakeholders, and a primary goal of the tests—to assist in building design and construction—is therefore not met. These and other shortcomings are addressed by the present disclosure.

BRIEF SUMMARY

It is to be understood that both the following general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive.

In an aspect, disclosed are apparatuses, systems, and methods comprising receiving a query specifying one or more materials of a floor/ceiling assembly and/or a classification or result, determining one or more media files responsive to the query, and providing the one or more media files for playback.

In an aspect, disclosed are apparatuses, systems, and methods comprising receiving data comprising one or more testing parameters, one or more resulting measurements, and one or more classification/result, generating, based on the data, a predictive model, receiving a query comprising additional testing parameters, generating, based on applying the predictive model to the additional testing parameters, one or more predicted resulting measurements and one or more predicted classification/result, comparing the predicted resulting measurements to the data, identifying, based on the comparison, an existing test wherein the predicted test measurements are within a defined range of test measurements of the existing test, and providing one or more media files associated with the existing test for playback and an associated one or more predicted classification/result.

Additional advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows or may be learned by practice. The advantages will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive.

