TNO

TNO is the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research. Its primary tasks are to support and assist trade and industry, governments and others in technological innovation and in solving problems. Two TNO institutes are involved in IMAGINE: TNO Inro and TNO-TPD.

TNO Inro performs research into and gives advice on traffic, transport, cross-company logistics, regional economics and spatial planning and the relationship between environment and health. TNO Inro has a multidisciplinary structure and is home to econometrists, traffic experts, economists, mathematicians, urban and rural planners, environmental-health scientists and information scientists. This structure and the embedding of all this expertise in TNO guarantees an integral approach, within which various aspects can be involved, such as technology, behavioural aspects, health and perception issues, environment and sustainability, spatial planning and administrative aspects. TNO Inro performs assignments for government bodies, the European Union and the private sector.

TNO Inro is or has been involved in a considerable number of European research projects in the 4^th and 5^th Framework Programme, such as TRANSPLUS, UTOPIA, FANTASIE, CyberCars, CyberMove, CarTALK, ADASE I & II, PRIME, PROSPER and CleanerDrive, and currently participates in the thematic network IMPRINT.

The second TNO institute involved is the Institute of Applied Physics (TNO TPD). It is one of the larger institutes employing a staff of 475. Its major activities are directed towards the development of measuring instruments and systems, methods and tools in applied physics and information technology. The work is to a considerable extent carried out under research contracts with industrial partners.

The Acoustics Division of TNO TPD is one of the major independent R&D institutions engaged in noise control in Europe. Its R&D activities are aimed at the development of acoustical measuring and prediction methods for noise control purposes. It renders consultancy services in noise control engineering to industry and trade and in noise abatement policies to the government.

TNO-TPD is active in development and use of advanced measurement techniques (acoustical antennae) of noise emission of distant moving sources such as high speed trains, aircraft and road vehicles. The methods have been used under for road vehicles and for high speed trains; they provide detailed information about sound power and position of partial sound sources.

TNO-TPD is currently involved in developing a measurement procedure for the evaluation of the source emission data of aircraft in normal operation, and is active in International (ISO) and European Standardisation.

The Acoustics Division of TNO-TPD is or has been involved in a considerable number of European research projects within the Brite-Euram and the Transport Programme and the 5th Framework Programme (e.g. Equip, Piano, Asanca, EuroEcran, Metarail, Silent-Freight, Silent-Track, Flodac, Stairrs)