Definition
A scaled, FAA-accepted map prepared by an airport operator under 14 CFR Part 150 that depicts the airport's noise contours, the land uses around the airport, and the locations where aircraft noise is considered incompatible with surrounding land use. It is the technical baseline document used to identify noise-impacted areas and to support a Noise Compatibility Program.
Plain English
It is an official map showing how loud aircraft noise is in the areas around an airport, and which nearby places (homes, schools, etc.) are affected by that noise.
Context Anchor
Seen in airport noise studies, airport planning documents, and FAA noise-compatibility material, rather than as a normal cockpit item.
Why Pilots Care
It guides noise abatement procedures that pilots follow to limit community impact.
Grounding Statement
Picture an airport map with shaded areas showing which neighborhoods receive more aircraft noise and which receive less.
Intuition Check
A noise exposure map is not a live noise meter and not just a complaint map. It is a planning map showing expected aircraft-noise exposure around an airport.
Example Sentence 1
The airport's NEM showed that several neighborhoods east of the runway fell within the high-noise contour, which led to a published noise abatement departure procedure.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots followed noise abatement procedures outlined from the current noise exposure map.