UrbAlytics
UrbAlytics aims to bridge Artificial Intelligence with Earth Observations, producing information layers that can support city planners and decision-makers in the context of climate resilience and related challenges in urban areas. This research investigates, thanks to the joint expertise of the partners Latitudo 40 and LAND Research Lab®, the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect evaluating its impacts on cities, assessing Ecosystem Services provided by Blue and Green Infrastructures and proposing a set of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for climate adaptation and extreme heat mitigation.
Fully automated service, globally available, to analyze the Heat Island effect and the Microclimatic Performance of vegetation at the urban scale, given an Area of Interest. The methodology can be downscaled to a project area to test the effectiveness of different climate adaptation scenarios by implementing Nature-Based Solutions.
The service offers a Heatwave Potential Risk analysis, considering the severity of the heat island phenomenons, the exposure of sensitive age groups and the vulnerability due to city morphology and surface materials. The risk assessment is the first step in defining a methodology that aims to assess the effectiveness of mitigation and adaptation strategies to climate extremes. In addition, the role of vegetation in the city in abating the Heat Island effect is analyzed. The service produces the Microclimatic Performance Index layer through up-to-date Tree Cover Density and Land Cover maps using machine learning applied to Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Those maps have been interpolated and combined, creating 20 Blue and Green infrastructure classes, each with its microclimatic performance score based on evapotranspiration potential, shading and albedo. A Park Cool Islands analysis identifies the most performing areas during extreme summer heatwaves, according to their size and relevant characteristics, providing reliable information to citizens and urban planners about the safest and coolest areas during extreme heatwaves. Since the green areas' type and composition can influence their cooling effects, the service considers both the size and composition of urban parks to identify the most performing green areas in terms of the Park Cool Island effect. Finally, the service suggests the most suitable Nature-Based Solutions for each urban context, interpolating different criteria, selecting from European Horizon projects, and scoring for the Urban Challenges addressed and Ecosystem Services provided.