The ICLEI Action Fund 2.0 has announced the launch of two groundbreaking projects in the city of Dortmund in Germany. ICLEI Europe is a scheme conducted by the global network ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability with grant funding from Google’s philanthropy arm Google.org. The goal is to bolster Dortmund’s resilience to extreme heat, according to a statement.
The first project, Climate Adaptation through Thermographic Campaign and Heat Mapping (CATCH4D), led by the Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development (ILS), aims to create a 3D thermal model of Dortmund. Incorporating Google Earth Engine data and socio-economic information, it will use advanced laser scanning and thermographic observation techniques to evaluate building energy efficiency and urban heat stress.
According to Dr. Shaojuan Xu, Principal Investigator of CATCH4D, the project will directly benefit local citizens. "The 3D heat map will visually represent energy efficiency in an intuitive manner, facilitating faster decision-making,” she said. The project's data analytics will also be made available to stakeholders.
The second project, Data2Resilience, led by the Urban Climate Lab of Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB), will deploy a “state-of-the-art biometeorological sensor network” and develop a “nowcasting service for monitoring thermal comfort throughout the city”. This real-time information can be used to guide on-ground actions and services for smarter urban climate comfort planning.
Dortmund Mayor Thomas Westphal highlighted the significance of collaboration between science, the municipality and citizens in achieving successful climate goals: "The projects use innovative techniques to collect and merge current climate data with existing data,” he said in the statement. This process helps develop targeted measures for climate impact adaptation and energy consulting. ce/em
