‍Urban Canopy is a web platform designed to visualize and mitigate the effects of urban heat islands (UHIs) using high-resolution thermal data from NASA’s International Space Station (ISS). By leveraging this data, the platform empowers individuals, communities, and policymakers to take proactive urban cooling actions. Urban Canopy provides a detailed view of surface temperatures across cities, comparing the average surface temperature of each land parcel to local and regional averages. This comparison, grounded in behavioral science, serves as a nudge for users to adopt cooling measures such as installing cool roofs, removing asphalt, painting roofs white, and planting shade trees.

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Key Features:

1. Enhanced Thermal Imaging: Utilizes thermal data captured during peak summer heat events, processed through a custom NASA machine learning algorithm to provide high-resolution imagery that accurately maps surface temperatures across urban areas.
2. Parcel-Level Comparison: Displays an interactive map showing the average surface temperature of individual land parcels, enabling users to compare their property's heat profile with neighborhood, city, and regional benchmarks.
3. Behavioral Nudges: Applies behavioral science principles to highlight the disparity in surface temperatures, encouraging users to adopt cooling interventions by showcasing how their actions can lower their property's temperature and contribute to community-wide cooling.
4. Tailored Cooling Recommendations: Offers actionable, location-specific advice for urban cooling, including strategies such as installing reflective cool roofs, replacing asphalt with permeable surfaces, applying white reflective coatings, and planting shade trees.
5. Impact Visualization: Tracks and visualizes changes in surface temperatures over time, showing the effectiveness of cooling measures implemented by users and communities.

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Project Goals:

• Raise Awareness & Engagement: Educate the public about the urban heat island effect and its local impact, fostering a sense of responsibility and community engagement.
• Promote Proactive Cooling Measures: Use visual comparisons and data-driven insights to nudge property owners, businesses, and municipalities toward implementing effective cooling strategies.
• Support Data-Driven Decision Making: Provide urban planners, researchers, and policymakers with detailed thermal data to inform sustainable urban design and policy decisions.

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‍Implementation Plan:

1. Data Integration & Processing: Collaborate with NASA to acquire and process thermal data from the ISS, using advanced machine learning techniques to enhance image resolution and accuracy.
2. Platform Development: Develop an intuitive, user-friendly web interface that allows users to explore thermal data, compare land parcels, and access cooling recommendations.
3. Educational Campaign: Launch an educational outreach campaign to raise awareness about UHIs and promote the use of the platform, targeting property owners, community groups, and local governments.
4. Pilot Program: Launch the platform in a pilot city to test user engagement, collect feedback, and refine the platform's features and recommendations.
5. Scaling & Expansion: Expand Urban Canopy to additional cities, incorporating user feedback and enhancing platform capabilities with new data layers and functionalities.

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‍Urban Canopy aims to transform the way urban communities understand and respond to heat islands. By making complex thermal data accessible and relatable, the platform empowers users to take meaningful cooling actions. This not only helps reduce surface temperatures at the parcel level but also contributes to broader community cooling, improving urban resilience and public health. The data-driven approach supports sustainable urban development and fosters a collaborative effort towards cooler, more livable cities.