Heat hazard assessment with remote sensing and ground sensor data

Heat hazard, in the form of heat waves principally affecting larger urban areas, has evolved into one of the most deadly hazard types, especially in the Global North that tends to see larger financial than human losses. Europe has experienced a number of heat events with tens of thousands of fatalities, and the true death toll will be far higher as heat-related deaths are often not recognised as such. Despite their importance, understanding and monitoring heat waves remains poorly understood, though it is the prerequisite for adequate intervention methods. In the context of the European project  RiskPACC (https://www.riskpacc.eu/) we worked with the City of Padua in Italy that has been experiencing heat waves. Building on recent research by the University of Padua that used satellite imagery to quantify heat distribution based on surface temperatures (Pappalardo et al., 2023), in 2023 we installed a network of ca. 115 temperature and humidity sensors across the city that continue to record data every 15 minutes. In addition ITC worked on a digital twin of a small industrial part of the city to understand how heat reduction measures at building level, such as planting of trees, creation of water features such as ponds, or green roofing, can effectively reduce ambient temperatures (Sukma et al., 2024).