On a hot day in Miami, some neighborhoods can be as much as 12 degrees warmer because of what's called the "urban heat island effect" - the fact that roads, parking lots, buildings, and other infrastructure absorb and release extra heat compared to the natural landscapes of rural areas. As climate change makes extreme heat more common, Miami is using a new tool from Google to help it calculate how tree planting and adding "cool roofs" - designed with materials that reflect heat - could help lower future temperatures.
The Heat Resilience tool, currently being piloted in 14 cities, uses AI on satellite and aerial images to identify how much shade from trees exists in each neighborhood, as well as the presence of reflective roofs. City officials can use the tool to say, "Okay, if we increase our tree cover from 8% to 20%, what's the impact on the surrounding temperature?" says Jane Gilbert, chief heat officer at Miami-Dade County. That has a huge value to us in terms of being able to talk to decision-makers about both funding decisions and prioritization.
The latest version of the Heat Resilience tool goes further by making it easy to estimate the effect of making changes. "The goal of our tool is really to help cities quantify how strategies can help them reduce urban temperatures in the local context," says Mansi Kansal, a product manager at Google Research.
Another app, the Tree Equity Score from American Forests also uses Google's data. Cities such as Austin have used it to prioritize the neighborhoods that most need more trees. By using the Heat Resilience tool, cities can gain insights that improve both comfort and livability for their residents.
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