SHADE: Surface Heat Assessment for Developed Environments

Extreme temperatures present severe health risks, and the urban heat island effect tends to exacerbate these risks within cities. Through this project, we seek to develop an integrated framework for predicting extreme temperature risks in urban areas. In the short-term, we will combine the outputs of local and global climate models with satellite and ground-based sensing and probabilistic models to perform on-line updating and assessment of the risks to urban populations from extreme temperatures. In the long-term, we intend to use this framework to optimize cooling center and temperature sensor placements for Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County area.