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A new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based method for urban heat island intensity monitoring

Mendez-Astudillo, Jorge; Lau, Lawrence; Tang, Yu-Ting; Moore, Terry

A new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based method for urban heat island intensity monitoring Thumbnail


Authors

Jorge Mendez-Astudillo

Lawrence Lau

Yu-Ting Tang

Terry Moore



Abstract

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect occurs when an urban area experiences higher temperatures than its rural surrounding because of heat being absorbed by built structures and heat being released by anthropogenic sources. UHIs can cause adverse effects to human health and increase energy consumption used for cooling buildings. Therefore, it is important to monitor accurately the UHI effect. The intensity of UHIs are usually monitored using satellite imagery, airborne sensors, and surface temperature sensors. Satellite imagery can cover a large area but requires a clear sky to obtain good images. Moreover, airborne sensors are expensive and also require a clear sky to obtain good data. A large network of surface temperature sensors is required to monitor the UHI of an entire region, which can also be expensive. In this paper, we present a three-step algorithm to monitor UHI intensity using data from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The advantages of using GNSS data to monitor the UHI effect are the increased availability of observation data, high temporal resolution and high geographical resolution. The first step of the algorithm is the calculation of a priori environmental parameters (i.e., water vapour partial pressure, troposphere height, surface pressure, and the vertical profile of refractivity) from radiosonde data. The second step is the calculation of temperature from GNSS data. The last step is the UHI intensity computation. The algorithm presented in this paper has been tested and validated using publicly available GNSS and meteorological data from Los Angeles, California, USA. The validation of the algorithm is done by comparing the UHI intensity estimated from the algorithm with temperature data obtained from weather stations. In the validation, the proposed algorithm can achieve an accuracy of 1.71 °C at 95 % confidence level.

Citation

Mendez-Astudillo, J., Lau, L., Tang, Y., & Moore, T. (2021). A new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based method for urban heat island intensity monitoring. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 94, Article 10222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102222

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 17, 2020
Online Publication Date Sep 6, 2020
Publication Date 2021-02
Deposit Date Sep 8, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
Print ISSN 0303-2434
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 94
Article Number 10222
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102222
Keywords Computers in Earth Sciences; Earth-Surface Processes; Global and Planetary Change; Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4889971
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243420308655
Additional Information This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: A new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based method for urban heat island intensity monitoring; Journal Title: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102222; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.

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