Projects
| Title | Designing a Geospatial Information Infrastructure for the Mitigation of Heat Wave Hazards in Urban Areas |
| Type | Publication |
| URL | www.isse.ucar.edu/heat/article.html |
| Abstract | The goal of this study was to evaluate how geospatial information technologies can enhance understanding, communication, and effectiveness in the prevention and mitigation of urban heat wave impacts. The paper recently published in Natural Hazards Review on designing geospatial information infrastructure for the mitigation of heat wave hazards in urban areas reviews the causes, characteristics, and consequences of the phenomenon known as the \x{201C}urban heat island\x{201D}. The enhancement of extreme heat in and by cities explains why extreme heat may be a more significant health threat in cities as compared to rural environments. The primary focus of the article is a discussion of how geospatial information technologies might be applied to an improved understanding of human vulnerabilities to extreme heat in urban environments and recommendations for enhanced mitigation strategies. |
| Participants | Olga Wilhelmi Kathy Purvis Robert Harriss |
| Start Date | 2003 |
| Funders | |
| Keywords | Decision Making Extreme Climate GIS Heat Waves Natural Hazards Remote Sensing Vulnerability |
| Research Themes | Vulnerability, Adaptation, Thresholds and Resilience |
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| "Because the pathway to sustainability cannot be
charted in advance, it will have to be navigated through trial and error and conscious experimentation. The urgent need is to
design strategies and institutions that can better integrate incomplete knowledge with experimental action into programs of
adaptive management and social learning." |
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