Abstract
Climate change and radical urban transformation in developing countries are creating rapid microclimate variations, especially in tropical cities. However, inhibitive cost of establishing ground observation stations for near-surface data collection limits microclimatic studies spatially, temporally, and methodologically. Addressing this gap, the Smart Urban Microclimate project aims to develop real-time intra-urban microclimate visualizations using crowdsourced climatic data. The study mobilizes the pervasive use of smartphones and internet in Indian cities to develop a cost efficient and user-centric data bank for fine-scale microclimate mapping and trend analysis. The project results have wide urban application ranging from climate sensitive urban planning to disaster preparedness and management. The key concern lies in establishing links between climate research and citizens, improving awareness, learning and climate sensitivity among the public. As a first step in this inter-disciplinary project, this study validates crowdsourced smartphone battery temperature data using a quasi-experimental methodology at an institutional scale. Automatic weather stations located at two institutes in different Local Climate Zones are used to validate crowdsourced smartphone battery temperature data from volunteers. The effects of various environmental conditions on the data - different smartphone models or applications, and data recorded under various conditions (indoor/outdoor, shade/sun) - are simulated and visualized. Surveys and interviews of volunteers provide feedback on streamlining the process and perceptions of participants. The study provides insights into the practical concerns for crowdsourced microclimate data collection and fine scale microclimate visualization in the context of a tropical Indian city.
Presenters
Reshmi RavindranAssociate Professor, Department of Architecture, College of Architecture Trivandrum, Kerala., Kerala, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
URBAN MICROCLIMATE, GEOINFORMATICS, CROWDSOURCING, IOT, CLIMATE VISUALIZATION
