New York City, like many urban areas, faces the Urban Heat Island effect, whereby cityscapes become significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. The growing challenge of extreme heat is a serious public health threat. As noted by the NYC Department of Health1, more people die from heat than from all other natural disasters combined in the US. Urban heat risk varies across NYC as a combination of a neighborhood’s landscape characteristics and residents’ access to heat-mitigating resources.
The NYC Urban Heat Portal incorporates a variety of data sources, including satellite imagery, weather station data, and data produced by Dr. Heris’ team. The portal allows users to explore the science of urban heat in New York City in different ways:
Investigate Key Heat Metrics: The interface allows you to easily visualize and switch between different data layers, such as the new Outdoor Heat Exposure Index, Air Temperature, Mean Radiant Temperature, and Surface Temperature. The portal allows you to explore how these metrics vary across the city. When a data layer is active, hovering over a neighborhood displays a popup that contextualizes the value for that neighborhood with respect to the entire city. The default data layer is the Outdoor Heat Exposure Index, which was developed specifically for this portal by Dr. Heris’ team. The Outdoor Heat Exposure Index measures overall heat intensity in outdoor urban areas by combining the air heat index and mean radiant temperature and provides an easy way to compare neighborhoods.
Discover Heat Mitigation Strategies: Learn about and visualize the impact of critical cooling elements like the urban tree canopy, cool roofs, and permeable surfaces.
Analyze Data at Different Scales: View most data layers in their raw format or aggregated by Neighborhood Tabulation Area (NTA). This neighborhood-level view is crucial for understanding and addressing local urban heat-related disparities.
Access Neighborhood Profiles: For a deeper dive into specific areas, the portal offers Neighborhood Profiles. These pages summarize the Outdoor Heat Exposure Index and other relevant data for a selected neighborhood, complete with charts and explanations.
Find Vital Resources: Beyond the maps, the portal connects you with NYC’s official extreme heat resources, including information on cooling centers and the city’s Heat Vulnerability Index. It also features a directory of local urban heat advocacy groups working on the front lines to address these challenges.
Download Data for Further Analysis: For those looking to conduct their own research or analysis, the portal provides access to a comprehensive collection of NYC Urban Heat Datasets. These include the Outdoor Heat Exposure Index, air temperature, surface temperature, tree canopy data, and more, available in multiple formats.
The NYC Urban Heat Portal was a collaborative effort. The Civic Innovation Lab at BetaNYC produced the Portal’s design and was responsible for data visualization and web development. Dr. Heris’ team provided subject matter expertise on urban heat and was responsible for the Portal’s data layers and for conducting interviews with community-based organizational partners, which contributed feedback that was integrated into the Portal’s features and development. The Portal was partially funded by NASA’s Applied Sciences program.