Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, OPO uses its AI-powered Nature Data platform to measure and monitor greening initiatives, providing quick access to near real-time nature data. By combining this information with SatVu's high-resolution thermal data, the partnership enables evidence-based decision-making to improve urban planning, assess the health of green spaces, and optimize tree planting to develop more sustainable and resilient cities.
In December 2023, OPO carried out Urban Heat Island context monitoring, canopy cover density, and tree stress indexing across Darwin, Australia. The inclusion of Hotsat-1 data enhanced OPO's insights, identifying three priority areas for new tree planting to combat high temperatures.
This successful collaboration comes as the UN projects a 13% increase in urban population by 2050. Rapid urbanization, along with rising global temperatures, poses a significant challenge in addressing the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI).
The UHI exacerbates heatwaves, causing thermal discomfort and heat stress for city residents. A UK case study found that during the 2003 European Heatwave, 50% of heat-related deaths in the West Midlands were attributable to the UHI effect. This underscores the need for detailed and frequent measurements of heat distribution in urban areas to assess the cost-effectiveness and urgency of responses to extreme heat events.
Currently available low-resolution thermal datasets, like those from Landsat, are insufficient for providing reliable street-level imagery. The high-resolution data from the SatVu and OPO partnership, offering building-level resolution, presents a smart solution to escalating climate challenges.
Narayan Buckley, Director, Northern Territory Government said, "Tools like OPOs Nature data platform have the potential to support evidence-based decision-making in urban planning and enhance society's capacity to respond to climate challenges. The Northern Territory Government recognises this potential and has supported the development of OPO's Nature Data platform through its Earth Observation for the Northern Territory (EO4NT) grant program."
"With SatVu's advanced thermal imaging, we can better monitor urban heat islands, assess the health of green spaces, and optimise tree planting to create more sustainable and resilient cities," says SatVu's Business Development Climate and Sustainability Lead, Natalia Kuniewicz. "This technology empowers every level of governance to make informed decisions that promote greener, cooler, and more liveable urban environments."
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