Geodata for Heat Management
Heatwaves, floods, and other extremes geospatial data provides a vital foundation for monitoring climate extremes, making informed decisions, and planning proactively.
Cities are heating up. More and more municipalities are recording rising temperature peaks, prolonged droughts, and increased heat exposure. For local governments, utility providers, and policymakers, geodata and geoinformation are essential for forward-thinking heat management.
The city as a heat trap: Why geodata makes the difference
Automated processes for detecting green roofs or pervious surfaces supply critical information for climate-resilient urban planning. AI-driven image analysis and machine-learning techniques applied to aerial and satellite images can pinpoint exactly where additional green infrastructure has potential crucial for funding programs or targeted implementation strategies.
At the same time, satellite data offers new opportunities for systematic drought monitoring. It can capture soil moisture, vegetation changes, and water stress over large areas and at regular intervals unlike purely local monitoring. Especially in summer, this allows early detection of heat stress, which aids in planning irrigation schemes or temporary measures.
When every minute counts: “Rapid Mapping” technologies enable authorities to generate precise maps within a short time following extreme weather events such as heavy rain or heatwaves detailing heat islands, critical infrastructure access, or planning emergency interventions.
In dense urban centers, temperatures can vary by up to 10 °C compared to surrounding green areas. Those most affected include the elderly, children, and people with preexisting conditions. Municipalities face the challenge of making neighborhoods resilient but where to begin?
Thermal maps derived from satellite and aerial imagery reveal heat hotspots. Mobile sensors can provide complementary, daily microclimate data. Combined with geodata on building structure, impervious surfaces, and vegetation, a comprehensive situational overview emerges. From this, locally tailored heat action plans can be derived from temporary shade installations to paving removal and repurposing public spaces into cooling green zones.
Digital twins and city models as planning tools
Digital city twins, virtual replicas of urban districts bring climate impacts to life. Municipalities can use these models to simulate various measures:
How would a new tree avenue affect the microclimate?
What’s the impact of light-colored rooftops in a densely built area?
What effect would converting parking lots or courtyards to permeable surfaces have?
These questions can be answered with data before any investment is made. That’s the real potential for policymakers and planners: to make targeted, transparent, and justifiable decisions.
Pioneer municipalities leading the way
Cities such as Mannheim, Leipzig, and Hanover already use digital urban climate models to create cooler neighborhoods. In Berlin, the "Fresh Networks" concept is being developed - incorporating air corridors, strategic greening, and cooling axes to deliver natural airflow and cooling to hotspots in the city center.
Zürich provides an especially innovative example: the city operates an extensive temperature-monitoring network that records valuable, publicly accessible data to analyze the spatial variability of urban heat islands. Working with meteoblue, a fine-grained meteorological sensor network was established. Its real-time results are available via a public dashboard and support informed municipal cooling measures. The open dataset is accessible via the city's Open Data Portal for research and new product development.
Heidelberg also relies on digital solutions to combat urban heat: researchers from Heidelberg University and the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT) developed a web-based route-planning app that highlights cooler walking paths during heatwaves. This tool can make a crucial difference for vulnerable populations such as seniors or people with health conditions enabling mobility and participation even on hot days. The app uses microclimate data alongside geoinformation, showing how data-driven insights translate directly into citizens’ everyday lives.
Global models – geodata that counts
Tech leaders like IBM support cities with AI-driven platforms - such as the Sustainability Accelerator for C40 Cities helping to model extreme heat events and mitigate risks. Providers like Hexagon integrate sensor data, location intelligence, and geodata management to deliver scalable solutions for real-time monitoring and response to heat islands and infrastructure stress. With Esri GeoAI, cities can conduct heat-related urban analyses that combine micro-location, surface sealing, and vulnerability - akin to local pilot projects, but designed as professional enterprise solutions.
INTERGEO 2025: A forum for municipal decision-makers
Numerous firms and vendors will present solutions for smart cities and communities at INTERGEO. The INTERGEO 2025 conference program also offers targeted insights into climate adaptation for municipalities. Real-world use cases from the DACH region will demonstrate how cities and utility providers use high-resolution 3D imaging, mobile mapping, and AI-assisted analyses to address urban challenges like infrastructure monitoring, asset management, and sustainable mobility planning. These examples underline how data-driven decisions can streamline administrative processes and directly enhance urban quality of life.
INTERGEO isn’t just a tech expo - it’s a platform for municipal foresight. At INTERGEO 2025 in Frankfurt, municipalities will showcase concrete solutions for urban climate management - from real-time microclimate platforms to software-supported city models that offer planning certainty for governments and administrations.
If you want to learn how heat action plans work with geodata - and which tools are becoming tomorrow’s standards - INTERGEO is the place to be.
Climate adaptation starts with the first dataset.
And with a smart decision to attend INTERGEO.
Secure your ticket now!
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