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Dallas seeks citizen scientists to help create city-wide heat map
How hot is Dallas? Looks hot in this Dallas skyline shot.
The City of Dallas will participate in a national project to track where the hottest parts of the city are, and is seeking volunteers.
Dallas will join 18 other communities in the Eastern hemisphere to "map" where people are most at risk during extreme heat waves.
Volunteer citizen scientists drive through their neighborhoods in the morning, afternoon, and evening on one of the hottest days of the year, with heat sensors mounted to their cars. The sensors record temperature, humidity, time and the volunteers' location every second.
The data they collect creates a high-resolution map of the city’s hottest neighborhoods, which is then used to plan cooling projects, tree planting, and other climate action strategies.
CultureMap Dallas approves of any project that involves a map.
The initiative is by the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and began in 2017. Since then, more than 60 communities including Houston and Austin have followed this model, executing their own mapping campaigns and using the information to make their cities more resilient and equitable in the face of extreme heat.
Urban "heat islands" — areas with more pavement, which absorbs heat, and fewer trees — can be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than nearby neighborhoods with trees, grass, and less black asphalt.
The day of heat which Dallas will measure is August 5, says Dallas Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS) Director Carlos Evans.
"This is a great opportunity for our community volunteers to not only learn more about Dallas, but to play an active role in keeping fellow residents safe from the heat," Evans says.
Using specially designed sensors mounted on their vehicles, community volunteers will drive prescribed routes to record ambient temperatures and humidity during three specific times.
Communities chosen for the 2023 program include Chicago, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Toledo, Little Rock, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Framingham and Brockton, both in Massachusetts, and Sedona, Arizona.
They're also doing one international city: Santiago, Chile. This will be the third NOAA-funded international campaign. Campaigns were completed in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil earlier this year.
Residents can sign up here to participate in the Urban Heat Island mapping campaign on Saturday, August 5, 2023.
