SCOPE

In the face of increasingly severe heatwaves, SCOPE is helping cities design more comfortable public spaces. Using satellites and scientific data, we will quantify the temperature experienced by pedestrians today, as well as in 2050 and 2100, so that each region can adapt its urban planning and protect its residents.

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Urban Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI) map of Place de l’Opéra in Lyon in summer 2024. © Netcarbon

Simulation of Comfort and Overheating in Public Environments

Overview

Cities facing a growing risk

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent. In our cities, the urban heat island (UHI) effect exacerbates the temperatures experienced by residents, particularly the most vulnerable. Yet local authorities often lack concrete tools to assess the real impact of their developments on the comfort of pedestrian. Against this backdrop, the SCOPE (Simulation of Comfort and Overheating in Public Environments) project harnesses spatial data to help local authorities combat urban overheating.

Our objective

Building on the SCO Target 2050* project, SCOPE will, for the first time, give cities access to the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index), the benchmark indicator for the temperature felt by the human body on a large scale and at 1-metre resolution! By cross-referencing satellite data (Pleiades, IGN BD-Ortho), meteorological data (Météo-France, Copernicus) and urban data (BD Topo, IGN MNS), we will produce fine-scale thermal comfort maps for major French cities, both for the present and for the years 2030, 2050 and 2100.

These results will be made available via a free, open web platform, so that every local authority, every planner and every citizen can access the data and understand the thermal reality of their area.

The project will be co-developed with partner cities, which will provide data, participate in workshops, and help define the indicators most useful for their planning decisions.

SCOPE brings together RUPEE-Lab (a research laboratory specializing in thermal comfort and urban instrumentation) and Netcarbon (a start-up specializing in the assessment of spatial planning).

Application site(s)

France: Lyon, La Rochelle, Paris 15th arrondissement

Data

Satellite

Very high-resolution Pleiades, for land classification
ERA5/Copernicus Climate Data Store meteorological data
TRACC and CMIP6 climate projections (Météo-France/Copernicus)

Other

BD-Ortho IGN
IGN Topo database
Digital Surface Model (DSM/RGE IGN)
Field measurements of the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) provided by partner cities and collected by RUPEE-Lab

Results – Final product(s)

An open web portal hosting perceived temperature (UTCI) maps by municipality and by neighborhood.
Spatialized open data for the reference years 2025, 2030, 2050 and 2100.
A methodological validation report accessible to the scientific community.