Resilience Scanner

Urban Tree Canopy Mapping with Geospatial Analysis Software

Solution Overview

The City of Boulder partnered with 100RC Platform Partners Trimble and DigitalGlobe to map the urban tree canopy, addressing the need to develop a more robust set of urban forest management tools.[1] Trimble provides geospatial technical solutions and domains to capture, measure, analyze, monitor and share built and environmental information.[1] This partnership established a baseline urban tree canopy—the first step to advancing tree-canopy development and management strategies.[2]

Technical Components

Trimble's eCognition® software integrates geospatial imagery and GIS datasets, and analyzes the data to produce land-cover classifications of specific object types such as trees or buildings.[2] The software can be programmed to seek out healthy or damaged canopy, allowing officials in Boulder to judge the efficacy of conservation projects.[4] Trimble presented an initial citywide urban tree canopy analysis and provided free training to city staff on the use of the eCognition software necessary to map changes to the urban tree canopy over time.[1] The eventual goal is for Boulder to be able to use tools like eCognition on their own, with Trimble providing initial training and support.[4]

Implementation Details

Boulder was the first city to work with Trimble through the 100 Resilient Cities partnership.[4] The urban tree canopy analysis will be published in Boulder's Open Data Catalog.[1] Trimble and DigitalGlobe are assessing how to replicate and offer similar outcomes to other municipalities based on the work done and lessons learned with Boulder.[1] This implementation was complemented by a separate heat mapping initiative in which volunteer community scientists traversed their neighborhoods in the morning, afternoon and evening on one of the hottest days of 2022 collecting heat data, which was later analyzed by city staff and local climate scientists.[3] Boulder was one of several communities chosen to participate in NOAA's Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign.[3]

Benefits and Impacts

The heat mapping data shows that areas with very little vegetation and a high proportion of impervious surfaces—such as roads and parking areas—were significantly hotter, by as much as 17 degrees.[3] This quantitative evidence demonstrates the critical role of tree canopy in mitigating urban heat island effects. The eCognition software enables officials to monitor canopy health over time and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation initiatives.[4]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

This geospatial mapping approach directly addresses urban heat island effects by identifying areas with insufficient vegetation cover and elevated temperatures. The baseline urban tree canopy data provides essential information for strategic tree planting and canopy expansion efforts to reduce heat exposure in vulnerable neighborhoods. The integration of heat mapping with tree canopy analysis enables targeted climate adaptation interventions in areas experiencing temperature differentials of up to 17 degrees.[3]

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