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Citizen Science Mobile Heat Mapping with Vehicle-Mounted Sensors

Solution Overview

With the help of the Museum of Science, volunteers attached temperature sensors to their cars and bikes to collect data in Boston, Cambridge and Brookline.[2][3][5] This citizen science approach offered a more human-centered examination into urban heat compared to historical satellite-based heat mapping, according to David Sittenfeld, director of the Center for the Environment at the Museum of Science in Boston.[1] The Museum of Science served as a key partner in the Wicked Hot Boston heat mapping project as part of its emphasis on 'science to civics' projects.[1]

Technical Components

The 3-D printed car mount and heat-sensing equipment allowed citizen scientists to attach a sensor device to their car and record the ambient air temperature and geospatial data of the surrounding areas.[3] Volunteers drove the same loop three times in one day — at 6 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. — in order to measure which areas heat up the most and least, and which areas retain their heat overnight.[2] Citizen science teams were composed of at least one driver and one navigator, who drove together during hour-long mapping periods of 6am, 3pm and 7pm.[3] CAPA Strategies, a data collection and community engagement company, used the data collected by citizens to create area-wide maps that modeled the absolute and real-feel temperatures across the urban landscape based on satellite data.[4] Partner scientists are using the data to create a map of temperatures that residents experience in their neighborhoods.[5] These data provide the cities with high resolution temperature data throughout the entire day, which can then be layered with other factors such as tree canopy, surface temperature, income level, elderly population, or emergency room visits.[3] Throughout the entire summer, participants used a citizen science platform called ISeeChange, where they documented and learned more about the changing environment around them.[3] Maps were created by researchers at the Museum of Science, Boston and the Helmuth Lab at Northeastern University.[3]

Implementation Details

The Museum of Science, Boston launched its project called Citizen Science, Civics and Resilient Communities (CSCRC), funded by NOAA, in summer 2019.[4] The heat mapping project was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[2] In the summer of 2019, the Museum of Science led a citizen science project to map the air temperatures experienced by residents in the summer.[5] On July 29th and 30th of 2019, MOS's heat mapping campaign gathered 50 citizen scientists made up of a diverse group of participants from NGOs, city planners, university students, and professionals.[3] The 'Wicked Hot Boston' pilot included over 50 volunteers investigating the urban heat island effect of 10 neighborhoods in Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge.[4] MOS worked with city planners in Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline to apply these methods by dividing the three cities into ten mapping routes, as well as recruiting community-based participatory scientists from all areas.[3] On some of the hottest days during July and August, about 50 volunteers drove predetermined, carefully mapped loops in 10 areas around Boston, Cambridge and Brookline.[2] Dr. Brian Helmuth, Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at Northeastern University and GRI faculty affiliate, along with David Sittenfeld, Manager of Forums and National Collaborations at Museum of Science, represented Northeastern in the project.[4] Partners in the CSCRC project include SciStarter, Arizona State University, Northeastern University, and the National Informal Science Education Network.[4] This method was developed by CAPA Strategies, Portland State University, and the Science Museum of Virginia.[3]

Benefits and Impacts

Close to 110 sightings were posted to the investigation about extreme heat.[3] The preliminary 'real-feel' temperatures were presented in the form of posters at the Museum of Science on September 24, 2019.[4] Following the poster session, participants took on the role of various stakeholders from a neighborhood vulnerable to extreme heat and discussed tradeoffs of implementing resilience planning strategies, then devised their own resilience plan for the neighborhood.[4] The Wicked Hot Boston project was funded by a national campaign led by NOAA's Climate Program Office that included more than 60 other cities across the country.[1] Similar events took place at 28 science centers around the US over the next three years with the goal of connecting citizen science data to resilience planning for four extreme weather-events: extreme heat, extreme precipitation, drought, and sea level rise.[4] The Museum of Science, Boston and partners selected 22 sites across the United States to receive a $2,000 stipend to implement the NOAA funded Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities (CSCRC) project between March and September 2021.[3]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

Boston currently experiences about a dozen days over 90 degrees every summer.[2] By 2100, Boston could get 90 days above 90 degrees, making it feel more like Birmingham, Alabama.[2] The citizen science heat mapping approach addresses the urban heat island effect by providing high-resolution temperature data that can inform resilience planning strategies for extreme heat events.[3][4]

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