Climate Compass Environmental Data Platform

Solution Overview

The Climate Compass is an environmental data platform developed by Heidelberg in cooperation with the Office for Environmental Protection, Trade Inspection and Energy, the Office for Digital Affairs and Information Processing, and SAP SE as an implementation partner.[1] This approach brings together all professional environmental measuring stations in Heidelberg and makes the information available to users in a uniform way in one place.[1] The platform provides uniform weather information by networking existing weather stations that were operated by the city, the university, and other institutions.[1]

Technical Components

The implementation required uniform data models and interfaces using the FIWARE framework, with support from NEC Labs, a consortium partner of FIWARE based in Heidelberg.[1] To make the existing systems and information usable for further digital developments as well as to increase the transparency of the activities, the Digital-Agentur Heidelberg and Engineering DSS GmbH started a cooperation.[2] Heidelberg operates IoT weather stations that provide real-time weather data, with forecast information for the following five days integrated from Open Weather's APIs.[2] Information from such stations is used to map the real-time weather in the city, with data made available to users in a dashboard.[2] The winter service use case integrates weather forecast information on temperature, humidity and precipitation via an open API to make statements about black ice probability and provide recommendations for winter service actions.[2]

Implementation Details

The platform's success attracted private weather data providers who approached Heidelberg after the Climate Compass launch, offering to swap data by providing their data to the platform in exchange for access to the platform's data.[1] In the next stages of expansion, further weather stations are planned to establish a detailed weather monitoring system covering the whole of Heidelberg.[2] Due to the exposed location of the city, the climatic differences in the urban area can be shown and used for a detailed winter service.[2] The digital twin will be used to support Heidelberg's application for the European Green Capital Award.[3]

Benefits and Impacts

The system enables users to receive recommendations of action for upcoming winter service based on black ice probability assessments.[2] Surface temperatures in Heidelberg reached almost 53°C during July 2022, demonstrating the critical need for comprehensive environmental monitoring.[4] The platform's dashboard provides continuous access to real-time weather conditions and five-day forecast information.[2]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

This environmental data platform addresses extreme heat and winter weather hazards through comprehensive monitoring and forecasting capabilities. The system's ability to track climatic differences across the urban area and predict black ice formation enables proactive responses to temperature-related risks, while real-time data integration supports decision-making during extreme weather events.

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