Trees, Heat Islands, Flood Risk & Solar Energy, Fog Water

trees, heat island, flood
solar energy, fog water

Inspiration

Addressing the interconnected challenges of urban flooding, heat islands, and resource scarcity through integrated geospatial solutions. These tools support UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 (clean water) and 7 (clean energy) while helping communities adapt to climate change.

What it does

Trees, Heat Islands, Flood Risk: Analyzes flood risk using SAR imagery, monitors urban heat with thermal data, tracks vegetation health via NDVI, and simulates how increased greenery (0-50%) reduces both flooding and temperature. Link

Solar Energy, Fog Water: Identifies suitable land for dual-use solar panels and fog collectors, calculates energy generation and water collection potential, and estimates population support capacity under different scenarios. Link

How we built it

Leveraged Google Earth Engine's cloud platform with multiple satellite datasets (Landsat-8, Sentinel-1/2, ERA5), implemented real-time JavaScript processing, and created interactive UI components for drawing areas and adjusting parameters.

Challenges we ran into

Balancing computational complexity with real-time responsiveness
Integrating diverse satellite data sources with varying resolutions
Developing simplified yet meaningful environmental models
Ensuring scalability across different geographic areas

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully integrated multiple environmental analyses into user-friendly tools that provide actionable insights for urban planners and climate adaptation professionals, with comprehensive technical documentation included.

What we learned

Environmental challenges are interconnected—single interventions can address multiple issues. Simple models with clear visualizations can effectively support decision-making when combined with transparent scenario planning.