Development of an ArcGIS extension to model urban climate factors

101 Pages·2015·6.5 MB·English

by  René Burghardt

Development of an ArcGIS extension to model
urban climate factors
A method of automatic and interactive analysis to capture the influencing factors on
urban climate

Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades
Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften (Dr.-Ing.)

Vorgelegt im Fachbereich Architektur, Stadtplanung, Landschaftsplanung
der Universität Kassel von Dipl.-Ing. René Burghardt

Kassel, September 2014
To understand and analyse the urban cli-

mate conditions it is necessary to map cli-
mate impact factors which influence the ur-
ban climate situation. By using modern GIS
this can be achieved for the meso scale of
urban climate mapping. To simplify and
speed-up the normal long lasting complex
analysis of the climate factors a special
ArcGIS extension is developed.
Development of an
ArcGIS extension to
model urban climate

factors

A method of automatic and interactive
analysis to capture the influencing fac-
tors on urban climate
Dipl.-Ing. René Burghardt
1
Contact / Kontakt
René Burghardt
Burghardt & Partner, Engineers
Burghardt und Partner, Ingenieure
[email protected]
www.lp-kassel.de
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]

Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 27.01.2015

Erstgutachter: Apl. Prof. Dr. Lutz Katzschner
Zweitgutachter: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gert Rosenthal
2
Eidesstattliche Erklärung

„Hiermit versichere ich, dass ich die vorliegende Dissertation selbständig, ohne unerlaubte Hilfe Dritter
angefertigt und andere als die in der Dissertation angegeben Hilfsmittel nicht benutzt habe. Alle Stel-
len, die wörtlich oder sinngemäß aus veröffentlichten oder unveröffentlichten Schriften entnommen
sind, habe ich als solche kenntlich gemacht. Dritte waren an der inhaltlich-materiellen Erstellung der
Dissertation nicht beteiligt; insbesondere habe ich hierfür nicht die Hilfe eines Promotionsberaters in
Anspruch genommen. Kein Teil dieser Arbeit ist in einem anderen Promotions- oder Habilitationsver-
fahren verwendet worden.“

Kassel, den 18.09.2014

René Burghardt
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
René Burghardt
3
1 Table of Content
1 Table of Content .............................................................................................................................. 4
2 Glossary ........................................................................................................................................... 7
3 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 8
4 Objective ......................................................................................................................................... 8
5 General remarks and copyright notes ............................................................................................. 9
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9
6 Background Knowledge & State of the Art ................................................................................... 12
6.1 Urban Climate ........................................................................................................................ 12
Thermal Aspects ............................................................................................................ 12
6.1.1.1 Total Radiation (energy) Flux .................................................................................... 12
6.1.1.2 Heat Storage Capacity ............................................................................................... 13
6.1.1.3 Urban Green & Evaporation Potential ...................................................................... 14
Dynamic Aspects ........................................................................................................... 15
6.1.2.1 Ventilation in Urban Areas ........................................................................................ 15
6.1.2.2 Nocturnal Cold Air Production and Downhill Movement ......................................... 16
Urban Heat Island Effect ............................................................................................... 17
6.2 Urban Climate Maps .............................................................................................................. 18
6.2.1.1 General ...................................................................................................................... 18
6.2.1.2 Scales ......................................................................................................................... 19
6.2.1.3 Climatopes ................................................................................................................. 20
6.2.1.4 Layers ......................................................................................................................... 22
6.2.1.5 Calculation of the Urban Climate Map ...................................................................... 24
6.3 Heat-related Vulnerability ..................................................................................................... 25
6.4 Geographic Information System ........................................................................................... 27
7 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 28
7.1 Extension & model development platform ........................................................................... 29
ModelBuilder ................................................................................................................. 29
Python ........................................................................................................................... 32
Python Add-In Wizard ................................................................................................... 32
7.2 Extension & Model Database ................................................................................................ 34
Provided Data included in the Database ....................................................................... 34
4
7.2.1.1 Land use data ............................................................................................................ 34
7.2.1.2 Digital elevation data................................................................................................. 35
7.2.1.3 IPCC data ................................................................................................................... 35
7.2.1.4 Additional data .......................................................................................................... 35
Supported data not included in the database ............................................................... 35
7.2.2.1 Land use data ............................................................................................................ 35
7.2.2.2 Digital elevation data................................................................................................. 36
7.2.2.3 Building information data.......................................................................................... 36
7.2.2.4 Satellite aerial images................................................................................................ 36
7.3 Extension overview ............................................................................................................... 37
7.4 Extension & Model Descriptions ........................................................................................... 38
Reading instructions ...................................................................................................... 38
Parameters (Preparation Menu) ................................................................................... 40
7.4.2.1 Project Folder and Geodatabase Creation .......................................................... 40
7.4.2.2 Data Preparations ................................................................................................ 43
Thermal Aspect (Manual Analysis Menu) ...................................................................... 48
7.4.3.1 Building Mass Analysis ......................................................................................... 48
7.4.3.2 Insolation Analysis ............................................................................................... 53
7.4.3.3 Additional Green Selection ................................................................................. 58
Dynamic Aspect (Manual Analysis Menu) ..................................................................... 63
7.4.4.1 Nocturnal Cold Air Analysis ................................................................................. 63
7.4.4.2 Ventilation Potential Analysis .............................................................................. 70
Climate Change Trends .................................................................................................. 80
Direct Buttons ................................................................................................................ 81
7.4.6.1 UCF Wizard .......................................................................................................... 81
7.4.6.2 Clear Project Data ................................................................................................ 81
7.4.6.3 Clear All ................................................................................................................ 81
8 The Usage of the Urban Climate Extension ................................................................................... 82
8.1 Preconditions......................................................................................................................... 82
8.2 Extension Package Structure ................................................................................................. 82
5
8.3 Extension Installation ............................................................................................................ 84
8.4 Use the Extension and run the Model ................................................................................... 84
9 Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 85
9.1 Building Mass Analysis........................................................................................................... 85
9.2 Additional Green Selection .................................................................................................... 87
9.3 Insolation Analysis ................................................................................................................. 88
9.4 Ventilation Potential Analysis ............................................................................................... 88
9.5 Nocturnal Cold Air Production and Movement ..................................................................... 90
9.6 Final considerations ............................................................................................................... 90
10 Resume ...................................................................................................................................... 92
11 Indexes ...................................................................................................................................... 93
11.1 Literature ............................................................................................................................... 93
11.2 Figures ................................................................................................................................... 96
11.3 Tables .................................................................................................................................... 97
12 Appendix .................................................................................................................................... 98
12.1 Land Use Transformation Table ............................................................................................ 98

6
2 Glossary
AR4 4th Assessment Report
AR5 5th Assessment Report
ArcGIS Geographic Information System software by Esri
ArcMap Main component of the ArcGIS geospatial program
ArcPy Extension package based on the Python programming language
CGIS Canada Geographic Information System
CLC Corine Land Cover
CLI Canada Land Inventory
DEM Digital Elevation Model
DLM Digital Landscape Model
DSM Digital Surface Model
EEA European Environmental Agency
ESRI Environmental Systems Research Institute
EU European Union
GIS Geographic Information System
GMES Global Monitoring for Environment and Security
GUI Graphic User Interface
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
MMU Minimum Mapping Unit
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
NumPy Extension package for Python programming language (high-level math. Functions)
PYTHON Open source programming language (named by the famous TV series Monty Python
Flying Circus)
RCP Representative Concentration Pathways
RDA Reference Data Access
SRTM Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
UBL Urban Boundary Layer
UC-AnMap Urban Climate Analysis Map
UCL Urban Canopy Layer
UCM Urban Climate Map (also UC-Map)
UC-ReMap Urban Climate Recommendation Map
UHI Urban Heat Island
VDI Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (Association of German Engineers)
WMO World Meteorological Organisation
WRC World Radiation Centre
7
3 Abstract
The possibility to develop automatically running models which can capture some of the most im-
portant factors driving the urban climate would be very useful for many planning aspects. With the
help of these modulated climate data, the creation of the typically used “Urban Climate Maps” (UCM)
will be accelerated and facilitated. This work describes the development of a special ArcGIS software
extension, along with two support databases to achieve this functionality.
At the present time, lacking comparability between different UCMs and imprecise planning advices
going along with the significant technical problems of manually creating conventional maps are central
issues. Also inflexibility and static behaviour are reducing the map’s practicality. From experience,
planning processes are formed more productively, namely to implant new planning parameters di-
rectly via the existing work surface to map the impact of the data change immediately, if possible. In
addition to the direct climate figures, information of other planning areas (like regional characteristics
/ developments etc.) have to be taken into account to create the UCM as well.
Taking all these requirements into consideration, an automated calculation process of urban climate
impact parameters will serve to increase the creation of homogenous UCMs efficiently.

4 Objective
While working with integrative urban planning methods and considering aspects of climate at the same
time, it is obligatory to take urban climate adaption strategies into account, as well.
This work aims to build up an integrative analysing and planning extension based on the Geographic
Information System (GIS) to map important impacts on our urban climate. With the integration in GIS,
the models of the extension will be functional, scalable and expandable.
With these new data, it is also possible to achieve a better understanding of the interlinked relation-
ship between planning approaches and environmental aspects. Furthermore the results can be helpful
additions e.g. for official planning offices or the future development of individual Urban Climate Maps.
The following parameters (thermal and dynamic) are the chosen key factors, which will be considered
in the development of the GIS extension.
• building masses as an indicator for heat storage capacity
• additional greenery selection besides given land use classification
• global solar radiation
• ventilation potentials
• nocturnal cold air production and movement
• climate change trends (temperature, precipitation and number of summer days)
To support the analysis of the climate parameters a database with topographical, land use and climate
change data will be established to be used in a pan-European extent. In addition relevant scientific
literature will be stored in a new database available for the user.
8
5 General remarks and copyright notes
This work consists of three separate work packages. The first one summarises the scientific use and
the developed methodologies. It illustrates the designed ArcGIS extension and the included models as
well as the geodatabases. The second one contains the literature and spatial/technical database which
is described in chapter 7 and the last one is the designed and developed extension itself. If all necessary
data is available (comp. chapter 7.2.1) the extension runs with full capacity. To use the extension,
ArcGIS by Esri is needed. For testing a model, sample datasets are included in the database.
Copyright notice: “The developed method, extension and all included models are (intellectual) property
of the author. The usage is only permitted with the permission of the author. Access or modification on
the functionality of the models is prohibited at all time, as well as duplication or replication.”
The included datasets are subjected to the copyright restrictions of the European Environmental
Agency as follows.
Copyright notice: “EEA standard re-use policy; unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA
website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the
source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright).”

5.1 Introduction
Climate change is an ongoing process which occurs continuously since a liveable space was formed on
earth and the first stable world climate system has been evolved. With the start of the 3rd industrial
revolution in the beginning of the 20th century, humans have become a driving force for the intensity
and speed of climate change (Ciais, et al., 2013).
In 1988 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was founded by the World Meteoro-
logical Organisation (WMO). The purpose was to elaborate assessment research on climate change
and its effects on environment and mankind. Following the first IPCC report in 1990 the climate change
is a challenge which affects every nation. The report is updated every five to six years and provides
different scenarios of potential future climate changes depending on diverse assumptions on social
and economic development. The second report was released in 1995, and after the adoption of the
Kyoto protocol, the third report was published in 2001. The fourth assessment report was released in
2007 and with the fifth report in 2013, a general overhaul of the existing scenario methods was
achieved. While the scenarios of the first four reports were developed by overlay technics, the new
modelling methods of the last report took into account the interdependencies of all relevant factors.
Given that the 4th Assessment Report (AR4) was based on emissions, the actual 5th Assessment Report
(AR5) is modelled on concentration. Thus the model got more dynamics and the different scenarios
were renamed depending on the “Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)”. It is also the first
time that measure scenarios for greenhouse gas reduction are included.
Fact sheets of the expected key risks for different geographic and climatically influenced regions were
elaborated by AR5. For Europe, the climatic drivers are precipitation changes and sea level rise as well
as heat and groundwater availability stress (Figure 1).
9