National Integrated Heat Health Information System

Like preparing for climate change, being adaptive is essential for a successful community heat-mapping campaign. We offer the following advice on five of the most common scenarios that can occur during a Heat Watch campaigns.

This summer, citizen scientists will map hot spots, known as “urban heat islands,” in 13 cities across the country to help communities identify areas where they can take action to protect people from heat stress.

The National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS), in partnership with the NOAA CPO Communication Education and Engagement division and CAPA Strategies LLC will support and coordinate 13 community science Urban Heat Island (UHI) mapping field campaigns in cities across the country this summer.

To reduce the risk of heat illness that arrives with hot days, the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) encourages municipalities to gather data and produce a map of their community’s hottest neighborhoods. Pending availability of federal funds, NIHHIS intends to provide financial support to 20 cities where groups are willing to organize and run volunteer mapping campaigns, and then engage municipal leaders in addressing their issues of urban heat. The application for funding is now available.

The product will help scientists identify whether an extreme heat event tomorrow is significant or actually “extreme” relative to the historical record. It may also help assess extreme heat impacts on sectors like agriculture, health, and energy.