{"id":696322,"date":"2024-09-10T06:21:57","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T13:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=696322"},"modified":"2024-10-31T08:16:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T15:16:11","slug":"oklahoma-city-maps-extreme-heat","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/oklahoma-city-maps-extreme-heat","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma City Addresses Extreme Heat Using Dynamic GIS-Powered Tools for Climate Action"},"author":671,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[476302,490332,282852,951,490322,490622],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478632],"esri_blog_department":[478212],"class_list":["post-696322","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-climate-action","tag-heat-islands","tag-heat-map","tag-noaa","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-tipping-point","esri-blog-category-extreme-heat","esri_blog_department-resilience"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"Oklahoma City\u2019s Urban Heat Health hub site offers dynamic visual resources that show where hotter summer temperatures are putting people at risk.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Access to authoritative data on climate change provides essential resources for Oklahoma City\u2019s local government and their partners to save lives.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Oklahoma City uses GIS maps and spatial analysis to locate neighborhoods most at risk as summer temperatures rise.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Through a new online portal, the public can see local data on extreme heat and city strategies to build resilience.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The city\u2019s Office of Sustainability says maps and spatial analysis can save lives by creating awareness of heat-related health risks.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The Oklahoma City Office of Sustainability\u2019s first deep dive into digital mapping showed just how important spatial awareness can be\u2014especially when it comes to extreme summer heat.\r\n\r\nFor context, this state capital is similar in size to New York City at 621 square miles. But its population of about 750,000 is more spread out than the roughly 8 million people clustering in the Big Apple.\r\n\r\nThe sustainability team<span data-ogsb=\"yellow\">, which sits within the Planning Department,<\/span> gained crucial insights when they mapped summer temperatures and air quality data across over half of the city. They learned that having fewer people, buildings, and paved surfaces hasn\u2019t shielded the <em>Big Friendly<\/em> from big-city concerns.\r\n\r\nThe sustainability team posted the temperatures onto interactive maps using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/what-is-gis\/overview\">geographic information system (GIS) technology<\/a>. These maps now serve as a vital tool for local agencies and the public, highlighting health risks and guiding services to vulnerable households."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":696402,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/webappviewer\/index.html?id=990d955d0c834552ba1efa29236d5cd1&extent=-10916746.1006%2C4204062.6143%2C-10799338.8251%2C4258103.5933%2C102100"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"A few things became clear through the project:\r\n\r\nFirst, the maps revealed neighborhoods where temperatures are hottest, and air quality is poorer. Deaths and heat-related illnesses rise during heat waves, and most are preventable. The work to identify hot spots uncovered places to focus intervention.\r\n\r\nSecond, mapping air quality sensor locations revealed critical gaps in the city's monitoring coverage. The city could face costly penalties if it exceeds federal air quality standards.\r\n\r\nEqually important, the analysis made it clear that, as in other cities, communities need to develop additional strategies for addressing rising temperatures. Planting trees and other landscaping is important, but more is required to bring relief to the hottest areas.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat we\u2019ve had in place over the past 10 or 15 years, it has not worked,\u201d said Sarah Terry-Cobo, associate planner in the Planning Department\u2019s Office of Sustainability, commenting on the tree planting and landscaping effort in the city's northwest.\r\n<h3><strong>New Technologies Improve Awareness of Changing Conditions <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nOklahoma City is one of 18 communities around the world chosen to join the 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heat.gov\/pages\/mapping-campaigns\">CAPA Heat Watch<\/a> program, which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).\r\n\r\nThe program implemented by CAPA Strategies, a consultant, brings together local partners and residents to map and study how heat is distributed in their communities. Past participants have used the results to promote sustainability and climate resilience in public health, urban forestry, and other areas.\r\n\r\nThe interactive, color-coded GIS-based maps that Oklahoma City\u2019s sustainability team commissioned combine temperature data from NOAA with local temperature data collected by volunteers.\r\n\r\nMerging the two types of data, NOAA develops a heat index to better assess how hot it feels to the human body at a given time and place. The heat index also considers humidity levels and other factors.\r\n\r\nFor Oklahoma City\u2019s project, analysts looked at summertime temperatures, air quality readings, and demographic information such as age and poverty levels within US census tracts. The city\u2019s heat maps, a related <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/apps\/dashboards\/15f8c0c036604f18b7198bfb533d508a\">dashboard<\/a>, surveys, and other research are published on a site created with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/arcgis-hub\/overview?srsltid=AfmBOooODQo-dFSIsVIkYdbu9yvAwlnXQHqLoIEJH2pU9sx3JY4JsP6r\">ArcGIS Hub<\/a> called <a href=\"https:\/\/okc-urban-heat-health-okc.hub.arcgis.com\/\">Heat Health in Oklahoma City<\/a>."},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[696392,696382,696372,696362,699252,699242]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Visitors to the city\u2019s hub site can see how temperatures vary across geographic areas that are diverse in population size, building density, wealth, ethnicity, and other characteristics.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe want be able to identify which of the census tracts have people who are over 65 and who live alone because, historically and statistically, those are the folks who are at the highest risk during heat waves,\u201d Terry-Cobo said.\r\n\r\nUsing GIS tools, other data layers can be added to maps to identify patterns and correlations. The city\u2019s hub site presents GIS maps that visitors can interact with if they want to learn more about a specific neighborhood.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe can learn only so much from static reports,\u201d Terry-Cobo said. \u201cWith [GIS] tools like these, we can keep digging. We can keep adding on [data] layers and trying to understand the different facets of extreme heat and urban heat islands. Also, it\u2019s huge for us to be able to see the change over time.\u201d\r\n\r\nLocal agencies and partners can use the maps to pinpoint hot spots as they make plans for adapting to rising temperatures and concentrations of air pollution. For example, building resilience to extreme heat might include determining strategic locations for <a href=\"https:\/\/okc-urban-heat-health-okc.hub.arcgis.com\/maps\/21f972fbee194e4594bdd7c29c88f0ab\/explore?location=35.466516%2C-97.476314%2C9.04\">planting trees<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/okc-urban-heat-health-okc.hub.arcgis.com\/apps\/cd7ac4cd775c41c7927224f8d05047a5\/explore\">opening cooling centers<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/okc-urban-heat-health-okc.hub.arcgis.com\/maps\/ece23d51f4d045c48f925d08e04cf2cc\/explore?location=0.000319%2C-0.000876%2C9.29\">delivering services<\/a> to residents who have a greater risk of succumbing to heat-related illness or death."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<h2><strong>Federal Agencies Call Attention to Extreme Heat Conditions and Forecasts<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/climate-change-health-equity-environmental-justice\/climate-change-health-equity\/climate-health-outlook\/extreme-heat\/index.html#:~:text=Heat%2Drelated%20deaths%20have%20been,2022%2C%20and%202%2C302%20in%202023.\">Deaths and illnesses related to extreme heat are on the rise<\/a>. More than 2,300 people died in 2023, compared to 1,602 in 2021, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. The death toll might be higher, but not every community tracks heat as a cause of death or illness.\r\n\r\nDuring heat waves, people who work outdoors or who travel from bus or transit stops have greater exposure to extreme heat and air pollution. Those who are older, chronically ill, and living in spaces without air conditioning are among the most vulnerable.\r\n\r\nMarginalized communities more often live in the hottest neighborhoods. These neighborhoods may have higher poverty rates and often have experienced declines because of policies that supported racial segregation and underinvestment over many decades. Heat islands also tend to have fewer trees and green spaces, combined with more industrial sites that generate air pollution.\r\n\r\nTo help local communities understand heat-related health risks and get access to resources that can guide them in adapting, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers historical data through its <a href=\"https:\/\/ephtracking.cdc.gov\/Applications\/heatTracker\/\">Heat &amp; Health Tracker<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe White House\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/resilience.climate.gov\/\">Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation portal<\/a>\u00a0provides forecasts about rising heat and other climate factors such as flooding to help communities document their past, present, and future exposure to climate-related hazards.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Recognizing Hot Spots of Public Health Risk<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nIn Oklahoma City, spatial analysis with GIS technology showed that urban heat islands exist in the expected places\u2014in marginalized communities and the downtown area. Both have more concrete and asphalt surfaces and fewer green or shady spaces.\r\n\r\nAs early as 6 a.m., the downtown area saw temperatures at or near 88.5 degrees in August 2023. The heat index was \u201cwell over 100 degrees,\u201d Terry-Cobo said. Those temperatures downtown were almost 15 degrees hotter than some other parts of the city.\r\n\r\nThe study also showed that Oklahoma City\u2019s growing, affluent northwestern quadrant has taken on more of the concrete and asphalt characteristics of a heat island. Its location apart from downtown makes it a more surprising hot spot. Detecting even subtle shifts in local conditions is valuable for planners, Terry-Cobo said.\r\n\r\n\u201cBeing able to really capture how humans feel heat on the ground, that shows us the disparities and the differences between neighborhoods,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was something that really hadn\u2019t been done before [in Oklahoma City].\u201d\r\n<h3><strong>Collaboration Is the Key to Saving Lives<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWith just two staff members, the city\u2019s sustainability team relies on partnerships to move the city toward its goals, including resilience to climate change.\r\n\r\nThe city\u2019s hub site is a resource that can guide partners as they work to reach at-risk households. For example, electric companies can use the hub site\u2019s data to identify households that might be eligible for credits or discounts during summer months.\r\n\r\nWith lower monthly utility bills, more of the most vulnerable residents might choose to turn on their air conditioners to lower their risk of heat illness. Public transit planners might use heat maps in choosing locations for shaded bus stops or planting shade trees. Heat maps might even surface as the city considers a plan to build <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kosu.org\/local-news\/2024-05-28\/plans-for-nations-tallest-building-would-transform-oklahoma-city-but-residents-are-skeptical\">America\u2019s tallest building<\/a> on a four-acre parking lot downtown.\r\n\r\nAs urban planners look to the future, equitable allocation of resources will be important to address disproportionate burdens on communities where investment has lagged. Heat maps can help urban planners identify gaps in services or infrastructure.\r\n\r\n<strong>\u201c<\/strong>Spatial analysis is crucial to that long-range planning work that we do in the planning department, but also in sustainability,\u201d Terry-Cobo said. \u201cIt helps us identify those trends and the patterns. It helps us prioritize where we work in terms of location, geography, but also what we work on.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLearn more about how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/about\/climate-action\/overview?srsltid=AfmBOopYwuaSiXwoSkv54KLR-1uT0wApf4cxC1M2QMaUhtOH2N3hqKjY\">location-based solutions drive successful climate adaptation and mitigation strategies<\/a>."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Maps Help Oklahoma City Paint a Clear Picture of Extreme Heat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Oklahoma City\u2019s Urban Heat Health hub site offers dynamic visual resources that show where hotter summer temperatures put people at risk.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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