Google Research is applying AI to satellite and aerial imagery to build a Heat Resilience tool. The tool will help cities understand how to reduce surface temperatures through planting trees or using reflective surfaces such as cool roofs.

The Alphabet company is aiming to address the growth of urban heat islands — areas where structures like roads and buildings absorb heat and re-emit it. Urban heat islands cause cities to heat up at twice the global average rate. This affects especially vulnerable communities including older people, children and those with chronic health conditions.

Google Research’s Heat Resilience tool uses AI-powered object detection and other models to account for local characteristics, like how much green space a city has or how well the roofs on buildings reflect sunlight. This can help urban planners and local governments see the impact of cooling interventions right down to the neighbourhood level. The company is piloting the tool in 14 US cities where officials are using it to identify which neighbourhoods are most vulnerable to extreme heat and develop a plan to address rising temperatures.

Using the Google Heat Resilience tool, Miami-Dade county plans to develop policies that incentivise developers to take heat mitigation measures. In Stockton, California, the city has used an earlier version of Google’s Heat Resilience tool to gather data for potential projects and opportunities to reduce urban heat islands.

The company hopes to partner with more cities in the future to inform their cooling strategies.