{"id":15466,"date":"2025-11-28T10:12:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T10:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themacs-engineering.com\/?p=15466"},"modified":"2026-11-05T13:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T13:13:33","slug":"possible-measures-to-combat-uhi-albedo-emissivity-and-thermal-mapping-of-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/possible-measures-to-combat-uhi-albedo-emissivity-and-thermal-mapping-of-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Possible measures to take action against UHI : albedo, emissivity, and thermal mapping of cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Understanding and reducing urban heat islands<\/strong> (UHI<\/strong>) requires, above all, accurate measuremen<\/strong>t of the physical parameters that influence temperature in cities.
\nAt THEMACS Ing\u00e9nierie<\/strong>, we use three complementary approaches: measuring albedo<\/strong>, emissivity<\/strong>, and ground-based thermal mapping<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Measuring albedo<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Albedo<\/strong> is the ability of a surface to reflect solar radiation. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 1. The purpose of the measurement is to identify<\/strong> the surfaces that absorb the most heat (asphalt, dark roofs) and propose solutions to increase reflectivity (light-colored roofs, reflective paints). At THEMACS Ing\u00e9nierie<\/strong>, we use an innovative portable device<\/strong> to quickly measure the albedo of different materials and coatings directly on site.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Measuring emissivity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emissivity<\/strong> refers to a surface’s ability to release absorbed heat in the form of infrared radiation. Measuring emissivity<\/strong> helps us understand how materials cool down (or fail to cool down) at night. For example, light-colored concrete with high emissivity cools down faster than polished metal with low emissivity. Emissivity measurements are taken on site using an emissometer<\/strong> developed by Themacs engineers to accurately characterize urban materials.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mapping city temperatures<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thermal mapping<\/strong> allows us to visualize the spatial distribution of surface temperatures and identify the areas most exposed to urban heat islands<\/strong> (UHI<\/strong>). There are two main methods :<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

a) Ground measurements<\/strong><\/p>\n

Advantages: high accuracy, possibility of directly comparing different surfaces, specific and targeted measurements.
\nDisadvantages: limited geographical coverage, requires field measurement campaigns.<\/p>\n

b) Satellite measurements<\/strong><\/p>\n

Advantages: overview of large urban areas, regular monitoring over time, rapid detection of critical areas.
\nDisadvantages: spatial resolution sometimes insufficient to distinguish narrow streets or specific materials; dependence on weather conditions (clouds, humidity).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Towards a complementary approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

At THEMACS Ing\u00e9nierie<\/strong>, we favor an integrated approach:<\/p>\n

– Ground measurements<\/strong> with our Thermocity<\/strong> device to obtain accurate and detailed data.
\n– Satellite mapping<\/strong> to gain a global view of ICU<\/strong>\u00a0and track their evolution over time.<\/p>\n

The combination of these methods provides cities and local authorities with a reliable and comprehensive diagnosis, enabling them to implement appropriate solutions<\/strong> (choice of materials, greening, urban planning).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Understanding and reducing urban heat islands (UHI) requires, above all, accurate measurement of the physical parameters that influence temperature in cities. At THEMACS Ing\u00e9nierie, we use three complementary approaches: measuring albedo, emissivity, and ground-based thermal mapping.   Measuring albedo   Albedo is the ability of a surface to reflect solar radiation. It is measured on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15523,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15466"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25337,"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15466\/revisions\/25337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preprod.themacs-engineering.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}