A Florida State University-led project, headed by geography and public health professor Chris Uejio, aims to advance hyperlocal heat exposure mapping and help eight local governments develop extreme heat action plans.

The initiative partners with the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network to translate research findings into practical heat action plans for communities.

Collaborators include Leiqiu Hu of the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Xiaojiang Li of the University of Pennsylvania, contributing to the interdisciplinary effort.

NASA’s Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (HAQAST) supports using satellite data to address public health and air quality challenges and to inform responses to issues such as wildland fires.

A central goal is to align heat mitigation strategies with community vulnerabilities and health outcomes to guide targeted public health responses.

Researchers will produce hyperlocal heat exposure maps at a 1-meter scale using satellite data and environmental measurements, assessing whether heat-mitigation efforts match community vulnerabilities and health outcomes.

The work will identify locations with the severest extreme heat, analyze heat-causing factors, map conditions at street and neighborhood levels, and evaluate the effectiveness of local efforts in reducing risks for vulnerable residents.

NASA has awarded an $840,000 HAQAST grant to a collaborative team from Florida State University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and the University of Pennsylvania to map urban heat and protect health.

The grant supports advancing urban heat island mapping to inform extreme heat action planning for local governments.

The project, Scaling Earth Observations to Co-Produce Heat Knowledge and Adaptations, will deepen understanding of how cities trap heat and how heat patterns vary across communities.

HAQAST funding will enable street- and neighborhood-level analysis of heat drivers and hot spots, feeding into co-produced heat knowledge and adaptation strategies.

The collaboration features a nationwide, interdisciplinary team, including Leiqiu Hu and Xiaojiang Li, highlighting broad academic partnerships.