Comparison and Evaluation of Different Gis Software Tools to Estimate Solar Irradiation

Abstract

Abstract. In this paper, five commonly used software tools to estimate solar radiation in the urban context (GRASS GIS, ArcGIS, SimStadt, CitySim and Ladybug) are run on the same test site and are compared in terms of input data requirements, usability, and accuracy of the results. Spatial and weather data have been collected for an area located in the Brazilian city of São Paulo, in the district of Santana. The test area surrounds a weather station, for which meteorological data of the last 15 years have been collected and used as ground truth when analysing and comparing the simulation results. In terms of spatial data, raster- and vector-based models of the study area have been generated in order to comply with the different input requirements. More specifically, in the case of the vector-based tools (SimStadt, CitySim and Ladybug), a common 3D model based on CityGML and containing buildings, vegetation (trees) and terrain has been generated and used as a common urban model. The paper presents the findings and discusses the results not only from a numerical point of view, but also from the perspective of the overall usability of the software in terms of data requirements, simulation time and task automatisation.

Strategies for the Design of New and Existing High Energy Performance Solar Neighborhoods

“…The results of radiation algorithms applied to surface data are represented in these models primarily through the use of geographic information systems (GIS). GIS tools to determine solar irradiation include tools such as GRASS GIS, ArcGIS, SimStadt, CitySim, and Ladybug (Giannelli, León-Sánchez and Agugiaro, 2022). Ladybug and CitySim are recommended for precise neighborhood-scale solar irradiance assessment due to their comparable accuracy, common features like support for CityGML and GUI, despite Ladybug having a steeper initial learning curve (Giannelli et al, 2022).…”

“…GIS tools to determine solar irradiation include tools such as GRASS GIS, ArcGIS, SimStadt, CitySim, and Ladybug (Giannelli, León-Sánchez and Agugiaro, 2022). Ladybug and CitySim are recommended for precise neighborhood-scale solar irradiance assessment due to their comparable accuracy, common features like support for CityGML and GUI, despite Ladybug having a steeper initial learning curve (Giannelli et al, 2022). Other tools for assessingClick or tap here to enter text.Click or tap here to enter text.…”

Large-Scale Solar Potential Analysis as a Use Case of Urban Digital Twins

“…According to Giannelli et al [75], the GIS-based approach is suitable for large-scale preliminary studies. For more accurate studies, one can suggest Ladybug Tools or CitySim.…”

“…As a result, there is almost no difference between studying a full year of 8760 hours or just a single day once the matrix is computed. At the same time, it is unknown when and for how long a face is shaded [75].…”

Multi-Modal Geospatial and Thematic Data to Foster Green Deal Applications

“…• building footprint extraction from point clouds (Wu et al, 2018;Buyukdemircioglu et al, 2022); • 3D building/city model generation (Lafarge and Mallet., 2012;Biljecki et al, 2015;Özdemir and Remondino, 2018); • photovoltaic potential estimation of building roof or other suitable areas (Nex et al, 2013;Giannelli et al, 2022); • urban heat island analysis and forecasting (Voelkel and Shandas, 2017;Bosch et al, 2021;Ellena et al, 2023); • urban tree mapping using hyperspectral and LiDAR data fusion (Dalponte et al, 2013;Ballanti et al, 2020); • derivation of urban ecological indexes (Darvishzadeh et al, 2009;Heiden et al, 2012;Sun et al, 2021).…”