Visualization-Based Decision Tool for Urban Meteorological Modeling

Abstract

Abstract-We present a visualization-based decision tool that enables exploring the link between urban land use and urban weather, in particular predicting and visualizing changes in urban temperature, precipitation, and humidity. Our work combines recent work from urban planning, weather and climate studies, and visualization and computer graphics. Our approach uses an interactive tool to quickly and automatically produce plausible detailed 3D city models by means of a hybrid computational simulation of urban behavior and procedural urban geometry. From the city model, urban morphology parameters are efficiently computed and used by our custom meteorological simulator which considers the influence of the urban landscape. The result is a compelling visualization ability for understanding the complex feedback between urban land use and the regional meteorology of current cities and of potential future cities with desired greening patterns. Our work includes a case study example spanning a 1600 km 2 area.

Impact of city size on precipitation‐modifying potential

“…As city size increases, it can have an increased impact on storm modification. This is important both to present‐day forecasts and to understanding the impact of growing cities on their local environments [ Shepherd et al ., ; Aliaga et al ., ].…”

A need to revisit hydrologic responses to urbanization by incorporating the feedback on spatial rainfall patterns

“…As a result, this study highlights the necessity of considering urban meteorological feedback in future hydrologic engineering, particularly for urbanized watersheds (Aliaga et al, 2013). Traditional hydrologic vulnerability approaches have developed detailed tools and techniques to consider the interactions of surface properties with hydrologic processes.…”

An Integrated Simplification Approach for 3D Buildings with Sloped and Flat Roofs

“…3DCMs also see their applications in urban sustainability through the study of urban morphology and their impact on urban transportation [49] and urban climate [50].…”