Uster Monitors Urban Climate with New Monitoring Network

Uster, ZH — The city of Uster has installed sensors at twelve locations to measure the urban climate in order to highlight heat stress. The data will be incorporated into the planning of construction and transportation projects so that public spaces and streets can be used more comfortably on hot days.

(CONNECT) Uster has set up a temperature monitoring network with twelve sensors throughout the city. In addition to temperature, the monitoring stations also systematically record humidity, solar radiation, and air pressure.

According to a press release, the sensors are located, among other places, in the city centre, in heavily trafficked areas, and in quieter, greener areas such as shaded parks. The different locations are intended to show how much and for how long individual neighborhoods and areas heat up, and how often heat stress occurs there.

Based on data collected over the long term, the city aims to better analyse heat islands and compare the effects across different urban areas. The results are intended to serve as a basis for future construction and transportation projects and to identify which measures—such as planting additional trees, creating green spaces, or restoring unsealed areas—contribute to cooling. 

The project is supported by the Center for Aviation (ZAV) at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). The measurement data and sensor locations can be viewed in the Uster WebGIS. ce/as

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