A pioneering pilot demonstration led by ACCELIGENCE Ltd., in close collaboration with and supported by the Municipality of Athens and partner ITOS3D, has successfully captured high-resolution thermal and multi-spectral data over the city centre. This marks a significant milestone in assessing and understanding the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect – a phenomenon where urban areas are significantly warmer than surrounding rural zones due to heat-absorbing materials such as buildings and asphalt, combined with waste heat from human activities.

The pilot campaign took place in Kypseli, one of the most densely built areas of Athens, where tall buildings and narrow streets intensify the UHI effect. UAV flights were conducted in two missions, with temporary traffic pauses to allow safe and accurate data collection: early in the morning (06:00) for thermal data and at midday (12:00) for multi-spectral data, providing valuable insights into temperature variations across the dense urban environment. These measurements are being compared with satellite data from NASA’s ASTER instrument, which passed over Athens the same day, enabling calibration and more accurate interpretation of satellite observations in the future. The results will feed into simulation studies of targeted interventions that could mitigate the UHI effect in urban areas.

Special thanks to the Municipality of Athens for their outstanding effort and support, as well as to the Municipal Police for ensuring safe UAV operations and citizen safety, and for their proactive support that enabled the seamless organisation of this complex operation within a challenging urban setting. Partner ITOS3D, a start-up from the University of Salamanca, provided specialised technical expertise for the mission.

At ACCELIGENCE, UAVs are designed and manufactured in-house in fully equipped facilities. All models can be adapted according to the payload requirements of each project, and entirely new models can be developed from the ground up. Collaborating with ACCELIGENCE allows research teams and organisations to specify their UAV requirements and identify the best solution for their mission needs.

This activity forms part of the NebulOuS project, through the URBAN-EYE sub-project. The long-term aim is to integrate the collected data into a WebGIS platform that can issue alerts on UHI risks and, in the future, provide recommendations to end-users for potential interventions towards more climate-resilient cities.

About URBAN-EYE
URBAN-EYE is a project funded under the NebulOuS open call, focusing on the use of advanced UAV and data analytics technologies to monitor Urban Heat Islands and provide knowledge for climate-resilient cities.

🔗 Learn more about NebulOuS: https://nebulouscloud.eu/