Georeferenced fix and mobile environmental data to assess microclimate change in complex urban areas toward resilient planning

This paper focuses on the assessment of urban microclimate and Urban Heat Island (UHI) intensity, which are critical issues in urban areas. The ongoing process of urbanization is exacerbating the problem of urban overheating due to changes in land use and cover, decreased vegetation, and increased anthropogenic activities. This phenomenon negatively impacts the environment, including increased energy consumption in buildings, greater greenhouse gas emissions, worse air quality, thermal discomfort, and higher heat-related mortality and morbidity rates. In this study, the authors evaluate the reliability of a GIS tool that simulates global solar radiation and the effectiveness of mobile monitoring data for validating it. The city center of Florence, Italy, was selected as the case study, and a vehicle-based monitoring system was used, along with microclimatic data continuously recorded through a fixed weather station connected to big data sources. The results showed that the GIS tool produced accurate predictions of solar radiation, and the mobile monitoring data were effective in validating its results. The study highlights the importance of combining different approaches, including field measurements and GIS modeling, for a complete understanding of the urban microclimate connected to the functional organization of architectural and urban places. The innovation lies in the potential extended use of GIS tools in urban microclimate assessments as a valuable resource for municipalities as a lower-cost alternative compared to constructing and maintaining sensor networks.