How a startup from one of the world’s hottest cities is tackling rising temperatures

The increasing severity of urban heat islands presents a growing challenge for cities worldwide, with temperatures in metropolitan areas routinely exceeding those of surrounding rural regions due to infrastructure and human activity.

The urban heat challenge: Dense city environments face unique temperature-related obstacles due to heat-absorbing materials, vehicle emissions, and building designs that impede airflow.

• Cities like Chicago have implemented green roofing solutions, with over 500 buildings now featuring vegetation that provides natural cooling and insulation
• Los Angeles has experimented with solar-reflective road coatings to combat heat absorption from its extensive freeway network
• The urban heat island effect can cause city temperatures to be several degrees higher than nearby rural areas

Data-driven solutions emerge: Abu Dhabi-based startup FortyGuard is developing AI-powered technology to provide detailed urban temperature mapping and analysis.

• The company collects 32 billion data points daily from various third-party providers to create comprehensive temperature models
• Their technology accounts for multiple variables including elevation, vegetation, water bodies, and atmospheric conditions
• FortyGuard claims to model urban temperatures with 89% accuracy for every 10 square meters in certain US cities

Health implications: Rising urban temperatures pose significant risks to public health and well-being, particularly affecting vulnerable populations.

• Heat-related mortality among people 65 and older increased by approximately 85% between 2017 and 2021
• UN projections suggest that by 2100, between half and three-quarters of the global population could face life-threatening heat exposure
• Extreme heat impacts sleep patterns and worker productivity, especially for those in outdoor occupations

Technical challenges: Current temperature monitoring systems face limitations in providing accurate urban heat data.

• Traditional weather stations are often positioned in non-representative locations like airports or hilltops
• Satellite measurements, while covering broad areas, cannot capture ground-level temperatures beneath trees or buildings
• Few cities maintain dense measurement networks capable of providing granular temperature data

Market developments: The urban heat monitoring sector is seeing increased activity from both startups and established tech companies.

• Real estate platform Zillow now includes climate-related information in its listings, including heat risk data
• Google has launched a Heat Resilience tool using AI to analyze aerial and satellite imagery
• FortyGuard is positioning itself as a technology company, seeking to integrate its solutions into existing platforms

Future implications: While urban heat monitoring technology shows promise, experts emphasize the importance of practical application and implementation.

• The effectiveness of these solutions will largely depend on how cities and organizations utilize the data to inform policy and planning decisions
• Success will require coordination between technology providers, city planners, and local governments to translate data into meaningful action
• Questions remain about data validation methods and the practical implementation of AI-driven temperature monitoring systems