Heat vulnerability mapping using satellite imagery, census data and mortality data: Case study in Wayne County, Michigan

The number of heat waves has increased since the 1950s and these heat waves have been associated with marked short term increases in mortality. Adaptation to heat waves is necessary as future scenarios of heat-related morbidity and mortality become a major public health concern. Measures such as Heat Health Warning Systems (HHWS) are used in some regions to initiate public health interventions in response to weather forecasts that predict heat-wave-like events with potential adverse health impacts. While these systems are a useful tool on a city or regional scale, spatial modeling of smaller-geographic scale (i.e. census tract) risk is important and can be accomplished with geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing products. The purpose of this study is to characterize predictors of the risk of heat-related deaths within the Detroit Metropolitan area at the census tract level. We will determine which data sources, such as urban imperviousness, remotely sensed thermal radiation, socio-demographic factors, and multiple temperature data sources – including airport data, and a neighborhood home-based network of temperature data measures (both indoor and outdoor temperatures) - are associated with heat-related mortality risk in specific census tracts. This session will explain and demonstrate how to use GIS with multiple data sources to create a risk-characterization tool that can be used to identify areas that should be prioritized for adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of heat waves.