Parameter Optimization for a Thermal Simulation of an Urban Area

Urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is a significant challenge in urban planning, and accurate temperature predictions are crucial for effective decision-making. The choice of material parameters is crucial to simulate a realistic temperature distribution and identify potential UHIs. This paper introduces a framework for optimizing the material properties based on sensors boxes placed upon surfaces made up by different materials. The methodology covers an optimization approach for the material properties to achieve accurate surface temperature simulation. The results, which involved close-range validation and macro-scale validation, show a significant improvement in the agreement between the simulated and measured temperature time series, especially for tiled roofs and asphalt roads. However, the accuracy for grassland areas decreased, possibly due to differences in soil moisture. Overall, the proposed framework shows promising results for future work in improving the accuracy of thermal simulation of urban areas.