New app based on satellite data will help cities better adapt to climate change

Cities and municipalities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are gaining a new ally in the fight against climate change. Using freely available European satellite data, Czech and Slovak researchers have developed an app that will help local governments to better respond to drought, overheating, and the decline of urban greenery.

Photo illustrative: Enrique Lopez Garre, Pixabay, Pixabay License

The SatKlima project, developed by researchers from Tomas Bata University in Zlín and the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava comes at a time when the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible at the local level. Rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells, shrinking vegetation cover, and the overheating of paved surfaces are placing growing pressure on urban areas. Municipalities are expected to act pre-emptively by planting more trees, protecting green spaces, improving water management, and preparing adaptation strategies. Yet many have lacked clear data on which to base those decisions.

The SatKlima project is seeking to change that.

Researchers are using imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellites, part of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation programme, operated in cooperation with the European Space Agency, to calculate the NDVI index, a widely used indicator of vegetation health. By tracking changes in this index over time, scientists can identify where greenery is deteriorating, where drought risks are increasing, and which parts of a city may require urgent intervention.

The Copernicus 2a Satellite|Photo: Peter Kneffel, ČTK/DPA

The main outcome of the project will be a freely accessible online platform designed for municipalities, planners, and residents alike. Users will be able to select a specific town, neighbourhood, park, or housing estate on a map and instantly view seasonal or multi-year trends in vegetation health and environmental conditions. They will be able to see the results of action taken and which strategies have failed to work in the past.

Andrej Dobrotka, one of the project’s developers from the Slovak University of Technology, said the system was built to minimise data demands while maximising usability.

“We created user-friendly software that does not require a lot of technical expertise. A person simply selects the respective place on the map, clicks on an area such as a housing estate or a park, and immediately sees seasonal and even multi-year trends,” he explained.

According to Jakub Trojan from the Faculty of Logistics and Crisis Management, who also worked on the project, the aim is to transform complex satellite information into a practical tool for everyday use - a tool that will help mayors to better understand what is happening to their landscape and enable them to respond to those changes in time.

Jakub Trojan|Photo: Tomas Bata University in Zlín

“The tool is expected to support decisions on what experts call blue-green infrastructure i.e. integrated approaches combining vegetation, water systems, and urban design to cool cities and improve resilience. This can include planting trees, restoring wetlands, improving drainage, creating shaded public spaces, and making smarter long-term investments.”

Pilot data are already available for seven cities and towns in Moravia and Slovakia: Zlín, Uherské Hradiště, Vsetín, Bojkovice, Trnava, Trenčín, and Žilina. A model adaptation strategy with a concrete action plan is also being prepared for a selected area of the Zlín Region.

With Czechia experiencing the driest spring on record and meteorologists predicting a hot summer, the new app will be able to prove its worth in a matter of weeks.