Analysing the Surface Urban Heat Island Effect with Copernicus Data

To ensure that the great opportunities of Copernicus satellite data offered, in open and free mode, are fully grasped, a major awareness of them must be widespread among European citizens, companies, and public administrations. To this end, initiatives such as the EO-UPTAKE Ligurian regional project aim at studying application scenarios centered on the use of Copernicus data and the dissemination of their outcomes to citizens and local authorities. As an example of this activity, the paper focuses on an application scenario for monitoring the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, considered among the most impacting effects on urban ecosystems, analyzed in the metropolitan area of Genoa. We discuss some strengths and weaknesses in the use of Copernicus satellite data and services, intending to provide a preliminary set of guidelines, useful not only for analyzing the UHI phenomenon in other urban contexts but also as a concrete example of exploitation of the Copernicus ecosystem.