By Robyn Griggs Lawrence
Publication Date: 2026-04-24 10:43:00
This story was originally published on Smart Cities Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Smart Cities Dive newsletter.
Dive Brief:
Austin, Texas, is leveraging Google Earth tree canopy data and machine learning models to prioritize tree planting in low-canopy areas with the highest heat vulnerability.
The city’s Climate Action and Resilience department is layering heat severity and demographics data onto Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer geospatial data to identify urban heat islands and test “cool corridors” that combine tree planting with cool pavements and bus shelters.
Using remote sensing and satellite data to map tree canopy “is much faster, cheaper, and easier to scale than counting every tree on the ground,” Alan Halter, a senior IT geospatial analyst for Austin Climate Action and Resilience, said in an email. “This makes it a highly adaptable model for any city looking to track its environmental progress.”
