Analysis of Surface Thermal Behavior for the Study of Urban Heat Islands: An Experiment Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the variation of horizontal superficial temperature of different typologies of surfaces through thermographies using a thermal camera embedded in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The temperature data of some typologies of ground cover (asphalt, cement sidewalk, lawn and trees) and buildings cover (ceramic roof and cement tile) were analyzed. The results showed that there was a greater retention of heat by the asphalt covering, followed by the cement sidewalk. The temperature of the lawn was high during the day, but at night it was the surface with the lowest temperature among all analyzed. The top of the tree accumulated less heat during the day and it took longer to lose it during the night, getting the lowest thermal amplitude. At the building covering surfaces, while the temperature of the ceramic roof suffered little variation during the day, the cement tile suffered a high variation, showing that it is not a good thermal insulator. The use of UAV allowed a quick acquisition of the thermographies of the selected targets. The weather analysis was a determining factor to carry out the UAV missions.