Improving measurement technology for the design of sustainable cities

Abstract

This review identifies and discusses measurement technology gaps that are currently preventing major science leaps from being realized in the study of urban environmental transport processes. These scientific advances are necessary to better understand the links between atmospheric transport processes in the urban environment, human activities, and potential management strategies. We propose that with various improved and targeted measurements, it will be possible to provide technically sound guidance to policy and decision makers for the design of sustainable cities. This review focuses on full-scale in situ and remotely sensed measurements of atmospheric winds, temperature, and humidity in cities and links measurements to current modeling and simulation needs. A key conclusion of this review is that there is a need for urban-specific measurement techniques including measurements of highly-resolved three-dimensional fields at sampling frequencies high enough to capture small-scale turbulence processes yet also capable of covering spatial extents large enough to simultaneously capture key features of urban heterogeneity and boundary layer processes while also supporting the validation of current and emerging modeling capabilities.

A Review of Progress and Applications of Pulsed Doppler Wind LiDARs

“…Mechanical anemometers (e.g., cup anemometers) Extremely robust and easy to maintain [2]. Insufficient to measure weak and unsteady wind field [3].…”

“…Able to measure 3-dimensional (3D) wind vector field [5]. Most widely used technique in turbulence measurements [3].…”

“…Unable to measure the dissipation range of turbulence accurately [6]. Additional errors may be introduced to sonic measurements due to sensor wake effects [3]. Sensitive to temperature changes [7].…”

“…National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); 2 Plan position indicator;3 Four-dimensional variational data assimilation;4 Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt;5 Range height indicator;6 National Institute of Information and Communications Technology; 7 Doppler beam swinging.…”

Design and Development of a 5-Channel Arduino-Based Data Acquisition System (ABDAS) for Experimental Aerodynamics Research

“…Different projects in different engineering disciplines and research [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ], have shown the need for low-cost but accurate data acquisition systems in recent years, from electrical engineering [ 39 , 40 ], to quality assessment [ 41 ], photovoltaic performance assessment [ 42 , 43 , 44 ] and renewable energy [ 45 ]. It could be also said that these low-cost measurement instruments seems to be increasingly used within the biomedical sector [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ], and small-satellite space missions [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ].…”