November 2021

Global High Resolution Daily Extreme Urban Heat Exposure (UHE-Daily), v1 (1983-2016)


PURPOSE

To provide a high-resolution, longitudinal global data set of extreme urban heat events and urban heat exposure.


DESCRIPTION

The Global High Resolution Daily Extreme Urban Heat Exposure (UHE-Daily), 1983-2016 data set contains a high-resolution, longitudinal global record of geolocated urban extreme heat events and urban population exposure estimates for more than 10,000 urban settlements worldwide for 1983-2016. Urban extreme heat events and urban population exposure are identified for each urban settlement in the data record for five combined temperature-humidity thresholds: two-day or longer periods where the daily maximum Heat Index (HImax) > 40.6 degrees Celsius; one-day or longer periods where HImax > 46.1 degrees Celsius; and one day or longer periods where the daily maximum Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGTmax) > 28, 30, and 32 degrees Celsius. The WBGTmax thresholds follow the International Standards Organization (ISO) criterium for risk of occupational heat related heat illness, whereas the HImax thresholds follow the U.S. National Weather Services' definition for an excessive heat warning. For each criteria, across urban settlements worldwide, the data set also contains the duration, intensity, and severity of each urban extreme heat event.


ACCESSING THE DATA

The data may be downloaded at https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/sdei-high-res-daily-uhe-1983-2016/data-download


DATA FORMAT

The data archive consists of zip files containing tabular data in .csv and .json formats, and vector data in Shapefile (.shp) format. 

All data sets can be imported into a GIS program interface. These files are packaged in separate compressed zip files for each of the five heat thresholds outlined in the Description. 

Each downloadable is a compressed zip file containing: 1) .csv and .json or .shp files compressed, 2) Readme.TXT file, and 3) Readme-csv-json-shp.TXT file that explains the common columns and file naming schemes. Note that several columns in the .shp and .csv files that should be lists and/or float in the .json file were converted to strings and will need to be converted back for analysis. 

The lat/long in the .csv and .json files are unprojected WGS84 geographic coordinate system (GCS). The .shp files are projected using EPSG:4326 (WGS84) coordinate reference system (CRS). For more information on GCS versus CRS see: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/mapping/gcs_vs_pcs/


DATA VALUES

For more detailed information on the .csv, .json, and .shp files, see sdei-high-res-daily-uhe-1983-2016-readme-csv-json-shp.txt.


SPATIAL EXTENT

Global


DISCLAIMER

CIESIN follows procedures designed to ensure that data disseminated by CIESIN are of reasonable quality. If, despite these procedures, users encounter apparent errors or misstatements in the data, they should contact SEDAC User Services at ciesin.info@ciesin.columbia.edu. Neither CIESIN nor NASA verifies or guarantees the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any data provided. CIESIN provides this data without warranty of any kind whatsoever, either expressed or implied. CIESIN shall not be liable for incidental, consequential, or special damages arising out of the use of any data provided by CIESIN.

   
USE CONSTRAINTS

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0).  

Users are free to use, copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work for commercial and non-commercial purposes, without restriction, as long as clear attribution of the source is provided.


RECOMMENDED CITATION(s)

Data Set:

Tuholske, C., K. Caylor, C. Funk, A. Verdin, S. Sweeney, K. Grace, P. Peterson, and T. Evans. 2021. Global High Resolution Daily Extreme Urban Heat Exposure (UHE-Daily), 1983-2016. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/fq7g-ny13. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR.

Scientific Publication:

Tuholske, C., K. Caylor, C. Funk, A. Verdin, S. Sweeney, K. Grace, P. Peterson, and T. Evans. 2021. Global Urban Population Exposure to Extreme Heat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(41), e2024792118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024792118.