Satellite Data for Environmental Justice Mapping

Urban vegetation is effective to mitigate the urban heat island effect and improve physical and mental health of environmental justice (EJ) communities.

This NASA project will map urban vegetation canopy cover and monitor urban heat island to advance environmental justice for the city of New Haven and the state of Connecticut. The project will combine satellite imagery, airborne imagery, GIS data, and socioeconomic data to develop geospatial products and tools for policy makers at city and state levels. The project will also investigate the cooling effect of urban vegetation and the socioeconomic drivers of urban greenspace and urban heat island effect.

Research Assistants will collect geospatial training data to help train models to map land cover and land use, gather and compile socioeconomic data and conduct statistical data analysis.

This is an opportunity for students to work with researchers and stakeholders who will use the data results.