Empowering Pune with Open Tree Data: A Data-Driven Dashboard for a Cooler, Greener City using FOSS
Session Description
This talk introduces the Pune Urban Tree Dashboard, a FOSS-powered web application making Pune's urban environmental data accessible and actionable for greener, climate-resilient planning.
The Challenge: Utilizing Pune's open data (like the 2019 Tree Census and satellite-derived Land Surface Temperatures - LST) effectively for urban greening and heat mitigation.
Our FOSS Solution - The Dashboard: An interactive platform providing:
City-Wide Tree Visualization: Explore Pune's tree census data on an interactive map.
Carbon Sequestration Insights: View CO₂ absorbed by trees, calculated using scientific allometric equations (estimating tree benefits based on size and type).
Urban Cooling Metrics: Understand how different tree species cool their surroundings using:
P90 Cooling: How much a species cools the area during peak heat (hottest 10% of conditions).
P10 Cooling: The consistent cooling effect during milder warm conditions (10th percentile LST).
(These compare under-tree LST to nearby non-vegetated areas within a 500m buffer, using satellite LST data.)
"Know Your Neighbourhood" Tool: Draw any area on the map to see localized tree counts and CO₂ data, compared visually to city totals.
Planting Advisor & Simulation:
Guides species selection based on cooling effects and dimensions.
Simulates optimal tree placement (hexagonal grid) in user-drawn areas.
A chart predicts LST changes, showing a baseline LST profile (oscillating between area's max and ~60th percentile LST) and the "cooled LST" after simulated planting using the species' P90/P10 effects.
LST Overlay: Visualizes satellite-derived Land Surface Temperature with a clear color-gradient legend.
Methodology & Impact: The project is built with common FOSS web technologies. The dashboard aims to empower citizens and planners with data-driven insights. Development leverages AI tools to translate the project vision into a functional application, demonstrating a modern approach to creating FOSS solutions.