The LCZ4r package provides a comprehensive suite of tools for analyzing and visualizing Local Climate Zones (LCZ) and Urban Heat Islands (UHI) in R. Designed for researchers, urban planners, and climate scientists, LCZ4r simplifies the process of downloading, processing, and interpreting LCZ data.
Package Overview
The LCZ4r package includes the following key functions:
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Data Download:
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lcz_get_map(): Download LCZ maps from the global dataset. -
lcz_get_map_euro(): Download LCZ maps from the European dataset. -
lcz_get_map_usa(): Download LCZ maps from the Continental United States dataset. -
lcz_get_map_generator(): Download LCZ maps from the LCZ Generator Platform.
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Visualization:
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lcz_plot_map(): Visualize LCZ maps. -
lcz_plot_parameters(): Visualize LCZ parameter maps. -
lcz_plot_interp(): Visualize LCZ interpolation results.
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Analysis:
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lcz_cal_area(): Calculate the area of LCZ classes. -
lcz_get_parameters(): Retrieve LCZ parameters. -
lcz_ts(): Analyze LCZ time series. -
lcz_anomaly(): Calculate LCZ thermal anomalies. -
lcz_anomaly_map(): Map LCZ thermal anomalies. -
lcz_interp_map(): Map LCZ interpolation results. -
lcz_interp_eval(): Evaluate LCZ interpolation accuracy. -
lcz_uhi_intensity(): Assess urban heat island intensity using LCZ data.
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LCZ4r-QGIS Plugin: Multilingual Integration
The LCZ4r-QGIS plugin integrates the LCZ4r package with QGIS, enabling users to analyze Local Climate Zones and urban heat islands directly within the QGIS environment. The plugin supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a global audience.
People
The development of the LCZ4r package is led by Dr. Max Anjos and supported by a team of researchers:
- Dr. Fred Meier, Chair of Climatology, Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin.
- Dr. Francisco Castelhano, Center for Climate Crisis Studies, Department of Geography, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
- Dayvid Carlos de Medeiros, Center for Climate Crisis Studies, Department of Geography, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
- Antônio Campos Neto, Center for Climate Crisis Studies, Department of Geography, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Funding
This project is supported by: - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Contact
For questions, suggestions, or collaboration opportunities, please contact us at maxanjos@campus.ul.pt. We welcome contributions to the development of this R package!
Inspiration
The LCZ4r package is inspired by the following works:
Stewart, I., and T. Oke, 2012: Local Climate Zones for Urban Temperature Studies.
Ching, J., et al., 2018: WUDAPT: An Urban Weather, Climate, and Environmental Modeling Infrastructure for the Anthropocene.
Demuzere, M., et al., 2019: Mapping Europe into Local Climate Zones.
Demuzere, M., et al., 2020: Combining Expert and Crowd-Sourced Training Data to Map Urban Form and Functions for the Continental US.
Demuzere, M., et al., 2022: A Global Map of Local Climate Zones to Support Earth System Modelling and Urban-Scale Environmental Science.