Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Heat Island Reduction Techniques in Urban Heatwave Areas Using Drones

The purpose of this study is to apply urban heat island reduction techniques (green roof, cool roof, and cool pavements using heat insulation paint or blocks) recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to our study area and determine their actual effects through a comparative analysis between land cover objects. To this end, the area of Mugye-ri, Jangyu-myeon, Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do was selected as a study area, and measurements were taken using a drone DJI Matrice 300 RTK, which was equipped with a thermal infrared sensor FLIR Vue Pro R and a visible spectrum sensor H20T 1/2.3" CMOS, 12 MP. A total of nine heat maps, land cover objects (711) as a control group, and heat island reduction technique-applied land covering objects (180) were extracted every 1 hour and 30 minutes from 7:15 am to 7:15 pm on July 27. After calculating the effect values for each of the 180 objects extracted, the effects of each technique were integrated. Through the analysis based on daytime hours, the effect of reducing heat islands was found to be 4.71 degrees C for cool roof; 3.40 degrees C for green roof; and 0.43 degrees C and -0.85 degrees C for cool pavements using heat insulation paint and blocks, respectively. Comparing the effect by time period, it was found that the heat island reduction effect of the techniques was highest at 13:00, which is near the culmination hour, on the imaging date. Between 13:00 and 14:30, the efficiency of temperature reduction changed, with -8.19 degrees C for cool roof, -5.56 degrees C for green roof, and -1.78 degrees C and -1.57 degrees C for cool pavements using heat insulation paint and blocks, respectively. This study was a case study that verified the effects of urban heat island reduction techniques through the use of high-resolution images taken with drones. In the future, it is considered that it will be possible to present case studies that directly utilize micro-satellites with high-precision spatial resolution.