Connection between urban heat island and sky view factor approximated by a software tool on a 3D urban database

This study provides a review on methods of Sky View Factor (SVF) determination and intra-urban surface geometry-air temperature relationship. Then, a software-based method of SVF estimation from a 3D database, describing urban surface elements, is applied. Finally, related investigations in Szeged and importance of the results obtained are discussed. Previous investigations were limited to only specific urban parts or some canyons and used small numbers of sites and few occasions of measurements. This study utilises a large number of areal means of SVF and temperature related to a large sample area and based on numerous measurements. Our investigation reveals a strong relationship between these variables. Thus, surface geometry is a significant determining factor of the temperature distribution if the selected scale is appropriate. Therefore, investigations of sufficient number of appropriate-sized areas, covering large parts of a city, are needed to draw well-established conclusions on the studied relationship.